The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-12-05
Will Pope Be Peacemaker
he Papacy Peace-An Old Saying-N Herald Discusses
the Influence and Position of Papacy in the
World of Peace

voted according to the dictates of his
own conscience without any outside
influence and with the one considera-
tion of picking the man best fitted to
be supreme power in securing peace.
"This was the first conclave where
no nation had the right of veto. and
the abolishment of that power was
due to Pope Plus K, who himself oc-
cupied the throne Of the Fisherman
because one Of these nations holding
that power exercised it. For genera
tions France, Spain and Austria held
the right to object between the nomi-
nation Of a Pope by the conclave and
his final election.
every position that Benedict XIV.
occupied from the time he entered
public life up to the moment he was
proclaimed Pope had been one of
diplomatic nature. He has been
trained at the feet of three of the
greatest statesmen the age has pro-
duced-Leo KILL, Cardinal Rampolla
and Cardinal Merry del Val. From the
position of assistant to Cardinal del
Val, when that prelate was Secretary
of State, Della Chiesa is now far above
him.
"The whole life of Benedict XIV. has
been spent in neutral Italy, except the
few short years he was assistant to
Cardinal Rampolla, when he was
Papal Nuncio at the court of Madrid.
So the new Pontiff has not lived in a
belligerent territory to win him any
! chance of being accused of lining up
his sympathies on one side or the
other. Having been Cardinal only
three months and eight days, he had
not been obliged to assert himself as
the older members of the Sacred Col
lege.
"All the leading facts in the life of
Benedict XIV. seem to fit him to be the
Pope of the War. He comes of an an
cient and noble family, long known for
it's cordial relations with the House
of Savoy, the ruling family of the
Quirinal. His father was a Marquis.
One brother is an Admiral in the Ital.
ian Navy and another Captain. From
this it is believed he may be able to
bring about more friendly relations
between the Vatican and the Quirinal
which were ruptured by Victor Emman
uel, grandfather of the present King
1t is the consensus that if a first steI
of peace between Church and State in
Italy could be brought about it would
go big way toward making the Vati
can take once more the standing an6
power it had in the other courts o1
Europe.
when a young candidate for the
holy priesthood he studied in the
school of ecclesiastical law in Rome
after being tutored in his home towr
of Pegli, in the diocese of Genoa
where he was born and reared. Aftel
he was ordained he joined the Acad
emy of Ecclesiastical Mobiles in Rome
where he studied three years. So wei
did his mind grasp the subject that or
graduation he was detained in the
academy as teacher Of diplomacy.
whether the war lasts a few
months or several years, it will still b
necessary to have diplomatist on tn
throne of St. Peter, because its effects
will be felt through a generation O
} more. The deaths, famine, privation
suffering, devastation, poverty whicl
will follow in its wake will leave thei
: impress through the pontificate o
Benedict XIV. and perhaps several o
his successors. This is in large meas
ure a fight among his own children
Catholic Austria, Catholic France, an
partly Catholic Servia, and the Catho
lies in Germany, Belgium, Great Brit
ain and the other countries, of whom
, there are thousands"