Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-22

strength allowed him, the faithful Of
the different parishes of Rome in the
court yard of San Damaso to hear him
explain the gospel story, and carrying
out one after the other as pope me
same ideas and principles which he
had confessed and advocated as bishop
4 and patriarch. One of his undertake
jings will leave an important mark IN
TIE history of papacy-the codiflcation
Of ecclesiastic law. He entrusted the
work to an illustrious scholar in can on
law, Mgr. Pietro Gasparri on whom he
conferred the red hat in December,
1907. Another epoch-making task was
that of the revision of the Vulgate,
which he confided to Father Francis
A:dan Gasquert, Abbot-president of the
English Benedictine congregation so
well known as learned historian.
| Plus X was determined to restore the
most iron discipline among the clergy.
and this led to an unrelentlng cam
pag, against that section OF &C.
, clesia:<s who professed unorthodox
opinions and were called modernists.
The encyclical promulgated on Sep
, tcmber 8, 1907, condemned the modern
lists and their doctrines.
Following this several leaders Of the
Gated in Italy, England and Germany.
The pope displayed even greater
energy on November 10, 1907, when he
reaffirmed the necessity of combating
by every possible means the spirit of
rebellion, and ordered the bishops TO
watch and If necessary to dismiss the
professors infected with the condemned
doctrines and to prevent from taking
orders those students who were
suspected Of sympathising with the
movement.
New rebellions broke out, and Plus
X went further in the struggle with
new encyclical, in May, 1909. and more
so bv imposing the anti-modernfst oath
on all ecclesiastics.
The pontiff reused storm Of OPP
position to himself entirely unexpected,
by his encyclical against the Protes-
tants in general and those of the Ger
man reformation in particular, on the
oc casion Of the centennial of st. Charles
Borremeo.
Another very important reform due
to Plus X Is that of the Roman Curia,
which was still ruled by the Bull Of
sixtus v of January 1888 With this
he reformed the offices, the ecclesiasti-
cal court and the Roman congregations,
withdrawing America, Canada, New.
fo,lnoland, Great Britain, Holland and
Luxembourg from the jurisdication of
propaganda fide, removing them there
fore from among the missionary coun-
tries and putting them together with
the rest of the Catholic world, under
the consstorial congregation.
To Americans Piux x was especially
interesting. His great friendship for
this country. his frequent audiences to
Americans. both Catholic and nom
Catholic and his interest in American
affairs kept him in closer touch with
this side of the Atlantic than per-
haps and pontiff that has preceded
him. He was an ardent admirer Of
Theodore Roosevelt, and had the ex-
presidents writings translated for
reading. yet, as will be recalled, events
occurring at the time Of Mr.. Roosevelt's
visit to Rome led to the cancellation of
his visit to the vatican. Former Vice
President Charles w. Fairbanks had
a somewhat similar experience, and the
incident created widespread interest
in this country and in Europe at the
same time.