The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-07-04
A POPE IN SPAIN

The former Pensioners and MANY
friends Of the Rev. Percival n.
Whaley of Charleston, s. c., are al
ways interested in any public utter
ance of his, or any contribution to
the thought of the age, and will read
with pleasure the following letter
written by DR.. WhaIey on June 20 to
the editor of the Charleston Post:
Editor Evening Post, Sir: It is re-
ported that the Pope has been in
vited to reside in Spain if he finds it
necessary and advisable to leave
Rome. 1t is also said, in Al recent for
eign dispatch, that castle or palace
is being prepared for him in Switzer-
land, should he decide to make a
change of temporary character in his
residence. The student of Western
church history knows well enough
why, from causes I need not enun1-
crate, residence in Switzerland is
almost out of the consideration. With
Spain, no such causes exist, while
there are today many good reasons
why the Pope, in an emergency, might
find it very fitting to remove to Spain,
if the political surroundings in Rome
should require it. If, however, he
should decide to go to Spain, it would
not be the first time a Pope or one
who claimed to be Pope has resided
in that country. Clement V, who died
in 1914, had, mainly for political rea-
sons, removed the Holy See to Avig-
non in France, where it remained for
some sity wears, when the influence
of France in the college of cardinals
and papal elections was supreme.
Benedict XIII, died in 1409, was the
last of the Avignon Popes. Gregory
XII was resident in Rome, though he
was deposed, as was Benedict, while
John XIII wa sin effect the recog-
nized authority. He was likewise de-
posed by the council of Constance,
when, after vacancy of about two
years, Martin v was elected. Since
that time there have been no con-
tested elections. Benedict XIII,
Gregory XII and John XIII were
more or less contemporary. Gregory,
upon his deposition, gracefully re-
tired but Benedict still claimed to be
the one. true Pope, who, on his fight
from Avignon, went to Perpignon and
thence to his native castle of Pen
iscola, not very far from Barcelona,
where he claimed and attempted to
exercise all the powers and preroga-
tives of the Roman pontiff From
Peniscola he declared to the Western
| Christian world, "The whole church
is assembled in Peniscola, not in
Constance, as once the whole human
race was collected in Noah's ark"
For brief time Gregory, it seems,
was recognized by the church in
Scotland and Spain. Alexander V
held the chair of st. Peter between
Gregory XII and John XIII, but
| only for few months, dying in 1410.
The family name of Benedict was De
Luna. Some 200 years after his death,
a collateral descendant of his, by
name De Luna, entered what is now
known as Pensacola bay, where he
| made temporary settlement. For
MANY years have been studying this
name Pensacola, and the only likely
derivation I have been able to reach
is that DeLuna, the Spanish navi-
gator, named the settlement and bay
after his distinguished ancestor. The
transition, in later years, from Penis
| cola to Pensacola would be compare
lively easy and natural. Should the
pope decide to leave Rome, the nat
ural country for his exile would be,
from every consideration of fitness,
Spain.
Charleston, June 20.
PERCTVAL H. WHALEY.