The broad ax., 1916-07-22
POPE BENEDICT XIV.

to the Catholic church on the part Of
influential members of the Italian
cabinet, combined with the fear of
German submarines, has brought to
the pope the privilege of flying his own
flag once more in Italian waters. The
steamer has been bought by the Vati-
can to convey officials Of the Catholic
church whom the pope desires to send
abroad as his representatives. The
first voyage will be to South America,
to convey the new papal nuncio, Mgr.
Bassallo di Torregrossa, to Buenos
Aires.
The steamer, to be known as the
Nuncius, is painted with broad white
and yellow stripes easily distinguished
by submarines. Its safety is guaran-
teed, it is understood, by one Of those
secret agreements with Germany Of
which the papacy has been accused at
various times by the quadruple entente.
There would appear, however, to be no
necessity for such a guarantee after
the German government had been IN
formed that such a vessel was ON the
high seas. Nothing would be gained
by its destruction through a subma-
rine. On the other hand, to grant it
safety, even without this being request
ed by the papacy, would warm the
hearts of Emperor Williams Catholic
! subjects and stimulate their loyalty to
him.
Prince Won Buelow, a diplomatic en-
voy at the Vatican in his younger
years, long before he was German am
basSador at Rome. has always been
| friendly to the papal government 1t is
reported in London and has been for
eight or nine months that Buelow be
lieves in the restoration of temporal
power to the pope as the best method
of Furnishing Italy for participating in
the war against her former allies Of
the triple alliance. While making ex-
tended visits to Switzerland Buelow
has had frequent consultations with
Catholic cardinals and other dignita-
ries of the church.
y The pope's refusal to align himself
on the side of the quadruple entente
and especially to make public any pro-
test against the invasion of Catholic
Belgium by the Germans Is declared in
England TO be due to promise made
by the sovereigns of the central en-
pires that his temporal authority Is to
be restored after the war. The plan IS,
according to these reports, to make the
pope the political as well as the spirit
ual sovereign in Palestine. A small
state would be established. including
Jerusalem and the other holy places as
well as the seaport Of Jaffa. The terri
tory is believed to be enormously rich
I'm natural resources and to be able to
support cardinal viceroy, who would
rule there in the name Of the pope.
The British government few months
after the beginning of the war made
the extraordinary move of sending
minister to the Vatican. Sir Henry
| Howard. who had had long diplomatic
experience. This was recognition Of
| the pope'S status as a sovereign, which
Britain. along with all other non-Cath-
Ollie governments, withdrew from the
pope in 1870. Russia at the same time
reopened her legation ut the Vatican,
where there had been no envoy for
some time on account Of the refusal Of
Russia to grant Catholics the protec-
ton which the papacy demanded
France has had no representative at
the Vatican for some time. and neutral
Catholic countries like Spain had also
broken OF diplomatic relations with the
pope before the war.