The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-02-16
America and the Vatican
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BE-
TWEEN THE POPE AND THE
UNITED STATES-AMERIc HAD
REPRESENTATIVES AT THE
VATICAN UNDER SEVEN DIFF
FERENT PRESIDENTS.

VATICAN UNDER SEVEN DIFF
FERENT PRESIDENTS.
One of the probable results of the
great world-war will be the return of
the Holy Father to his rightful place
as a sovereign in the general council
of the nations, says Thomas F. Nee
han, in Records and Studies, the Of
fetal publication of the United States
Catholic Historical Society Already
there is a demand that his diplomatic
rights shall be restored where they
have been sighted, and that direct
communication with the Vatican be re-
established by those governments
where for some years it has been bro
ken off. Direct diplomatic intercourse
between the Government of the Unit
ed States and the Pope is neither
novel nor unprecedented in our his
tory.
An investigation of the official reg
lister of the State Department at Wash
ington gives the following list of the
diplomatic representative of the Unit
ed States at the court OF the Pope:
Jacob L. Martin, North Carolina
confirmed as charge d'affaires April
Z, 1S48. Died at post Aug. 26, 1848.
Lewis Cass, Jr., Michigan, charge
d'affaires Jan. 5, 1849. Minister resi-
dent, June 20, 1854. Presented Gre
dentials as such Nov. 8, 1854. Took
leave Nov. q, 1853.
John P. Stockton, New Jersey, Com
missioned Minister Resident June Is,
1853. Took leave May %, 1861.
Alexander w. Randall, Wisconsin,
Commissioned Minister Resident Aug.
6, 1861. Left post about Aug. 4, 1852.
Richard M. Blatchford, New York.
Commissioned Minister Resident Aug.
3, 1862. Left post and resigned in
United States Oct. 6, 1863.
Rufus King, Wisconsin. Commits
stoned Minister Resident Oct. Z, 1863
Was previously commissioned March
%, 1861, but declined. Left post Au-
gust, 1867 Resigned in the United
States, Jan. 1, 1868.
The temporal power of the Pope
having been usurped at this period the
legation has since lapsed, but, as can
be seen, it existed during the admin
istrations of Presidents Polk, Taylor,
Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln
md Johnson, and Immediately subject
in it's direction to such notable Secre-
taries of State as James Buchanan,
John M. Clayton, Daniel Webster,
Edward Everett, William l.. Marcy,
Lewis Cass, Jeremiah S. Black and
William III. Seward.
America and Rome.
In view of the fact that continental
Europe was then agitated by an al
most general spirit of radical political
revolution, the date of Mr.. Martins
confirmation to Rome (1S48) may
seem strange, but again the conspir-
acy of silence COMES in. The Next
can War had just ended and the great
wave of European Catholic immigra-
ton to the United States had begun.
Plus TX had assembled the throne in
1916, and most people now forget the
high estimation in which he was then
held here as liberal and progressive
ruler. This fact can be we'll recalled
since the present official collection of
the data of his life for the process
Of his proposed canonization must de-
velop this and many additional phases
Of his character Perhaps the best
evidence of his repute in this respect
can be seen in the proceedings of
great meeting, held on the evening Of
November 20, 1847, in the Broadway
Tabernacle, New York, for the stated
purpose of expressing the earnest
sympathy with which the American
people regard the efforts of Pope Plus
TX and the Italian people for national
independence and constitutional free
DOM"
According to a report of the event
given in the old United States Catho-
lie Magazine, 'The meeting was en-
phatically American, and yet mingled
in that crowd there were representa-
tives of all the nations of Europe as
well as of Southern America. There
were also representatives of almost
every creed and persuasion in this COM
munity, and it was certainly a cheer
ing spectacle to behold all these diff
ferences of creed and country merged
into one common feeling of real inter
est and affectionate admiration for the
noble attitude which has been as
sumed and sustained with SO much
dignity by his present Holiness Plus
TX"
Mayor William v. Brady. of New
York, a non-Catholic, presided, and
among the vice-presidents were such
other well-known Professionals as May
or Stryker, of Brooklyn; Mayor Drum
mer. of Jersey City; Hamilton Fish,
Moses H. Grinnell, Horace Greeley,
William Kent, William Cullen Bryant,
Jacob Harvey, John ]. Cisco and
James Harper. A long and formal adj
dress to the Pope and the resolutions