The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1919-09-12
dope VISITS ROME.
TRADITION SMASHED
1Benedict XIV In Carb OF
Simple Priest Goes
To See Brother

Rome, Sept. THE traditional
policy of the popes since September
20, 1870, of never setting foot outside
the Vatican, has been set aside by His
Holiness. Bendict XIV. The news is
being kept secret even within the
gates of the Apostolic Palace, but II
is an established fact that Benedict
XIV left the Vatican twice in July dur
ing the Illness of his brother, the
Marquis Giovanni Della Chiosa, who,
after having been given up as lost by
his physicians, is now on the way to
recovery.
II was toward the end of June that
the Marquis Della Chiosa was taken
Ill and soon afterward his recovery
was regarded as very uncertain. The
holy father, who is very much at
ached to his brother. was in the hab-
lit of communicating with him CON
stantly by telephone, and when the
Marquis became unable to answer him
on the wire, the Pope threw all his
scruples to the winds and. dressed as
y simple monsignor, and accompanied
by his private secretary, he left the
Vatican and drove to his brothers
house in the Via Tomacelli near the
Corso. remaining by the bedside I'M
til late at night.
Brother Hugs Pope.
His Holiness recited the rosary
with the rest of the household and
finally impaired his apostolic blessing
to the Marquis, who was greatly NOV
ed and gave the Pope brotherly hug.
Two days afterward Benedict XIV
paid another visit to his brother who
has been getting better ever since
and is expected to be allowed out of
bed very soon.
This precedent thus established by
the present pope is of historical i'm
portance. Since September 90. 1870,
when the Italian troops under Cen
eral Cialdini entered Rome thru the
breach of POrta Pia. transforming the
Eternal City into the capital of Unit
known to leave the vatican. Plus TX
was the last to issue from those /
sacred precincts for his usual drive /
on the Dincian Hill on the eve of the |
Italian occupation. Leo XIII spent !
the whole OF his long pontificate in |
he vatican, although the Italian gov
eminent especially under Sigor Girls |
PTS premiership had made repeated /
overtures to the pope, guaranteeing !
his personal safety should he decide /
30 appear in the streets of Rome. and |
assuring him that royal honors would /
be Oaid him in that event
But the intransigent spirit of Leo
XIII could not be induced to adopt .
a course which would have dispelled /
the legend of the prisoner of the
vatican" II can not be affirmed with
equal certainty that Plus X followed
the example of his predecessor, altho
nothing has ever been proved as to
the truth of the various reports that
circulated at the time. l.
1t was said that the former country
priest. accustomed to plenty of open
air and exercise, felt all the irksome-
ness of his self-imposed captivity and
that every now and then, accompan-
led by his faithful secretary, Mgr.
BressOn, he used to leave the vati-
can at night, dressed as a simple
priest, and, crossing the vast piazza
of ST. Peter, he would go and have
supper with his sisters and mis- g In q,
the neighborhood, where dish of
plus Y, of simple tastes and manners,
Venetian "polenta" awaited him.
was said to enjoy these visits as keen
ly as a schoolboy on holiday. But
in spite of the greatest vigilance on
the part Of the Italian secret service
6nd of the newspapers, none of these
stories could ever be confirmed.