Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-07-05
Ludicrous TO Intimate That Pope
Benedict Seeks World
Control.
Seeks Only the Freedom of tho
Papacy Itself From Political
Domination.
WELCOMES A,PRoMsING PEACE

able TO take 1t for granted that the
League of Nations, both in itself
and in the arguments advanced for
or against it, was non-partisan is
sue. But Senator Sherman, for one,
has shattered this dream, He knew,
of course, that the league is Presi-
dent Wilson's one surprising ambi-
ton. and he was aware also that
President Wilson's solid phalanxes
are principally in the Democratic
South where the Catholic church has
comparatively meagre representa-
ton. Inject doubt into the South
ern mind that the league is partial
to Catholics and you have dealt the
worst possible blow both to the
league and to the President.
This is what Senator Sherman did
by his speech in the Senate Maybe,
however, that the solid South is so
firmly grounded in its faith in Will
son, and the Senator's political trick
so transparent, that his insinuation
which involves both the Pope and
the President will be treated with
deserved indignation and damage the
cause which it was intended to ben
eft.
That the Pope should be in favor
of a league whose ostensible object
is the promotion of peace among ma
tons certainly calls for no suspicion
of sinister motives on his part. If
all good men are intent on finding a
means to prevent the recurrence of
such catastrophe as has just hor-
rified the world with it's rivers of
human blood, its tears of widows
and orphans, its famine and pesti-
lence, we should be shocked If the
head of the Catholic church were
not among the first to welcome a
promising scheme of sinsuring last
ing peace. No need, then, of sup
posing that there was a hypocritical
twinkle in the Pope's eye when he
'acceded to the Presidents wish of
supporting him in the promotion of
the league.
1t is ludicrous to intimate that the
Vatican is playing a game for the
political domination of the world.
If there was a time when all Europe
was Catholic and the Pope, as head
of a united Christendom, was looked
up to as the natural arbiter in dis
putes between kings and peoples.
that time is long past. Only the
other day we read the complaint of
an English writer who has a griev
ance against Benedict XIV. because,
in the recent world war, he did not
act up to the splendid moral courage
of shis great predecessors in the Mid
die Ages. Benedict XIV. did the best
he could under changed circum-
stances. But is it his fault that he
is no longer the acknowledged ar
bitter of Christendom?
If the Pope still claims temporal
power over very limited territory
il is precisely to safeguard the
Papacy against the suspicion of be-
ing mixed up in politics. Were the
Pope the subject of any earthly po-
tentate Catholics of other countries,
or in fact the rulers of any country
where, because OF the presence of
his spiritual jurisdiction
might justly or unjustly
suspect the rulings of the Vatican as
being influenced by that earthly po-
tentate. Thereby the spiritual juris.
Iiiction of the Pope would be jeop-
ardized 1t is not political DONNA
lion over Others that is at the bot
tom of the Popes claim for modi-
cum of temporal power, but the
freedom of the Papacy itself from
political domination.
In the heydeys of Plus Tvs great
popularity after his accession to the
Supreme Pontlfcate, some enthus-
lasts wished to make him the politi-
,al head of united Italy. But that
was not his mission. He refused
and became an exile from popular
hero. Before Plus VII. might have
had share in Napoleon's world
power If he had lent himself to the /,
ambitions of the great Corsican.
However, the Pope could become a
prisoner at Grenoble but never a
partner in political world dominion. |
Senator Sherman enumerates the
Catholic countries which, through
he League of Nations. would be-
come amenable to the dictation OF ,
he Vatican, viz Belgium, Bolivia,
Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, France
Haiti, Honduras, ITALY,
Nicaragua, Peru, Poland. Portugal,
Uruguay, and Czecho-Slovakia. Let
he honorable Senator be assured
hat in most of these countries the
Vatican has had time to save !
remnant of even its spiritual juris-
iiction. The idea that. for instance,
france. Italy, or Portugal would be
Inclined to submit to the political
of the Papacy should
nave appeared to a student of his
DRY, which he boasts to be, as sim
ply ridiculous.