Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-12-26
Relations With the Popucy

Relations With the Popocy
American relations with the Papal
States are practically as old as this
Republic itself. They date from 1884,
when the Popes nuncio at Paris
announced that his government had
agreed to open the ports of Civita
Vecchia on the Mediterranean and
Ancona on the Adriatic to the vessels
of the infant nation. In June, 1907,
John B. Sartori, native of Rome,
was commissioned as the first consul
to represent the United States in the
papal dominions. Throughout the
ensuing half century representation
continued through consular offices,
but in 1848 President Buchanan
commissioned Jacob L. Martin, ma
tive of North Carolina and former
chief clerk of the Department Of
State, as the United States first en-
voy to the Papal States. Until 1868,
this country maintained uninter-
rupted diplomatic intercourse with
the Holy See, which rated at Wash
ington in all respects as sovereign
power.
Symbolic of the high Importance
which successive Presidents attached
to official relations with the Papacy
was the caliber of the ministers they
sent there to speak for the United
States at particularly crucial periods
not only of European but also of
American history. Minister Martins
successor was Lewis Cass, jr, who
served at Rome until 1858 and who
later became a distinguished figure
in the public affairs of Michigan.
In July, 1858, the American Lega-
ton at the Vatican was taken over
by John P. Stockton of New Jersey,
who served in the United States SEN
ate following his tour of diplomatic
duty in Italy. To Mr.. Stockton's sue
cessor, Rufus King, editor of the
Milwaukee Sentinel and namesake of
famous grandfather, who was Min
lister to Great Britain from 1796-1803,
fell the onerous and responsible task
of representing the United States at
the Holy See during the American
Civil War. King was destined to be
our last envoy to the Pope, diplo-
matte relations having ceased at the
end of May, 1868, due to the failure
of Congress to provide funds for con-
tinued maintenance of q minister
and legation. According to the au-
thoritative historical work of DR..
Leo Francis Stock of the Catholic
University of America, United
States Ministers to the Papal States"
"the pretext offered by Congress for
refusing to continue the appropria-
ton for the mission was the erro-
neous charge that the American
Protestant Church had been ordered
outside the walls of Rome" 1t was
also charged, but not without denial,
that Pope Plus TX was the only for
eign power that formally recognized
the Confederacy."
AS a matter of fact, the Holy
Fathers attitude in the War Between
the States was one of consistent
unwillingness to take any action de-
signed to aid or abet those seeking
to disrupt the Union. It happened
that the Papal States themselves,
during our own civil strife, were in
the throes Of revolution. To Minister
King, the Holy See expressed the
conviction that the Confederate
States had sought IAN unconstitu-
tional remedy; that there was but
one course for the Federal Govern
ment to pursue, and that 'it could
not treat with the South save on
submission" Pope Plus told the
American envoy that much as he
deprecated the war, he could never
lend any sanction to "the system of
African slavery" Having assumed
that position toward our political up
AiCdFol, ullC IAOly L dUllCI wa cSoul Cu
by Secretary of State William H.
Seward that the United States would
not violate the friendship of the two
countries by any intervention in the
domestic affairs Of the States of the
Church.
A less generally known chapter of
American-Papal relations is the in
cident when Pope Plus intimated his
purpose to remain in Rome unless
compelled by force to leave, when
he would seek that region where he
could best fulfill his supreme apos-
tolic mission" On November 20,
1855, Minister King reported to
Washington that officials of the