Year: 1870

What Will They Do with the Popes


The Pope does not consent, and evidently
does not intend to consent, under any pres
sure or any circumstances, to the seizure
and occupation Of his temporalities by the
King OF Italy. 1t is equally certain that the
States of the Church are henceforth to be
under the dominion of Italy, and that Rome is
to be her capital. What, then, is to be done
with the Pope, or what will the Pope do?
At every step he has protested against the
italian occupation of Rome, and now that the
Italians are in occupation Of the city he has
issued his bull of ''major accommodation"
against the King and all concerned. They
are in the city, but they are out of the Church.
The Italian King and all concerned with him
in this business are Catholics. In his letter
to the Pope declaring his intention to take
possession of Rome and the little kingdom of
the Pope the King of Italy avows himself
not only Catholic, but good Catholic, and
says that he was compelled to move on Rome
in the cause of law and order-that he had to
choose between Rome and ''red" revolution.


But what will King Victor do new-now
that he and all his confederates in this occupa-
ton of Rome are read out of the Church and
booked for purgatory? He has been doing
all he could to conciliate the Holy Father,
including full protection in Rome as head Of
the Church and large money considerations
but the Holy Father says, s'No. l protest
against this sacrilegious robbery, and bide
my time. ] excommunicate you, and now do
your worst" There is no reconciliation here
there is nothing less than a state of war
between the Pope and the King. The Pope,
confning himself to the Vatican, is in fact,
in the position of prisoner in his own house.
The King is going to Rome, and during his
stay it is said the churches of the city are to
be closed by order of the Pope. What then
The King will order them to be opened. But
the priests will refuse to ofiiciate; and then
Why, then, perhaps, the King will be COM
PEELED, by the pressure of the ''reds," to Danish
Pope and priests and to set himself up as the
head of the Church Of Italy, just as King
Henry Will, on his quarrel with the Pope
about pretty woman, found that his only
way to settle the question was to cut loose
from the Pope altogether and set himself up as
the head of the Church in England


1t is probable that the Pope, however, may
leave Rome under protest and seek tempo
rary refuge in Malta, Germany, England or
the United States; for there is no place for
him now in the hitherto faithful Catholic
State of Italy, Austria, Spain or France.
Then in the European congress which must
soon follow, if it does not precede peace in
France, the Pope may be able to command
hearing of his claims and what then? In
deed, we cannot tell what then, beyond this,
that the great Powers must do something for
the Pope-that they must either reinstate him
in Rome or provide some place for him where
he will be free and supreme in his authority,
and some compensation for the patrimony Of
st. Peter taken away. AS it stands this
declaration of war from the Pope against the
King of Italy may be fruitful of events going
far beyond the calculations of Pope or King,
Notwithstanding the dogma of Papal infalli-
bilty on. the one hand and the vanity of
''Young Italy" on the other.