792 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



who attended the celebration at Yorktown ac- 

 cepted the invitation. 



The population of the several counties in 

 1880, as compared with 1870, was as follows: 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The situ- 

 ation of the Pope at Rome continued un- 

 changed during the year 1881, Leo XIII re- 

 maining in the Vatican, without recognizing 

 the actual position of affairs except as one im- 

 posed by force, while, on the other hand, there 

 was a manifest disposition to sweep away what 

 little was nominally secured by the "Law of 

 Guarantees " and to force the Pope from Rome. 

 The feeble action of the Italian Government 

 before the close of the year tended to make 

 the position of the Pope an international ques- 

 tion. Pilgrimages to Rome continued during 

 the year 1881, with remittances of Peter's 

 Pence from all parts of the world for the 

 maintenance of the Sovereign Pontiff, and the 

 necessary organization for the government of 

 the Church. The pilgrims were from time to 

 time received by the Pope (January 6th, Feb- 

 ruary 13th, April 24th, May 8th-26th, July 5th, 

 October 16th, etc.). The great Catholic mis- 

 sions throughout the world were crippled by 

 the act of the Giunta Liquidatrice, in seizing 

 the property held by the Propaganda. Re- 

 course was had to the courts, on the ground 

 that this property, held in trust for missions 

 out of Italy and arising from funds contributed 

 from all parts of the world, did not fall under 

 the act of the Italian Government; but the 

 Court of Appeals and the Court of Cassation 

 decided against the claim, and the property 

 was sold by auction January 15, 1881, the fut- 

 ure of Catholic missions being thus made to 

 depend on the interest the Italian Government 

 might be able or willing to pay. On the 12th 

 of March, Leo XIII issued Apostolic Letters 

 proclaiming a general jubilee, reciting the posi- 

 tion of the Church and its head in Italy, " a 

 mere shadow of royal power being left him as 

 though in mockery," while " he was truly more 

 in the power of his enemies than of his own." 

 Vice and profligacy increased on all sides, relig- 

 ious teaching was excluded from the schools, 

 and the Church was prevented from institut- 

 ing them, and in other ways hindered from 

 carrying on its work. The general shaking off 

 of authority threatened danger to all govern- 

 ment, and all were urged to invoke the Divine 

 assistance to avert the dangers that menaced 

 Christendom. 



In an address on the 8th of June he expati- 

 ated on the importance of a Christian basis for 

 education. His Encyclical of the 29th of June, 



called forth by the assassination of the Czar, 

 was a warning of the danger to all in power 

 from those increasing in numbers and auda- 

 city, in whom all respect for constituted au- 

 thority was lost. Before it reached America, 

 another example was given in the assassina- 

 tion of President Garfield. The Encyclical 

 was a profound and learned exposition of the 

 Catholic theory of civil government. On the 

 12th of July the body of Pius IX was removed 

 from its temporary resting place to the tomb 

 prepared for it in the Basilica of S. Lorenzo 

 extra muros. On the way the cortege was at- 

 tacked by a mob, and, from the insufficiency 

 and inefficiency of the police arrangements, 

 many were injured, and the procession with 

 difficulty reached the church. On the 14th 

 Pope Leo XIII, in the presence of the minis- 

 ters accredited to the Holy See, made a protest 

 against the outrage, and, in an allocution on 

 August 4th, resumed the whole event. A cir- 

 cular note was also addressed to the various 

 courts. Taken in connection with the general 

 spirit of anarchy, this event was widely felt to 

 be the strongest evidence yet that the Pope 

 was neither free nor safe in Rome, and tended 

 to bring his position before the great powers as 

 an international question. An agitation was 

 begun in Rome, and a public meeting held Au- 

 gust 7th to demand the abolition of the "Law 

 of the Guarantees " ; though the meeting was 

 ultimately broken up by the authorities, the 

 agitation continued. An official declaration 

 that the article as part of the Statute was un- 

 alterable, did not check the movement or con- 

 vince either friends or foes that it rested on 

 any solid basis. The Falk laws in Prussia had 

 been carried out till only three Catholic Sees 

 had bishops, the rest being vacant by death or 

 exile Dr. Foerster, Prince Bishop of Breslan, 

 dying in exile during the year and thousands 

 of parishes were destitute of priests and of 

 public worship. The first step to relieve the 

 Catholics from this state of destitution was the 

 assent of Government to the appointment of 

 Dr. Korum to the See of Troves, where one 

 hundred and fifty-three parishes were vacant. 

 This was followed by the mission of Dr. Von 

 Schlozer to Rome, and the ultimate restoration 

 of diplomatic relations between Prussia and 

 the Holy See, although definite terms were not 

 arrived at before the close of the year. 



On the 8th of December Pope Leo XIII 

 canonized St. Benedict Joseph Labre, a French 

 pilgrim, who died at Rome; St. John Baptist 

 Rossi, St. Leonard de Brindisi, and St. Clare 

 of Montefalco, an Augustinian nun, who died 

 August 17, 1308, and had been constantly ven- 

 erated for her sanctity. During the year sev- 

 eral other causes were acted upon, and the 

 canonization of Christopher Columbus was so- 

 licited by four hundred and sixty-three bishops. 



The ancient order of the Knights of St. John 

 of Jerusalem, or Knights of Malta, once a sov- 

 ereign body, had not for years had a grand 

 master. Leo XIII raised to this rank Baron 



