RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1972, 31 January 1914, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

CARDINAL RAMPQLLfi. STORY OF A GREAT CAREER. The following appreciation of the late Cardinal Riiinpollu appears in tho London "Tablet" of LVeeuibor 2():-~ "In the person ol Cardinal ltainpollo, tho Catliojte Church has lost. u. great and good man, whoso wisdom, talent, and energy havo beou devoted to tar sui'viori with raro unseiQsJuums throughout tho coarso of a long liio. Mo was bom jii 1843 G/f a notijo Tuscan family, settled in Sicily, and educated ab tlio Vatican Semi-nary aad tlio CpHcgio Capraiuen, reeeivmg his training for Ww diplomatic sorvicfi at tlio Aceademia d*« Js'obili Ecclesiastici. Mis iWst ivp.poi.nt. moiit after his ordination was to ispaiu as Auditor o f tho Apostolic ' Nujieiatwo. From tliero ho returiiCd to lioma to bo Secretary to the S. ConKregation Ht Propagnuda, until in 1882 ■tie was raised to tho titular See of Horaetoa, and went back to Spain as Jfunoio. In 1884 h« wns created Car' dmal by L«o XIII, and recalled Crew Spain, to become Secretary oi State, wuieh appointment, he hold Until itwgs cancelled by tho Pope's death. PiUs' A made him Socretaqy, to tho Holy Office, a.ud ho discharged the duties o'f this pest, together ii-ilh these, of Archpriest, of tho Vaticau Basilica, until the tifty of ins death. The. career thus briefly outlined was one to bring into ful! view every strength of. weakness winch ho might possess. . His time in Spain coincided with a difficult Moment of eanfliet between tho reigning dynaety and Citrlists ,'' a'liS his .prudeiieo uiain> taiticd> ami.secured,recognition for, tho attitude of tho.Holy Sμ.as the'champion of liiw ajid order, while sei above the strife of political parties. In the wider field of his activities.as Secretary .of Stato'te Leo.'XllJ tho same p.nidenc>» was displayed to a remarkably, degree, mid with like results, jt js ttiio that. ho did not esce.po criticism,' and that, fit times., of a. My hitter itincL That is tho lot -of every public man, and o.s*. pociafiy of him who is at onco strong and single-minded. Tho office of Secre* tarj , Bf §tato to tho Holy See is a particulariy, tfeujktess cno so .far us con* corns the outside world, which often does not, and as often will uot, , understand. But whoever did, or did not, apprtive the jpoliiey of Loo XJII, whteli his chief minister faithfully'carried into effect, uo.ono ever serioHsij' qncstjo.neil Cardinal Rampolla's ability, nor was a doubt ever eaet upon his entire sincer. it.y save by those' whoso ill-Jvill migJit bo regarded in the light of a ctminliffient. . ' .

When.the time came for him to retire from the Secretariate of State., .and exchange piiblie duties for the wore hid- ' den, hut ddieato and exacting, work of tho Efal.y Office, he was able to throw 1 himself into this with the same- zeal and devotedness as lie had displayed in other fields without, so to eay, casting ' a gl-aiido behind him. Tho little leisure yrhieh. he had gained ''by being relieved of his former worl; ho demoted to study, and several books, remain to bear witness .to his learning aiid patient re* search in the -do'maia of Christian archaeology ami history. It hae been said, of liim that; lie had fow intimate, friends. Perhaps in his position it was hardly . possible that lie should have any. But, although tho truth of this assertion omi only be panged by those who wore constantly m contact with him. there i.r a ■countless., multitude of all sorts and conditions of won W'ho have at one time or another had personal dealings with h!m s awst csci bear tesfcimofiy-to his gen.tleftoss of manner, 'his kindness, , and his .patieftt attention? fo/iAlio sm.illles.t-.detail "of the matter nT'lami. His '*titul(fif church', with its TOasTivificotttlv adornort crypt, and the sacristy of .St. Peter's witness to his _<we»-3mnded pcnMosity. Among tho Princes of the Church, he was perhaps tho most dignified figure of liie time. hut. his dignity was of the kind which belongs alone to great humility ami singleness of,purpose. It may ■be said, in fact, that in so far as his public .-career discloses the .man, the dominant note of liis character would seem to bo » Wonderful capacity for seV-eftiicement in order to safeguard atid -promote tiro h.ijrh interests commit-fp-rt to his charge. This Wsts apparent during tho time that lie acted as.Se.sppttity of State, when Tro throw himself whole-heartedly into tlio noliey ef th» roi<riiing Pope and ktantifted himself wttii it so completely that iio one was to separate in thourrht his notion from that of Ttis mim'rst master. It was w> less fttvpaTOit Ah Loo SfK died and tlio Cardinal lnid down thfi cores of <sfficp. Tttcro waa a moment wiicn it soemod possible that a yet heav* ier burden, mijtlit ho thrust upoti him,, and tho attempt of Anstria to influence tho Conolaro ng-ninst his election was, from ofte r-ofiit of view, ft forttm.ito thing, for it bnwirht forth a derlarMiort from the Cardinal's Ow.t lips which.will go down to .posterity as showing. tlio manner of rftftn he was', "I Tccret," he bnid, "that a Fcrions sttemot Urton the iiticrty of the Cluweh arid tt\e <liEmty of the Slicrod College in the mutter of the Pontifical election should liavo been rnado by a lay Potttfr, aid fteainst thatI most'strongly protest. So faf as I\ personally am eoncerned, nothing more} henoui-ablo or more w.elc6rao to ftie couliJJ liaiFO ooourred,"