VATICAN TITLES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 311, 24 October 1929, Page 1

VATICAN TITLES.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR PAPAL W ■ PEERS. Article 42 of the Lateran Corcordat establishes the recognition by Italy of Papal titles of nobility, including those conferred after 1870, and of all puch titles as the Pope may confer in future. An ecclesiastical commission nominated by the Pope has been sitting to decide on the indispensable qualifications which must be possessed by candidates for papal peerages, and their

conclusions have now been published. If rigidly adhered to, the recipient of a papal title will have to be a rara avis indeed, and not many peerages are likely to be bestowed in the Vatican qity. Briefly summed up, the qualifications are as follow: Constant public profession of the Catholic faith, uncontaminated by even remote manifestations of thought contrary to Catholic thought, either in published writings or by contact with lassocia-tio-xs disapproved by the church; exemplary fulfilment of all Christian

duties with piety and devotion; absolute blamelessness in public and pri- > vate life, which must also extend to the members of the candidate’s family so that no shadow can fall-on him through them; special benefactions toward the person oif the Pope and toward religious works and institutions. The social condition of the candidate must be good, his profession must be neither humble nor vulgar, but such as to surround his name with an atmosphere of respect; his family position and his financial circumstances must be such that not only the candidate but all the members of his family may be able to maintain the decorous style of living indispensable for a title of nobility.