ITALY MAKES PEACE WITH THE VATICAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 10

ITALY MAKES PEACE WITH THE VATICAN

POPE’S TEMPORAL POWER FIFTY-YEAR-OLD DISPUTE By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright LONDON, Friday. A message from Rome says the dispute between the Pope and the Italian Government, which has been in existence since 1870, is likely at last to be settled. The journal “Osservatore Romano,” the organ of the Vatican, has published |*n official Note to the effect that the Pope is awaiting the Government’s recognition of the temporal powers without the intromission of other States. In other words, the declaration, which has long been expects tn -r-, that the Pope has decided in favour Pope as the sovof the Fascist Government’s suggestion to recognise the ereign possessor ol the remainder oi the former Papa! States. On the other hand the Rome correspondent of the “Morning Post” expresses the opinion that the Bumc land will be necessary. He points out that the vrords used in the newspaper are: “The Vatican will never invoke any international tribunal. It is awaiting a sense of rectitude and justice on the part of the Italian people. The Pope is the sole judge of his own liberty. At present he does not feel that he is free.” The Rente correspondent of the “Daily Mail”*says the question of the relations between the Church and the State has taken a new turn. The “Osservatore Romano’’ has disclosed the concessions which the; Government might make to the Vatican in order to pacify the Holy See. The paper says: “It :.s necessary that the Vatican should have temporal power in order to demonstrate its Independence before the world. The Government should form a new Papal State, however tiny, over which the Holy See should have undisputed sway. “This could be ilone without loss of prestige, as it would be restoring what was illegally taken away in 1870. The Vatican asserts that this is possible without the necessity of foreign intervention.” This correspondent says the statement has caused a deep impression. Apparently Signor Mussolini is about to reap the fruits of his long-sighted policy of pacification toward the Vatican.