NOTICES OF BOOKS. THE TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 36, 3 January 1874, Page 10

NOTICES OF BOOKS. THE TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPE.

Br Abchbishop Manning.

A Book on such a subject by sucl a writer, and at such a time, must necessarily possess great interest. Many Catholics, even well educated, and well read Catholics, and almost all Protestants, entertain very Trttrue und often very inoorruct notions on the subject of the temporal power of the Pope The Archbishop tells us that he is not ashamed tosiiT that h9 himself was in that predicament till very recently. Until he studied the subject fully, he was under the impression — as many of your readers, Catholic as well as Protestant, may now be - that though the temporal power had survived to the present a*e, yet it was to be regarded rather as an object of veneration than as a vital power of government ; that it was not fitted for vehement action in our modern -vorld, and for mingling with all the conflicts of the nineteenth century. He did not apprehend the reasons why God instituted such a power ; nor its titles of just and sovereign right, nor its relation to the future action of the church upon the world. The temporal power is not necessary to the eiercise of the Pope's spiritual office as supreme head of the visible church. Though the Pope were deprived of all temporal power to-morrow, that would not diminish his claim to supreme spiritual authority in the least. -Still his temporal power is necessary to the free, perfect, and peaceful exercise of his spiritual supremacy. The temporal power is a divine institution, in a certain sense ; and they who resist or attempt to subvert that power, resist the ordinance of Q-od and purchase damnation to themselves. If they who resist this power be culpable, they who do not avail themselves of every means and opportunity within their reach to support it, cannot be innocent. The Archbishop says that the spiritual and temporal powers, " though given in different ways and at different times, are yet both gifts of the same Divine Lo-d." All Catholics who have learnt their catechism, know how and when the spiritual supremacy was conferred on the first Pop« ami Bishop of Rome, 3t Peter, whose official successor Pius IX. is. " Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church ; feed my sheep, my lambs." That is the title to the Pope's »piritual supremacy. But our catechism doei not tell us how aud when the temporal Sovereignty was conferred on the Pope. If that be really a divine Institution in any sense, how are we to k no v that it is so? The Archbishop explains this important question at great length. The pith of the matter as I understand it is this, — God reigns supreme not merely in the spiritual, but also in c i civil or political order of the world. By the evidence of history we know that for some 300 years after the promulgation of Christianity, the Pope possessed no temporal power. But when the Emperor Constantino abandoned Rome, " the popes found themselves alone there, the sole fountain of order, peace, love and safety." This was a providential liberation. By a divine intervention the chains thus fell from the hands of the successor of St. Peter as once they had done before from his own. From that hour no sovereign has ever reigned in Rome except the Pope. Moreover his title to the temporal Sovereignty of Rome was further sustained by the suffrage and vote of the people. His election by them was spontaneous, free, and deliberate ; grounded both on motives of prudence and Christian piety. It was not the hasty and turbulent act of an intimidated and menaced people, drilled and drawn to the polling booth in a crisis of revolutionary extremity— with an invasion at their back. Last of all the Pope has a prescriptive right to the Sovereignty of Rome founded on an actual possession of more than a thousand years. All this can be nothing else but the work of Q-od ; and we are therefore warranted in saying, or rather bound to believe, that the temporal, no less than the spiritual supremacy is a Divine Institution which ought to be sacred in the eyes of all true Christians. If it be so we may rest assured that it will never bo destroyed ; but will advance, conquering and to conquer, however it may be assailed, and however it may for a time suffer an eclipse as we see it is now suffering. Tue sun iv the firmament may fur a time be darkened aud hidden from our sight by stormy clouds j but he will again shine forth and with renewed splendor. So it has often been with the Pope's temporal power and political influence, and so it will be again. His real political power is often most clearly manifested when to all human appearances it seems weakest. It never showed itself more formidable than at the present crisis, wli6n the strongest military government of modern Europe has proudly arrayed ltstlf against it. The eyes of the whole world are anxiously turned in the direction of Germany to witness the battle now raging between the Pope and the German Emporor. No Catholi« can for a moment doubt tne issue. Its ultimate effect will be to render the Christian world more Catholic, and Rome more than ever devoted ts> the Pope. It is producing this effect already, and that in a very marked way. Compared with the dyuasty of tho Popes, the dynasty of the German Emperor is but of yesterday. Pride, they say, goetk before a full, and Pope Pius IX., old as he is, may yet live to see the proud Emperor of Germany fall Jsomewhat from his present lofty position. God having joined the temporal power of the Pope with iiis Supremacy, who will presune to separate them?