THE POPE'S MAIL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 23, Issue 47, 23 November 1899, Page 24

THE POPE'S MAIL.

I met a prelate engaged in the Vatican the other day (writes the Rome correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette), and in the course of our conversation began to deplore my hard lot in having to stay in Rome during the heat of the summer and work. ' Oh, well,' he said, ' you are not worse off than we in the Vatican. Now that most cf the employees are away, we who are left have to work hard.' 1 Work 1 ' I exclaimed. 'Yes, walk in the Vatican gardens and count the grapes of the Pope's vineyard.' 1 Do you know that every evening the mail brings to the bronze doors of the Vatican an average of 20,000 letters and newspapers, to say nothing of telegrams ? All the letters have to be opened, sorted, and classified, while the newspapers are read, and selections out or extracts made during the night to be ready for perusal by the officers of State early the next morning.' ' And where doe 3 the Pope come in ? ' I interrupted. ' They say he also works so hard.' ' Much of this work is submitted to him, and he should read all the letters addressed Sanctitati Suae Leoni Papae XIII felioiter regnanti. However, as the whole 24 hours of the day would not be sufficient for the Pontiff to even glance over them, he only sees what Cardinal Rampolla thinks nece-sary for his inspection.' ' In other words, he knows only what they choose ? ' ' Oh, no ; there are communications which really go directly to the Holy Father, namely, those through the diplomatists accredited to the Vatican. Still, the most secure way of having a letter read by the Pope is t > address it as follows : 'To his Holiness the Popa,' as any other than the head of the Church guilty of opening a document so addressed will be excommunicated according to a bull promulgated by the Carafa Pope, Paul IV.'