The King and The Pope

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 27, 2 July 1903, Page 29

The King and The Pope

The correspondent of the ' Catholic Times ' gives the following account of the visit of King Edward to the Holy Father :— His Majesty the King of England went from the Quirinal Palace to the British Embassy beside Porta Pia, held a reception there, and set out thenco for the Vatican in the carriage of the embassy, but not if we a i-o to boliexe 'Jl Gioinale d Jtalia ' — before he had stated that, as his passing through the streets was to be ' private' the lines of troops were unnecessary. The King wore the uniform oi a Field-Marshal and many decorations. \-Yith him in the Royal carriage was the Hon Charles Hardinge. Jn a second were the other members of the suite, Major General Sir Stanley Clarke, and Rear-Admiral the Hon. Hedworth Lambton. Crowds lined the streets and squares of Rome, and everywhere respectfully greeted the Sovereign, who returned, the greetings from, within his closed carriage, the windows of which were shut. Bands played the .National Anthem at various points on the long stretch of distance between the Porta Pia and the Vatican, and last of all on St. Peter's Square. The First Papal Salute was rendered by the Swiss Guard at the gateway on Via delle Fondamenta. In the Court of Sjt. Damascus a company of the Palatine Guard, with its banner, under the orders of Captain Di Pietro, a detachment of the Carbineers, under the command of Marshall Vanzi, and the body of the Pontifical firemen, commanded by the Marshal Guoni, rendered honors. The Marquis Giulio Sacchetti, Assistant Foiieie, in the absence of the Prince Ruspoli, the Master of the Sacred Hospice, who was indisposed, advanced and opened the door of the King's carriage. His Majesty alighted, and moved towards the Noble Stairway, attended by the Marquis and by Lieut. -Colonel Bernard, Private Chamberlain of Sword and Cape. On the landing were Monsignor Cagiano di Azevedo, Majordoino ; Monsignor Costantmi, Archbishop of l'atras and Grand Almoner; Monsignor Pifferi, 0.5.A., Bishop of Porphynum and Sacristan , Monsignor Grabiubki, Secretary of Ceremonial ; Monsignor Stonor, Archbishop of Trebizond ; Monsignor Merry del Val', Archbishop of Nicaea ; Prince Camillo Rospigfiosi, Commander of the Noble Guards, with the officers of the coi ps ; the Commander of the Palatine and Swiss Guards and of the Ca.rbineo.rs; Monsignon Lindsay, Prior, Cesarmi, und Graxioh, and the lay Chamberlain ; Tho O'Clery, an ex-M 1' , the Marquis *MacSwinoy of Mashtuiaglass, Coimn. Folchi, de Gaspens, and II J) Gri.ssell. Ihgnitanes Presented to the King. The Aichbishop of Ttebizond presented the dignitaries to the Kirn; His Majesty then reached the Papal Apartment m the lift, while the escoit, followed by tho Swiss Guard, inouiUi-d the Nobk* Stairway. On reaching the Papal Apartment tho King was met by Monsignor Bisleti, Mastoi of the Chnmbei . MonsignoH S.uu do S.iinpci, de Raymond, Coraggioni d'Oielli, Fedonci and Tiocchi ; Count Negroni, acting Colonel of the Noble Guaid , Pi nice Massimo. Mastei ol (he Posis , the Chambeilams Prince Antici-Mal toi ; Baron \on Schonherg-Roth-Schonbei v , \\> Osboine Chi istmas. of VUiitfield, .uitl Comm Aitilirosini and tho officers of the Swiss and Palatine (iuaiiK Detachments ol those two and of all tlit-* olhei ti oops were on duty, wearing the new jubilee uMioinis. thov underod salutes as the King nchuncid thiouoli the 'I.ipestrv ll, ill to the Papal Ante-Cham-be l His Holiness came out to meet the King m this, und accompanied him into the i'mate Stud} The Audience with tho Pope. The a'udioiuo lasted twentv-fixo minutes When it was all o\et. the thiee lncmbeis of the i oyal suite were piesented to the Pope Befoie leaving the Pa])al ApartHHMit his Maiosty inspected the troops, lor whom he had words of w.um praise. The Swiss Guard, in their cuirasses and plumes, chiefly engaged his attention, and then the Caibineeis, whom he admuod for their splendid Jiguies and xouth lie also received several niernbers of the Papal Ante-Chamber, and some of the lay chambeilains, about the Fnnlisn-speaking ones of whom the Archbishop ot Ttebi/ond said : ' M hoy are all your Maieslv's suhiects ' The King was oscoi tod to the' hit with a ceremonial like to that with which lie had been receded Going down with the Aichbishops Stonor and Merry del Val, he Displaced the Greatest Satisfaction with his audience, and marvelled at the \ igor and orightnoss of the Pope, whom he desci ibed as seeming to be a man m the sixties, rather than m the nineties, and stated Ihat he would like to ha\e a portiait ol his Holiness This Monsignor Stonor piocured It was signed by the Pope with his own name and with the date ol the same evening, and deliveiod to the King on the moir row On leaving tho Vatican the King was dm on amidst the same public honois to tho (2uirin.il Palace Tho accuracy of tho special coi respondent ol the Renter agency heie conies into question 'I ho King, he stated, paid a pinate \rit to his l'olmrss be<au.s«> the latter had expressed a request to this eliec t " I.a \ o< c del la, Vet ita, ' of May 2nd, vhuh would not ha\e ha/aided statenums on a matter of this linpot tance. saxs th.it ' tho Go\ornmont of his Biitannie Maiosty asked tho IToly See it li is Holiness would bo pleased to recoixe a visit from his \faiesty, to which tho Holy See naturally replied that the \isiL was \ cry welcome (and) e\en desired '