An Idle Rumor

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 30, 23 July 1903, Page 18

An Idle Rumor

Rumors and reports and conjectures are falling as thick as leaves in Vallombrosa around the death-bed of Leo XIII. Here is one from London that appeared in Tuesday's daily papers:—

' Surprise is expressed in Paris and Rome at the Pope's reported delegation of extensive spiritual powers to Cardinal Rampolla. It is alleged that it is unprecedented for a Pope to delegate powers when m articulo mortis.'

The unprecedented thing would be the delegation of spiritual powers, whether extensive or otherwise, to his Cardinal Secretary of State by Pope Leo XIII On the death of a Pope all offices held by the Cardinals, three alone excepted, are thereby rendered vacant. The Cardinal Camerlmgo (that is, the Cardinal Chamberlain) as chief of the Church in temporal matters, the Cardinal Penitentiary, for obvious reasons, and the CardinalVicar, as administrator of the diocese of Rome in ecclesiastical matters, alone retain office By the long-estab-lished laws and usages of the Vatican, theiefore, Cardinal Rampolla, the Papal Secretary of State, dropped nut of office as soon as Leo passed away. The Cardinal Chamberlain (Caidmal Oregha di S. Stefano) has a hfeappointment. He holds, by virtue of Ins office, the 1 sceptre of regency ' The chief of his solemn and responsible duties began with the Pontiff's death. He assumed control oi the Vat nan, is regent or chief administrator of (lie Chinch until a new occupant has been chosen for the Chan of Nt Peter ; and to him, if to any, the 'extensive spiritual powers' refeind to m thfe quoted cable would natuially he delegated by the dying Pope But the .stoiy of such special delegation is, in Ihe present circumstances of the Holy See, so extremely improbable that it may be dismissed as one of the fantastic tricks that the imagination of secular lournahsts is apt to play around the bici of a defunct Pont iff.