THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1108, 22 April 1911, Page 9

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY.

INTERESTING FACTS. Tho Roman correspondent of tho "Catholic Times!' states:—The publication of tho "Gerarchia Cattolica" for the year 1911, which is issued by the Vatican press, supplies sojnc> very interesting information on tho condition of the Catholic world. Passing over tho minutiae concerning the dioceser, of -tho five continents, the various' Roman Congregations, the names of the Domestic Prelates of tho Pope m every country and of his vast household, I como to facts that must bo tho sourco of deep consolation to Catholics to-day H'hcu every second-rate princeling thinks it almost fashionable to raise his hand against the Church of his fathers. These facts and figures relate to the onward march of tho Catholic religion within the past few years. Since Pius X ascended tho Throne of Peter no fewer than eighty new hierarchical titles have been constituted in.the Catholic world, consisting of eight archdioceses, thirtyseven dioceses, three abbacies and prclatuics, eighteen vicariates apostolic, rtud fourteen prefectures apostolic. To these must be added the Apostolic Vicariate of Eritrea, North Africa, and the diocese of Montccarlo in Brazil, which have been erected since the compilation of tho "Gerarchia Cattolica." Tho "Gerarchia" also notes that tho Cardinals only number fifty-one (rather fifty, as Cardinal Segna died since the publishers went to press), though seventy is the normal figure, viz., one of the creation of Pius IX, thirty-five of tho days of Leo XIII, and fifteen of Pius X. During tho present pontificate no fewer than thirty-one Princes of tho Church have died.