The Feilding Star Oroua and Kiwitea Counties’ Gazette WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13, 1929 FREEDOM OF THE POPE

Feilding Star, Volume 7, Issue 2134, 13 February 1929, Page 4

The Feilding Star Oroua and Kiwitea Counties’ Gazette WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13, 1929 FREEDOM OF THE POPE

In all the varied ami fascinating history of (he Papal See—and the inner history of Europe since the first century has been intimately associated with file rise and development of Hie Roman Catholic Church —no event surpasses in interest the signing of the treaties this week under which Italy luu? released the Pope from his confinement to the limited area of the Vatican and has made possible the setting up of an independent territory io be called Vatican City. The suggestion, that the Pope is to undertake a four of Europe presently is the most natural of sequels, for the incumbent Toxie was an alpine explorer of note, and he must have felt the limitation of. the Papal estate very much.' The Pontiffs exercised temporal sovereignty fox’ many centnres over large portions of Europe, and finally were confined to Sle central position of Italy. Tn .1830, however, tile areas of Romagna. Umbria, and Ihe Marches were incorporated in (lie Kingdom of Italy, as was the remainder, including Rome itself, in 1870, as the result first of the compaigns of Garibaldi and later of King Victor Emmanuel, father of the present monarch. It is strange that what the father tookdlte son lias restored in part—quite sufficient, It appears, to please the Pope to-day. By an Italian law of 1871 the terriory of the Vatican and the Lnteran palaces, probably the most extensive of their kind in the world, were guaranteed to the Papacy, together with a yearly Indemnity of £129,000, which money no Pope since would touch until the present Pontiff this month closed his negotiations with Premier Mussolini, and will now use the accumulated money plus loans from otnor countries, including America, to construct the new State to ho known as Vatican City. According to the Roman Notizio the first. Pope, St. Peter, datos > back to the year 32 A.D. (the epistle of the Romans was written about '-the year 58, and the Apostle Peter did not reach Rome in Ills wanderings from Palestine until the year 03). Taking the Notizio list in the history of‘me Papacy there have-been no rower than 25S Popes, not counting their rival claimants, -especially numerous in the Early Ages, who were known as anti-Popes, and numbered 31 in all, the last and-Pope, being Felix V., who was a contemporary of Eugenious IV., in 1431. The histories of the Popes comprise the

greatest. romances of human races, just as the keys of St. Peter were held h.v some of the world’s most notable personages. Romance also clings to the Vatican, the building of which was first begun, by Pope Eugenius TIL, who ruled from 1145 to 1153, and was enlarged and embellished by numerous Popes down through the centuries, even Pius IX., of modern times, making additions, so that to-day the buildings aggregate 11,000 rooms, and there are 20 courts within the extensive grounds. Immensely valuable treasures in art and of historical, significance are stored within the Papal domain with picture galleries and* museums tilled with the most, famous products of the men of genius of past ages. Raphael dirt some of the arcades and Michael Angelo painted some of the ceilings. There are ancient treasures from Egypt and, gifts of the great to the greatest gathered from all the ends of the earth, for the Vatican lifts been used more or loss as a place of residence by the Popes since the latter part of the 14th century. As for th ( , Vatican library, who can possibly estimate its value? Imagination even fails to limit tile worth of iho rieli store of 24.000 manuscripts and quite as many books contained within the sacred precincts, with documents written on papyrus dating from the sth to the Bth century. What; a storehouse of knowledge Vatican City will be!