ALL ABOUT THE POPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11524, 9 September 1899, Page 8

ALL ABOUT THE POPE.

There have been many statements about the Pope's hearth published lately. If some of those have been alarming, some have also been reassuring, and our own opinion is that the Popo is not to die just yet. He comes of a class which is tenacious of life, and, as the medical. Father Kneipp said of him on one occasion, "" he is a fortunate man ; he has no body. Such a man cannot die like others." However that may be, the Pope has had a wsoord.interesting, to .Roman Catholics and to Protestants alike, and Julieri de Narfon's newly-published work, "Pope Leo X11I: His Life and Work," which is largely anecdotal, should find many readers. ; ' "AS A BOY.

The Pope comes of a good family. He is the last surviving son of Count Ludoyico Pecci, fir^d was born at Carpenito, an ancient town of the Vojseians, in 1810.- At an early age he showed a marked taste for. study. His mother evidently marked him out for- the church, but the Count had quite other ideas. '" 1 want,to make a general of him/ he said. "Well," replied the Countess,, "you will make a Pope of him." Finally the boy, with his brother, was sent to the college kept by the. Jesuit fathers at Viterbo, but,the Count was far from pleased with the prospect of his son taking Holy Orders. ""I can understand," ho said, "that Joseph will never bo anything more than a Jesuit; but I cannot reconcile myself to the idea, that Joachim may come back to: us a village cure." To which the; Countess, who held fast to her belief in--her son's vocation, rejoined, "Imagine that Joachim will be Pope and Joseph a cardinal, and rest easy as to the future of our children." ■ ' . THE PRELATE AJTD THE BHIGANDS. ' "' Tlie future Popo was a diligent student, but when some years had passed was in no hurry to ( take Orders. Still, he did take them., was ' soon, appointed one of the Pope's prelates,: and advancement in the diplomatic career pame rapidly. In 1838 he was despatched as Papal delegate to the prol vin-36 of Benevento, then in a very unsettled state, and took prompt and vigorous action against. the brigands:—"' Mgr. Pecci began by satisfying: himself. that the Pontificial trooijs could bo relied upon. He then drew up hisT.plans of, campaign with the utmost secrecy!;. He obtained the fullest information on the districts in which brigandage chiefly' flourished, and despatched columns of troops led by reliable and experienced guides. . The result' soon surpassed all expectations. Most of the. robber 'chiefs were arrested, and their gangs dispersed.: -With a view to restoring confidence among the people, Mgr. Pecci had the dreaded chiefs loaded with'chains, and. marched through the, streets of the city. He also took care that all sentences passed by the courts were carried out to the letter, 'And brigandage died out for want of brigands." But Mgr.: Pecci: ; did not stop there; He carried out cjuiWa.series of üblic "reforms'in spite of many, interested parties :!■'■■: , TVJIEN -.fllEXCm WAS IEABNED. After.'haying:'served-..as delegate to Spoleto arid Perugia, Mgf. Pecci received :the. ap-,j pointhient of ;Papal Nuncio at Brussels. .On the way .thitherMie, was detained at Nimes about 10 days, which delay he managed to j utilise by .taking lessons in --French, which he, had previously, only a slight acquaintance >with. When lie arrived at Brussels he was able to, express himself with correctness, and eveiv elegance:-^" Fifty-four years later the recollection of this feat provided him with an argument against' the cardinals, ' who tried to persuade him not to serid' the Bishop of Viterbo to Paris as nuncio for what they considered the ail-sufficient reason that Mgr. Glari did not know French well enough." ' If he does not know French,' replied Leo XIII, 'let him learn it as I did when Gregory XVI made me nuncio to Belgium half a century ago.'.'" Pecciwas a success at Brussels, and lief ore 'he, returned to Italy" lie. visited - England, and had |lie honour of being presented to the Queen.','' ■. :v' ■ . ".•'' '.■'■' ' •'.'• •'••■ .■■THE' POPE AND. HIS INCOME. ' . After serving at the Vatican for some time as /'■.Cainejlragb," Cardinal Pecci was, 'in sjP|bpe,' and no one can,say' that ■lieflias tos >v.ei!rand. worthily filled the chair. The .Pope, of 'course, has a budget:—.Leo 'XIII. requires -a sum of £280,000 : . every .year for'the.administration of the church: This expenditure is- apportioned as follows: — Cardinals' ;■ and .: diplomatic representatives;" £20,000;. maintenance of the Vatican arid'its dependencies '■. (libraries,;. - 'museums, '. etc.); £100,GP0;> Papal charities.'"aiicL subsidies' to .Catholic schoolsvm Rome, £60,000; 'presents and grants'in aid, £60,000;:' various expenses, £40,000.": The "Vatican income' is derived from St. Peter's "Patrimony arid' St. "Peter's Pence. A few years'ago'" the'nence '■" totalled £400,000: ■ 'Oh the 'occasion of.the ..Pope's Jubilee the ''pence " were, swelled to about £l; 600,000.: The Pope's capital "feinvested ■ohiefly' 'with Rothschild in"London^ whereof is saidl King Humbert has also "deposited his private fortune in'safe :keepirig.' ) .. .''■,-. ,'1- - ''^HE POrE'sCONFESSOB. ' " '"•'.'•; "Like:other'Roman Catholics,' the Pope; has a confesspiy the present'occupant' of theoffice being Mgr. Pifferi, an'Augustinian i'riar, who is. sacristanj:;of. the Apostolic palaces : —". He is the corifidaht of the Pope's inmost thoughts, but after,";liaving 'received them he advises, and orders, his office entitling him to speak with a mask's to the head of the church whenVthat'head of the church kneels humbly before him. ; Every week Leo '5111 implores pardon: for-his faults like the merest sinner." Mgr.: Angeli is the1 Pope's private secretary,, and it is said the, two often work• 16 h'oui*s a day!: ' ■ '■".'■.

■.:-.■;.-THE'POPE AS A PATTEST. ■ Dr Lapponi has the honour of being the Pope's medical attendant. He has sometimes tho: utmost1 trouble in getting the Pope "to follow his.orders! and oftenhis Holiness takes delight in showing that he can'ignore them: " Tor "instance, 'last year when the Pope was suffering from hoarseness, and the doctor ad-y-jsedihis patient -to considerably.curtail a dis- | course he' was-,<to deliver during the day, Leo XIII pocketed the powder, andthought no, more' about .it. As to the discourse, the Holy Father did not omit one word of it: Iti.vain.didi the- doctor, who was present, repeatedly clear/his throat with much • emphasis as a reminder to the Pope to economise his strength." His Holiness kept on, and even purposely* raised his voice. After finishing his address, he'sent for Dr Lapponiy handed him the powder, and said,'"laughihg: my dear'doctor,I'take your ponder yourself; you evidently need- it-more than 1.-'•" The Pope takes snuff, arid - when prohibited during his-\recent illness .suffered., keenly. ■ .. -? ■

.'< '■',-' ALWAYS :READ?..FOB. DEATH. The Pope has .entire.confidence in his doctsr;, but-.he is said-to; have-" still more confidence ;in' himself, his incredible vitality, and his atavism^ for all :the .Peccis; are longlived" :'.-H-''..And -then Leo XIII is a trifle—r how shall I express it?—superstitious. ,:His grandfather! died at .96, and fhe .firmly be^ lieyes that he^will die at the same age. This opufidence,..or superstition, as some.may call it, does not prevent him from preparing for death■ every-morning,. as if the visitor .who ■ vill not bo', denied were sure to knock at. bis door before the Evening.' 'Yes,' he once said to a French .cardinal, 'you are'right; my health is very good. People say in Rome that every .year I live makes me;.a-..year younger; 'and I am almost persuaded to believe; it. The Peccis are long-lived, but they almost invariably died suddenly, and that is-why I take the precaution of receiving the Viaticum at morning mass.' " 'Father Kneipp, the cold water "doctor," was once called in to see the Pope, and was subjecting him to a rather drastic system of treatment, when Cardinal Eampolla inter? fered. Kneipp was got rid of, and;was given the title* of a prelate instead of a fee. "I could have :inade him live to .100," said the Father when he was told that his services were "no longer'required, "but I'believe he will live as long as possible in spite of the great mistake he has made." The Pope always dines alone. He is extremely abstemious, and he " despatches' his 'meals wiih a rapidity which is the: despair of the good Dr Lapponi and the head cook." >•'', '■' THE. POPE'AND THE. PRESS. '■ . - -,-, The Pope, has a great belief in the importance of the pi-ess. "He would wish to use it as a lever with which, like another Archimedes, to move the world, and he generally receives journalists; with marked favour." He lias' allowed himself to be interviewed on several occasions,- , onco by a lady, Madame Severine,. the well-known. French, journalist. But Cardinal-. Rampolla read and approved the article before it appeared in print. That the Pope is a, writer, of verse is well known. Ho is said also to be a regular contributor to the "Vox Urbis," a recently-established Roman magazine. Under the heading " iEnigmata." this-magazine has published charades: written by no less a person than Leo-Xlll.—Westminster Budget.