FOR a long time the number of the “Pope’s Men,” the Cardinals of the so-called Sacred College of Rome, had fallen much below the full quota of 70, the number fixed by Pope Sixtus V. in 1585. Seeing the Papal stock has been suffering serious deflation during the war, it was inevitable that if the Papal prestige was to be kept up, new appointments were overdue. At the Consistory, opened in Rome on February 17th, he created 32.
The Pope’s “timing of his announcement, and the astonishing number” of 32, to synchronise with the peace and world settlement is an indication that Pius XII. has been following what a Roman Catholic weekly calls “the wisdom and statesmanship of Pope Pius XII.” (Catholic Herald, 28/12/45). But papal “wisdom” and “statesmanship” has often proved itself to be far from establishing any claim to infallibility. So glaring is this venture of making 32 Cardinals at one sweep that another Roman Catholic comment calls it “a departure from tradition,” a “revolution within the Church.” Under Pius IV. the number actually rose to 76, one of whom, Borromeo, only needed a small size red hat as he was only 15 years old. Leo X. made 31 in one day, but now Pius XII. has literally gone one better and gave 32 red hats at once. The cry once went through Rome, on a similar occasion, that it was
“Unfortunate! to hope still, and not see
That all these tonsured workmen want to do,
Will be to thee a cause of endless woe,
If thou wilt not regard our cry to thee.”
In the British Empire the Pope has appointed 3; in U.S.A., 4; in South America, 5; Germany, 3; France and Spain have 3 each; the Vatican Curia has 1, and Italy 1; with other countries one each to make the 32. How will Italy take it? Can it be that in the Pope’s own country one or two can be found who are qualified to become “Princes of the Church”? For the first time in history the Italian Cardinals will not be in a majority in the Consistory. Has Italy failed to produce enough “particularly worthy of the sacred purple”? (C.H., 28/12/45). They used to have a decided majority over all others, now the non-Italian will dominate the situation by 14. The chief job of the Cardinals is to elect a Pope, and for that reason some are indulging in a little wishful thinking that this portends that the next Pope may not be an Italian, forgetful it is the Italian Pope, still retaining his dictatorship of the church, and “has been acting as his own Prime Minister,” who has made all these appointments.
“The Universe” (28/12/45) says, “We do not care for the implications behind the suggestion that because the non-Italian Cardinals now outnumber the Italian there is more chance of having a non-Italian Pope.” The Papacy dare not give up Rome and it will remain the Italian Mission of the Seven-Hilled Babylon to the end of time, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and will destroy it with the Spirit of His mouth.
One thing to sink into the English mind in its mistaken tolerance is the fact that all Rome’s tonsured workmen are here to further the interests of the Papacy. Can there be any good reason why our Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee), our Home Secretary (Mr. Chuter Ede), and Miss Ellen Wilkinson (Minister of Education)—all professing Protestants—should congratulate Mgr. Griffin, of Westminster, because the Pope has made him a prince of his anti-Christian and anti-British Church. Have we forgotten the Martyrs, and the days of Elizabeth—when a Pope dared to excommunicate our Queen? The motto of the Pope’s church still remains “Semper Eadem.”—A.W.M. (The Churchman’s Magazine).