18 NOVEMBER 1876, Page 2

The Pope has appointed Cardinal Simeoni successor to Cardinal Antonelli

as Secretary of State. The appointment is not one of good omen, Cardinal Simeoni belonging to the extreme party in the Church, and having, as Legate in Spain, demanded the exclusion of all forms of religion other than the Catholic. The appoint- ment, however, is one which lasts only for a Pope's lifetime, and the Cardinal-Secretary is rarely very influential at an elec- tion. He has no hold over the Cardinals unless he has helped to nominate them, and has generally given offence to the Catholic Ambassadors, who like the "Non possumus " quite as little as their most heretical rivals.