Archbishop Manning preached at Leeds on Thursday week an eloquent
sermon in favour of what he called the temporal power, but might, if he is right in his description of the reasons for it, be rather more justly called the temporal weakness of the Pope. It was on a text from Daniel, " This kingdom shall not be delivered to another king," and, as usual, he insisted on the necessity that there should be no earthly power over the Pope, which, even if granted, does not, however, imply that there need be any earthly power under him. It is sufficient for the conditions that the Pope be simply an island, a unit, of secular weakness, subject to none, and with none subject to him. The Catholic powers would pro- bably be very willing to grant him that ; while if he goes to Malta, and were to break our laws there, it would certainly be considered essential by the English people to assert secular jurisdiction over him. The Archbishop chiefly limited his. sermon to prophesying theesertainty of the Pope't victory. " The dark clouds that for the moment overshadowed the Eternal City would be swept away, and it- would be illumined by the brightness of the presence of God." The sermon was an act of faith praiseworthy in a good Catholic, but not professing to assign any reasons which would strike the mind of a Protestant.
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