Archbishop Manning has issued a pastoral, rather above the average
of his manifestoes in ability, directing the Roman Catholic faithful to say masses for the averting of the political danger now imminent to the Pope, on Rosary Sunday,—which, it seems, is a specially hopeful day for the Roman Catholic Church. " On Rosary Sunday we commemorate the two great and decisive vic- tories of Christendom over the Mohammedan power, the one by sea and the other by land, whereby the civilization and Chris- tianity of Europe were delivered from the destruction which has overwhelmed the Christians of Asia and Africa. . . . . The Rosary is stronger than weapons of war, and processions of little children than legions of men. It was on a Rosary Sunday that pro- cessions went about the streets of Milan when the plague smote it. St. Charles foretold that before Christmas the plague should be stayed, and it was so." St. Charles allowed a good margin, like a prudent saint as he was, and the Archbishop, aware that be has not quite so good a margin for the averting of a great political event like the evacuation of Rome by the French, wisely refuses to predict that the prayers of Rosary Sunday will be sufficient. He takes up the strong line of history. Very likely the Pope will have to flee. It is not the first time a Pope has fled. In eighteen centuries it has often happened, and he has ever come back stronger than before, and so it will be now. " The principle of modern nationalism, after rending asunder the fair political order of the Christian world, has reached at length the order of the Christian Church." If the order of the Church be no " fairer" than the order of Italy under Austria, the Bourbons, and the Pope, we need scarceltfear the divine interposition, even in answer to proontifiont. of little children Oft Hosaary Almaden to
avert its break-up. — —
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