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Show THE PAPAL FINANCES. Is it possible that the popularity of the Papacy is on the wane? Few people can bring themselves to believe that such is the case, in view of those demonstrative ?? stations of devotion in so many of which, since the fall of the temporal power of the Pope, the Catholic world has indulged. Innumerable tales are told of noble ladies sacrificing their jewels, and of pious gentlemen making free offerings of their patrimony or of their most precious heirlooms, in support of the Holy Father, whose coffers would be but poorly filled but for the unexhausted enthusiasm of the faithful. Our Roman correspondence tells us this morning that certain Roman Catholics, who are not Italians, have, in view of the pecuniary embarrassments of Leo XIII, offered to place at his disposal certain large sums annually for the purpose of restoring the prestige of the Church, the only condition imposed being secrecy as to the name of the benefactors. But the obverse of the picture must not be overlooked. The collection of Peter's pence has last year sadly fallen off, and Peter's pence after all is the best gauge of the popularity of the Church with the masses. This last year the sum collected has been barely 9,000,000f.-whereas in 1879 the tribute came to 1,000,000f more than that. Of course it may be that the commercial depression which has recently overshadowed Europe so far reduced the earnings of the poor that they had little to spare for the subsistence of the Pope after paying for their own. In that case we would expect to find Peter's pence soon assuming its old dimensions. Even last year's return was an improvement on that for 1878, and, if trade is good and harvests are rich, the collection of next year may far exceed that which was gathered in during 1879. As the Irish have not been paying any rents lately, they ought to be able to make good much of the ?? which is giving the Vatican serious concern.-London Standard. |