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Show T THE NEXT POPE. ''.;... i , ; ; While the Catholic world is on its knees lisping prayers for Ihc repose of the soul of the late pontiff;, pon-tiff;, whi le our mental vision is yet transfixed on the lifclofi:-. figure awaiting entombment in the vaults, of the : Vatican, the wish comes unbidden, because it is natural, that the next pope may be cite who! will imitate Leo iu holiness, one whose reign will be an earnest effort to carry out the .high ideals of religion, of church and of democracy, demo-cracy, jvhieh placed his predecessor at the top of the' fcA: great pontiffs of modern times. In this heartful wish which almost becomes a prayer, Catholics are not alone. Bishop Scanlan, in a brief review of Leo's character, truly said that "no pope ever had more thoroughly the good will and love and respect of the people generally, and the' nations of the world." This statement of our bishop; i 'corroborated, by 'the events of the last few days. -An all-wise Father has put it in the minds of many Protestant clergymen to speak gen-erously.ond gen-erously.ond admiringly of Pope Leo. Alluding to to this, the editor, of The Republic (ox-Congressman Fitzgerald) says : "That one of the ministers thus moved to eulogy should be a Connecticut Con-gregationalist Con-gregationalist is pleasant; that another should be a Xew ; York Episcopalian is notable; but that the Rev. J. Boyd 'Brady, formerly of the People's Temple, Tem-ple, in Boston, and celebrated for his distrust of Catholics and Catholicism ,should bid his congregation congre-gation pray for the pope, is a consolation, indeed." It will be a thousand pities if Catholics from these incidents are not inspired to greater breadth than ever in seeing good in those of other creeds. Moved by such a spirit, we are not disposed to criticise the predictions and speculations of syndicate syndi-cate writers that purport to come from Rome, except ex-cept where such writers profess to receive inside knowledge from the Vatican. Their stories serve to show the intense interest the readjng public now takes in the present and future of the Catholic church. To Catholics in this republic, this interest is especially gratifying. It seems to touch the patriotic; pride of-American non-Catholics that the greatness of their codntry should have come so hear to recognition as under Leo XIII it is believed be-lieved to have come. Protestants are nearly as much j interested as we arc in the selection of a pope. They would view with satisfaction more red hats on the heads of bishops like our Cardinal Gibbons. They would join us in gladly hailing the election of the cardinal ;to the chair of Peter, who is most favorably favor-ably disposed toward America and toward the late Pope Leo's plans for a great American heirarchy. Cardinal Serafino (Vannutelli, one of the youngest of the oardinals mentioned, is their choice of . pope. We ..believe, also, he is the choice of American Catholics. Either him or Cardinal Gotti. ' . Who -wilT be ppe . Xo one knows. It will bo as God wills. ' When the cardinals are in conclave, the Holy Ghost directs the choice of a pope. |