Show catholic church ici 7 at the reception given to the college of cardinals to day at the vatican his holiness the pope asked archbishop kalsh for the news in regard to the situation of political and religious affairs in ireland toe pope spoke with pleasure of the united action taken by the irish bishop and pronounced noun ced himself as being in warm bvm pathy with the irish people adding that he anxiously hoped the irish people would maintain confidence in themselves and in their country in spite of the present trials and difficulties to which ii eland is subjected cardinal ies toast at algiers and the events rapidly followed that striking utterance are still much in church circles everything clearly indicates a decided drift of the catholic church towards modern democracy but those who have enjoyed the confidence of rop elLeo know atiat he has considered it of prime importance for the church to free itself from identification with the old dynastic parties but it was necessary to move slowly so as to wounds the royalists and aristocratic susceptibility as little as possible pos aible in all countries the pope has favorite correspondents upon whose advice he places special reliance and who are charged carrying out his personal policy cardinal so of these and when on october ath last a cardinal arrived in rome pope leo charged him personally with tho important religious and political mission of bringing the churuti in franca into harmony with the republic speech brought a flood of letters to the vatican all france graw excited while the idea of the text was suggested and approved by the vatican the form it took was not satisfactory the ardent primate of africa went somewhat beyond the bounds he attacked the royalist parties and taunted them with having been in al liance with but this vigorous language had a good side it made all france tand unmistakably that the church intended to break with the past the pope said with regard to this the cardinal has done right it was necessary to strike a great blow in order to get out of this condition of hesitancy and confusion the letter of cardinal to the bishop of tours repeated in a better form the advice given in algiers the support of the whole episcopal body shows that the work has been successful it will come to pass in spite of the opposition and passion of parties the pope sees that the future belongs to the democracy he is convinced that the united states will furnish tha form of the conclusions of european society as well as ecclesiastic questions he believes sincerely that europe is marching towards democracy with republican institutions as the predestined goal in his letter as pontiff he dare not say so but cardinal Lavi geries address was tha echo of alosa conversations with leo the observations which have reached the vatican from the courts are that the prophetic voice has been hoard and tha statesmen are warned |