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Show Forecasting the Next Conclave. The advanced age of the Sovereign Pontiff has aroused much speculation as to his probable successor and a to the conclave that will assemble to elect him. The latest word on the subject has been uttered by R. De Cesnro, who speaks through the current issue of the North American Review. Much nonsense non-sense has come from Rome, even from those who would seem to have special facilities for research and investigation. investiga-tion. The voice of the "special correspondent" cor-respondent" is heard in the land, and in glowing and untrammelled strains he tells of tendencies that do not e;?t except in his imagination. De Cesare is a member of the Italian chamber of deputies, and measures through the prism of his political prepossessions, but his speculations have at leist tne merit of ingenious prophecies. However How-ever violently one may dissent from his conclusions he must recognize tnat they are carefully formed and honestly honest-ly expressed. His article on the temporal tem-poral power, which appeared a few-months few-months ago in the North American Review, Re-view, attracted much attention even in quarters where its philosophy was most vehemently rebelled against. The next conclave will be interesting from many points of view. The members of the sacred college will be almost entirely en-tirely the creations of Leo. The cardinals cardi-nals of Pope Gregory are now deal: and of those of Pius IX only three remain. re-main. The next conclave will open I with indications pointing to a continuance contin-uance of the policy of the reigning Pontiff. Thirteen years have passed since my work upon "The Coming Conclave" was j written; and the circumstances of the sacred college have altered so much that the provisions and conjectures of j that time are no longer possible today. J So many cardinals are dead, and so many new cardinals have been created: The "jababili" of, that period weie Mgr. Monaco La Valletta, vicar of the Pope in Rome; Battaglini, archbishop of Bologna: San Felice, archbishop of Naples; Dusmet. archbishop, of Catania; Cata-nia; Parocchi. cardinal of the Curia, and Capecelatro. archbishop of Capita. Of these, the only survivors are Cardinals Car-dinals Parocchi and Capecelatro, who, I for different reasons, are excluded from I the Papacy; the former because agreeing with everyone, he is no longer long-er believed by'.'any, -and the lattsr, because be-cause he is held to be liberal and conciliatory con-ciliatory in his views. Of all the members of the sacred college, Cardinal Capecelatro ban assuredly as-suredly the most exalted mind and perhaps the noblest nature. He is alo a .writer of the highest order. Cardinal Parocchi is highly cultured, speaks well, and is influenced by modern doctrines. doc-trines. These two are the most enlightened en-lightened of the great senate of the ' Church; but no one w ould venture to j . affirm one or the other will be the sue- cessor to Ieo XIH, and Mgr. Paroco'ni I is still less likely to be chosen than Mgr. Capecelatro, as he is regarded almost as an invalid, and is confined " to the chancellery, the only one among J the ecclesiastical congregations which 1 does not exert any direct influence upon 1 the government of the Catholic church. s There are four cardinals who are ? considered to be "papablli" at the j present day: Girolamo Gotti. Serafini ! Vannutelli. Domenico Svampa and I Giuseppe Sarto. The first of these is 67 years of age. a native of Genoa, and prefect of the congregation of bishops and regulars. He is a brother of the Order of Barefooted Carmelites, and was for a short period apostolic delegate del-egate to Brazil. Mgr. Vannutelli is of the same age: he was born at Gennaz-zano, Gennaz-zano, a country town near Palestrina; he was nuncio at Brussels and Vienna, and at the present day he is chief pen-itententiary pen-itententiary and bishop of Frascati. Mgr. Svampa is archbishop of Bologna, and is only n2 years old. Mgr. Sarto. who is patriarch of Venice, is 65; he has been in turn parish priest and bishop,, and, like Mgr. Gotti, is of humble hum-ble birth. It would be a mistake to t argue from their "papabilita" that j these are the cardinals pre-eminent In intellectual powers. New Century. j |