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The article focuses on the relation between the U.S. and the Vatican. The Pope's prestige is deeply involved in the future of Vatican-American diplomatic relations not only because he is the head of the church but also because he is a life-long professional diplomat who still holds, nominally at least, the office of Secretary of State. Political diplomacy has become increasingly important in the Catholic system of power in recent years. Although the Vatican's Office of the Secretariat of State does not have the full status of a Congregation, two factors have united to give it more weight . Those factors are the onward march of communism, and the rapid development of Catholic political parties in Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The article presents an examination of the attitude of the Papacy towards the warring powers and of the problems with which it will be confronted by the intervention in Italy. The author takes into account the book "The Pope, Italy and the War," by Guglielmo Quadrotta. The book author's argument turns, not merely on the text of the law, but also on its interpretation at the time it was passed and since. The question of Pope Benedict XV political aspirations is the theme of Quadrotta's seventh chapter. In the presents scenario there is an improvement in the Vatican's relations with France and Belgium.

When Pope Leo XIII was the virtual head of the anti-Jesuit party, which, without formally renouncing the temporal power of the papacy, yet saw the wisdom of finding some modus vivendi with the civil authorities of the new kingdom of Italy, recognized as such by all European powers, it was confidently believed that, if elected Pope, he would carry out the intentions of his party. That he intended to do so is certain, but the Jesuits prevailed against him and the moderate party, reinforcing the non-possumus of Pope Pius IX.

Citizens of the U.S. has long entertained such exaggerated notions of the influence of the Roman Catholic church on political and social institutions throughout the Christian world that many non-Catholics are fearful of the part the Vatican may play in Europe after the present war is over. Turning from these speculations about the future to present facts, one finds that though the Papacy has condemned totalitarian ideologies in so far as they affect religion and the church, it has in practice been more than eager to collaborate with dictators. And dictators have felt free to use the whip any time that the Vatican, taking seriously its rights as a sovereign state, has assumed an independent attitude.

Relations of French statesman Charles Talleyrand to French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte had become difficult; on various occasions the Emperor publicly made "violent scenes." Talleyrand was well aware that Napoleon was fatiguing Europe. The Emperor had one day been so imprudent as to say that before he died his dynasty would be the oldest in Europe. He distributed to his brothers and to the husbands of his sisters the thrones which conquest or perfidy placed in his hands. Talleyrand is particularly severe on the attempt of Napoleon to place his brother on the throne of Spain; he sees in the Spanish war almost a sign of madness. He condemns also Napoleon's conduct towards the Pope, he entered into very minute details on the great question of the relations of France with the Papacy, but these details are not very new, and have now lost much of their interest.

The article presents information related to the United States politics and government. All are agreed that they ought not to go over to the Democrats. Nobody in the Republican ranks looks for anything good in politics from Democratic hands, or doubts that a Democratic Administration would introduce fearful confusion by reopening questions which should never be reopened, and trying experiments which should never be tried. The greatest difficulties of the Papacy are, and promise to be, religious rather than political, and, so far from dying out, seem to increase, and bid fair at present to lead to an extensive if not formidable revolt against Papal authority.

The article focuses on political and social issues of the world. It states that the plebiscitum taken on Sunday in the Papal territory was, as could only have been expected, unanimous in favor of union with Italy and there now remains only the legislative sanction of this Union and of the removal of the capital to Rome. It also reports that during the apparent pause in hostilities caused by the Prussian preparation for the siege of Paris, France, chances of peace through mediation continue to undergo larger discussion. The public feeling in England in favor of moral intervention grows stronger and stronger.

The article presents the author's opinion on the Encyclic letter that was issued by the present pope on December 8, 1864, the tenth year from the definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The letter is addressed to the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, the Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops in favor and communion with the Apostolic See. It is written in Latin, and is a good specimen of the style habitually employed by the Papacy in those rare semi-lucid intervals when it becomes conscious of its own impotence and seeks to effect by coaxing, persuasion, whining and half-smothered menace objects which it cannot for the moment accomplish by force. The Encyclic consists mainly of a jeremiad over the depravatarum opinionum perversitas.

Focuses on the life of Pope John XXIII, the 263rd pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Career background; Explanation for selecting the name John; Synods that he initiated to address the concerns of the clergy.

Reports that the newly elevated Angelo Giuseppe Cardinal Roncalli and called Pope John XXIII has brought changes in the temper and tradition of the ancient governing body of the Catholic Church. Factors influencing the Pope to change church customs; Observation of his informality among people and thus rejecting privacy policies for popes; Arguments of traditionalists on the efforts of the Pope to restore the bureaucracy of the Vatican.

The article presents a perspective on the activities at the Second Vatican Council held in Vatican City on January 2, 1964. According to the author, the session produces several surprises. The session revealed the progressivity of the great majority of the world's bishops. Furthermore, it introduced a new perspective in the papacy.

The article focuses on the attitude of the Holy See toward the foreign policy of, the United States Government, and also toward the personal role of the U.S. President Harry S. Truman in world affairs. The cordiality which had developed steadily during World War II, the result in no small measure of the excellent relations established by former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt with the Pope, has been gradually replaced by coolness. The relations between the Holy See and the U.S. Government have become more distant than at any time. And there may be historical irony in the fact that the deterioration came, in the first place, from an event which, at the time, seemed the posthumously crowning achievement of Roosevelt's policy of close co-operation with the Pope. That was the common front established by the State Department and the officials who run the Holy See's political affairs, to defeat the Italian Communists in the election of April 18, 1948.

The question that was so much discussed before Italy's declaration of war against Austria, as to what would be the effect of such a declaration on the relations of the Holy See with Austria and Germany, has been answered in a way that, in part, had been foreseen by many. It was hardly to be believed that in this event the presence of the Prussian, Bavarian and Austrian Ambassadors to the Vatican would be tolerated in Rome, Italy. But the prediction that the Pope would ask the entire diplomatic corps to absent itself during the war has not been verified. During the agitations that preceded the declaration of war, certain Austrian and German prelates and-laymen in Rome exerted all kinds of pressure, direct and indirect, upon the Vatican authorities and upon the Pope himself to induce him to transfer his court to some neutral country, preferably Switzerland, on the ground that his liberties and those of the Church would be violated if he stayed in Rome.

The article presents information on political developments related to Germany and Italy. A fortnight ago, in Milan, it was still doubtful whether the visit of the German Emperor to the King of Italy would take place. It was well known, however, that if the Emperor crossed the Alps he would meet the King at Milan and not go to Rome. The reason of this is obvious, no sovereign has yet gone to Rome since the question of the temporal power was settled by force, and since Rome has become the capital of united Italy. A great principle, a great necessity, gave him the courage to incur the excommunication of Rome, but, in his heart, he is not the enemy of the Papacy. As he has absorbed in himself all the kingdoms and dukedoms of the Peninsula, he now wishes Italy to absorb the Papacy.

This article presents information on the book "The Claims of Christianity," by William Samuel Lilly. This is an attractive volume in its externals, and is not without interest to the reader, for its subject is of supreme importance, the writer is thoroughly in earnest, and his style is vigorous, though sometimes incorrect and occasionally marred with undignified colloquialisms. Apparently this is to show that Christianity is the true universal religion, and that it can manifest itself as such only through the Catholic Church with the Papacy at its head.

The article presents information on the jubilee mass at Saint Peter's Day. The doors of Saint Peter's remained closed till seven, so the earliest arrivals remained on the steps of the church, pressing as near as possible to the doors, so as to have easy access to the tribunes of reserved seats, or for standing room near the altar. It was an unusually motley crowd for a religious function. One is usually notified to wear black and the women are required to cover their heads with veils, according to Saint Paul's injunction; but only those distinguished by admission to the reserved seats were kept to this rule; so one saw pilgrims in every variety of national costume, where such still existed, ladies from the hotels in traveling garb of different fashions and colors, ambassadors to the Holy See in full uniform with all their decorations, anti country people from the Castelli Romania in Sunday finery of brightest hues.

You will find the story in the old chronicles of Speyer-on-the-Rhine. Nowadays it is a dusty neighborhood of coal and iron and French soldiers in sloppy pantaloons. But six centuries ago it was the convention city par excellence of the old Holy Roman Empire, which was just about as holy and as Roman as the present National Republican Convention is national and republican. It happened during the latter half of the fifteenth century when the reputation of the Papacy was not exactly as good as it might have been. Instead of one Pope, there were three or four. Instead of merely ruling the Realm of the Spirit, the Holy See had become an active participant in very worldly brawls. And as for the morals of the officials connected with the Lateran Palace, the least said the better. All this the good burghers of Speyer's Ghetto knew. Wherefore the decision of their shepherd failed to fill them with that dismay which overtakes a congregation when the minister is convicted of backslidiug or bootlegging.

The article offers information on the controversy surrounding the book "Infallible? An Inquiry," by Father Hans Kung, that questions Pope's infallibility. It mentions that though initiatives have been in place through official interactions between Catholic and Lutheran theologians in the U.S. to scrutinize the issue of the doctrine of infallibility, Kung happens to be the first important Catholic theologian who not only re-examines it but dismisses the doctrine. He states that the purpose behind his action has been to keep alive ecumenical movement and to express his stand against the papacy. The article further highlights the reaction of Kung's book in the Catholic world.

Reports on the appointment of Pope Pius XII to the Papacy. Announcement made by the Pope regarding his interest in peace; Need to asses the probable effects of the evident desire of the College of Cardinals to have an active Pope with a strong interest in, and aptitude for, temporal affairs; Opposition of the Pope to German dictator Adolf Hitler's persecution of Catholics and Jews; Anxiety among progressive democrats about the open partisanship between the Vatican and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, for Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in Spain; Discussion of Pius XII's activities before he became the Pope.

The article discusses the elimination of one of the biggest causes of conflict between the Holy See and the Italian Government, following the decision of the government to recognize all titles bestowed by the Popes since 1870 and to consider them and any future creations as equivalent to titles given by the Italian King.

This section offers news briefs in Italy as of January 7, 1924. "La Tribuna," a journal in Rome, reported that the beneficence of the Holy See toward relief work in Central Europe more than 3,000,000 U.S. dollars. By the decision of the Cabinet, Venice will manage the property of the Ducal Palace. Excerpts from the Italian press about the treaty signed by France and Czechoslovakia are given.

The article focuses on Ludwig Häusser's lectures on of the reformation. The lectures were published by Prof. Wilhelm Oncken in 1869. The German editor, however, has filled up gaps with excellent skill and adequate learning. Still, the volume lacks the introductory lectures on the age preceding the Reformation which Häusser gave to his classes, but. which Prof Oncken did not take down. Häusser traces the Reformation to the Renaissance learning, and to the religious opposition to the Papacy which had been growing in strength since the great councils of the fifteenth century.

This article focuses on the book "Antichrist," by M. Renan. The book of M. Renan opens with the captivity of Saint Paul in Rome. Nero is entering his twenty-fourth year. The coil of Saint Paul becomes the focus of the new religion, which soon finds devotees in the very house of the emperor, among the Jews, among the slaves, the freedmen. Renan admits the tradition of the arrival of Saint Peter at Rome. The general belief of the churches in the second century of our era was that Peter suffered martyrdom in Rome, but the Protestant professors made great efforts to prove that the journey of Saint Peter to Rome had never taken place, in order to shake the very foundation of the Papacy.

This article presents information about the book "Symbolism of Animals and Birds Represented in English Church Architecture," by Arthur H. Collins. From the standpoint of general history this was a half-century of unusual significance, for in it the position of the Papacy as a great temporal power was solidified, and the old regime of family Popes, who used their elevation to aggrandize their relations, was definitely superseded from the standpoint of the archaeologically inclined the period is less vividly interesting than those that preceded it. Only one work of ancient art of prime importance was then brought to light, the book "The Aldobrandini Marriage."

Presents viewpoints on the advancement of the temporal power of papacy and repressing simony and plurality in Athens, Greece. Recollection on the building of the Long Walls and Aristides; Investigation of the life and times of the ancient Greeks and Romans; Emphasis on the terror of the purgation of the emotions.

The article focuses on the incident in which Spain's Dictator Francisco Franco 's Foreign Minister, Martin Artajo, and the Vatican's Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Monsigrior Tarchni, affixed their signatures to a new concordat between Spain and the Holy See. Franco hopes that the agreement will include a promise of ultimate membership in NATO. It was expected that the United States Ambassador will sign a bilateral treaty giving Spain hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for air and naval bases. The United States and the Vatican came to the Dictator's rescue even his army was becoming restive. Franco was anti catholic and this harmony between rivals has one goal of exterminating Communism.

The U.S. President Harry S. Truman has announced that as soon as Congress reconvenes he will again submit to the Senate the name of General Mark Clark as ambassador to the Holy See. This journal analyzes the constitutionality and political implications of the proposed move. Among other contributions Mark de Wolfe Howe of the Harvard Law School will discuss the constitutional issue.

The article focuses on the significance of the visit of Reverend Michael Ramsey, Anglican Primate of All England, to the Vatican. It reveals that the visit of Ramsey indicates the passing of enmities in the region as distrust of the papacy is common. Furthermore, the meeting caused the establishment of a joint permanent theological dialogue and brings together the Anglican bishops and the clergies of Canterbury.

The article presents information on the book "A History of the Papacy During the Period of the Reformation: vol V. The German Revolt 1517-1527," by M. Creighton. However much one may regret that the author has not chosen to devote himself to letters and has thus put the highest excellence beyond his reach, one must confess that he has given a book which every student of the period must use. He has succeeded beyond most writers in keeping one side of the immensely complicated public life and time of the papal always in the foreground.