The Coronation of Pope Leo XIII [pp. 280-285]

Thle Ceron tion of Pope Leo XIII.
of violet; Roman princes, gentlemen of
the pontifical throne, in their gorgeous
costumes; officers and guards in splendid uniforms; diplomatic personages
ablaze with decorations; Knights of the
Order of Jerusalem in their historic
vesture; ladies in black habits and veils,
gracefully arranged, and gentlemen in
the full dress of the present day. Despite all this splendor, the most trivial
worldling could not but be impressed
with the sacred solemnity, the awful genius of the occasion. A Pope was to be
crowned-" the Great Priest, Supreme
Pontiff; Prince of Bishops, heir of the
apostles; in primacy, Abel; in government, Noe; in patriarchate, Abraham;
in order, Melchisedech; in dignity,
Aaron; in authority, Moses; in judicature, Samuel; in power, Peter; in unction, Christ."'*
The Mass has begun. The choir has
sung the Kyrie Eleison in the inimitable
style of the Sistine Chapel. The Pope
has said the Confiteor. He returns to
the gestatorial chair. The three senior
cardinals of the order of bishops, mitred,
come forward, and each in turn extends
his hands over the Pontiff and recites
the prayer of the ritual, Szier electumr
Pont,ficeim. Cardinal Mertel, first of the
officiating deacons, places the pallium
upon his shoulders, saying at the same
time: Accitpepallium. scilicet plenitudinis
Ponztificalis officii, ad honorerz Omznipotentis
Dei, et gloriosissisnm Virginis Marie, 3~aIris ejus. et Beatoruisi Apvstolorum Pet,i
et Pauli et, Sinzct/e Roman Ecclesic.
Leaving the gestatorial chair, and ascending the throne on the gospel side of
the altar, the Pope again receives the
obeisance of the cardinals, of the archbishops and bishops. The Mass proper
for the occasion is then celebrated by
the Pontiff, and the Litany of the Saints
recited.
The solemn moment has arrived.
The Pope again ascends the throne,
while the choir sings the antiphon,
Coronza auriea super caput ejus. The subdean of the Sacred College, Cardinal di
Pietro, intones the Pater noster, and afterwards reads the prayer, Omnipotens
sempiterne Dests, dignitas Sacerdotii, etc.
The second deacon removes the mitre
from the head of the Pontiff, and Cardinal Mertel approaches, bearing the
tiara. Placing it on the head of the
* St. Bernard.
Pope, he says: Accipe thiaram iribus
coronis oina/am, et scias te esse Pat/remt
Prinzciypus et Regumn, Reclorem Orbis, in
terra Vicarinin Sazlatoris Nosst i.esu
Christi, cui est honor et gloria in sceceula
s&cC ulor'sm.
The Pope then arose and imparted
the trinal benediction. This was followed by the publication of the indulgences proper to the occasion. From
the Sistine Chapel the Pope, with the
tiara still glittering on his brow, was
borne in procession back to the vestry
hall, whither the cardinals had preceded
him. When he had been unrobed and
seated anew in the middle of the hall,
Cardinal di Pietro approached and read
the following discourse: "After our
votes, inspired by God, fixed upon the
person of your Holiness the choice for
the supreme dignity of Sovereign Pontiff of the Catholic Church, we passed
from deep affliction to lively hope. To
the tears which we shed over the tomb
of Pius IX.-a Pontiff so venerated
throughout the world, so beloved by ussucceeded the consoling thought, like a
new aurora, of well-founded hopes for
the church of Jesus Christ.
"Yes, Most Holy Father, you gave us
sufficient proofs, while ruling the diocese entrusted to you by divine Providence, or taking part in the important
affairs of the Holy See, of your piety,
your apostolic zeal, your many virtues,
of your great intelligence, of your prudence, and of the lively interest which
you also took in the glory and honor of
our cardinalitial college; so that we
could easily persuade ourselves that,
being elected Supreme Pastor, you
would act as the apostle wrote of himself
to the Thessalonians:'Not in word
only, but in power also, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much fulness.' Nor was
the divine will slow in manifesting itself,
for by our means it repeated to you the
words already addressed to David
when it designated him King of Israel:'Thou shalt feed my people, and
thou shalt be prince over Israel.'
"With which divine disposition we
are happy to see the general sentiment
immediately corresponding; and as all
hasten to venerate your sacred person
in the same manner as all the tribes of
Israel prostrated themselves in Hebron
before the new pastor given them by God,
so we too hasten, on this solemn day of
your coronation, like the seniors of the
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