knows the nature of mankind; he knows that what takes place in one nation may, and sometimes does, take place in another under the same circumstances.  Thus the Holy Father has greater foresight than we have, and we should be thankful when he warns us against certain dangers in politics or other things.  He does not teach politics; but as everything we do is either good or bad, every statesman or politician must consider whether what he is about to do be right or wrong, just or unjust.  It is the business and duty of the Holy Father to declare against the evil or unjust actions of either individuals or nations, and for that reason he seems at times to interfere in politics when he is really teaching morals.  At times, too, governments try to deprive the Church or the Holy Father of their rights; and when he defends himself against such injustice and protests against it, his enemies cry out that he is interfering with the government.

You understand now what the infallibility of the Pope implies, and that it does not mean, as the enemies of the Church say, that the Pope cannot sin, cannot be mistaken in anything.  The Pope can sin just the same as anyone else; he could be a very bad man if he wanted to be so, and take the punishment God would inflict for his sins.  Could he not be very angry, entirely neglect prayer, or pray with willful distraction; could he not be proud, covetous, etc.?  And these are sins.  Therefore he could sin; and hence he has to go to confession and seek forgiveness just as we do.  Therefore remember this:  whether the Pope be a bad man or a good man in his private life, he must always tell the truth when he speaks ex cathedra, because the Holy Ghost is guiding him and will not permit him to err or teach falsehood in faith or morals.

We have examples in the Bible (Numbers 22, 23) where God sometimes makes even bad men foretell the truth.  Once He gave an ass the power to speak, that it might protest against the wrongdoing of its wicked and cruel rider.

We have seen how governments interfere with the rights of the Holy Father, and thus he has need of his temporal power that he may be altogether independent of any government.  Now let me explain to you what is meant by the Temporal Power of the Pope.  Well, then, the Holy Father should have some city or states, not belonging to any government, in which he would be the chief and only ruler.  Up to the year 1870 the Holy Father did have such states:  they were called the Papal States, and the power he had over them—­just like that of any other ruler—­was called the temporal power.  Now how did he get those states and how did he lose them?  He got them in the most just manner, and held possession of them for about a thousand years.

Hundreds of years ago the people of Rome and the surrounding countries elected the Pope their sole ruler.  He was already their spiritual ruler, and they made him also their temporal ruler.  Then the Pope protected and governed them as other rulers do.  Later, kings and princes added other lands, and thus by degrees the possessions of the Pope became quite extended.