How did he lose these possessions?  The Italian government took them from him in the most unjust manner.  Besides the lands, they deprived the Church of other property donated to it by its faithful children.  No ruler in the world had a more just claim or better right to his possessions than the Holy Father, and a government robbed him of them as a thief might take forcibly from you whatever had been justly given to you, when he found you were unable to defend yourself against him.

But has the Holy Father need of his temporal power?  Yes, the Holy Father has need of some temporal power.  He must be free and independent in governing the Church.  He must be free to say what he wishes to all Catholics throughout the world, and free to hear whatever they have to say to him.  But if the Pope is under another ruler he cannot be free.  That ruler may cast him into prison, and not allow him to communicate with the bishops of the world.  At least, he can say nothing about the injustice of the ruler who is over him.  Therefore the Pope must have some possessions of his own, that he may not be afraid of the injustice of any ruler, and may speak out the truth boldly to the whole world, denouncing bad rulers and praising good ones as they deserve.

Mind, I do not say what possessions the Holy Father should have but simply that he should have some, in which he would be altogether independent.  In justice he should have all that was taken from him.  We have a good example here in the United States to illustrate the need of the independence of the Pope.  You know every State in the United States is a little government in itself, with its own governor, legislature, laws, etc.  Now over all these little governments or States we have the government of the United States, with the President at its head.  In the beginning the members of the United States Government assembled to transact the business of the nation sometimes in one State and sometimes in another—­sometimes in New York and sometimes in Pennsylvania, etc.  But they soon found that in order to be independent of every State and just to all, they must have some territory or possessions of their own not under the power of any State.  So some of the States granted them Washington and the country about it for ten miles square—­now called the District of Columbia—­which the United States government could freely perform its duties.  In a similar manner the Holy Father is over all the governments of the world in matters of religion—­in matters of justice and right; and just as the United States government has to decide between the rights of one State and the rights of another, so the Holy Father has sometimes to decide between the rights of one government and the rights of another, and must, in order to be just with all, be free and independent of all.

Again, the temporal power of the Pope is very useful to the Church; for with the money and goods received from his possessions the Holy Father can educate priests and teachers, print books, etc., for the foreign missions.  He can also support churches, school, and institutions in poor countries, and especially where the missionaries are laboring for the conversion of the native heathens.