7 MAY 1904, Page 2

A summary of the Papal protest against M. Loubet's visit

is given by the Paris correspondent of the Times in Thursday's issue. The Pope, in recording his disapproval of the action of the head of a Roman Catholic State in recognising the Power which robbed him of his temporal dominions, recalls the fact that even members of the house of Savoy—i.e., the King of Portugal—have abstained from such action. He particularly regrets that this exception should have been made by the representative of France, so long favoured by the Church, and points out that the visits of the heads of Protestant States to the Quirinal have not the same significance. No mention is made in the protest of a denunciation of the Concordat, but it is apprehended that the advanced Repub- licans in France will exploit it as a fresh argument for separating Church and State. On the other hand, the Papal protest may very well be intended as a warning to the chiefs of all Roman Catholic States that a visit to the Quirinal would be condemned in advance by the Pope.