Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/341

 CHURCH AND EDUCATION. 305

The apostolical vicariates, the delegations, and prefectures in all parts of the world stand under the Congregatio de Propaganda fide at Rome. The number of vicariates is one hundred and seven, of delegations five, and of prefectures twenty -three, ten of which were first founded by the present Pope Pius IX., who also raised 15 sees to metropolitan churches, and created five new archbishoprics and one hundred and eleven new bishoprics, chiefly in Great Britain and the United States of America.

Church and Education.

The Roman Catholic hierarchy in Italy consists of 45 archbishops and 198 bishops. All these dignitaries of the Church are ap- pointed by the Pope, on the advice of a council of Cardinals, the congregation ' De propaganda fide.' But the royal consent is neces- sary to the installation of a bishop or archbishop, and this having been frequently withheld of late years, there were constantly a large number of vacant sees. On the death or removal of a bishop, the clergy of the diocese elect a vicar- capitidar, who exercises spiritual jurisdiction during the vacancy. In case of old age or infirmity, the bishop nominates a coadjutor to discharge the episcopal duties in his stead. His recommendation is almost invariably attended to by the Pope, and the bishop-coadjutor is appointed and consecrated, and takes his title from some oriental diocese not actually existing, which he relinquishes on succeeding to a bishopric. As long as he retains the oriental title, he is styled a bishop ' in partibus infidelium,' or, as usually abridged, a bishop ' in partibus.' Each diocese has its own independent administration, consisting of the bishop, as president, and two canons, who are elected by the chapter of the diocese.

The immense wealth of the Italian clergy has been greatly re- duced since the year 1850, when the bill of Siccardi, annihilating ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the privileges of the clergy, passed the Sardinian chambers. This law was extended, in 1861, over the whole of the kingdom, and had the effect of rapidly diminishing the numbers as well as the incomes of the clergy. But it was stated in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, in May, 1869, that at that period the proportion of priests to the general population was still as high as seven per thousand, ' the average proportion in all the rest of the Catholic world being four and a half per thousand.'

It appears from an official return laid before the Chamber of Deputies in the session of 1865, that there were in that year 2,382 religious houses in Italy, of which 1,506 were for men, and 876 for women. The number of religious persons was 28,991, of whom 14,807 were men, and 14,184 women. The Mendicant order num-

x