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 alre