“The election of the Lord Calixtus P.P. III at first gave little satisfaction to the Italians. Inprimis, he was Valencian or Catalan; and they feared lest He should transfer the Papal Court to another country. Also, they feared lest He should entrust to Catalans the fortresses of Holy Church, which, only after many difficulties, could be recovered. But now they are reassured by more mature reflection, and by the reputation that He bears for goodness, penetration, and impartiality. And, also, I have seen His solemn promise that He will devote all His powers against the Turks and for the conquest of Constantinople. It is not to be believed or said that He is attached to one nation more than another, but rather that, as a just and prudent man, He will give to every one his due. Meanwhile, let us always think well of the Holy Father, and judge His actions more favourably than those of any other human being. And let us not be frightened by every little shock. Christ guides the Barque of Peter, which, therefore, can never sink.” That letter contains a concise summary of the situation, written with the benevolent simplicity of a dignified fine gentleman, and with the unerring sapience of a saint. * * * * * The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. The insignia of His office are the Fisherman’s Ring, the Triple Crown, the Triple Cross, and the Keys. At His election by the Conclave, He receives the Ring. Afterwards the insignia are conferred, with the Pallium that He wears at all times in sign of universal jurisdiction, at His coronation by the Cardinal-Archdeacon in the Collegiate-Basilica of St. Peter-by-the-Vatican. But yet another ceremony awaits performance. As Bishop of Rome, He must take formal possession of, and be enthroned in, the cathedral of His diocese, either in person or by proxy. That cathedral is not St. Peter’s: but St. John’s _in Laterano_, which, consequently, bears on its façade the magniloquent title MOTHER AND MISTRESS OF ALL CHURCHES IN THE CITY AND IN THE WORLD It is the most important church in Christendom. * * * * * The Lord Calixtus P.P. III was elected on the eighth of April 1455. On the twentieth He was crowned as “Ruler of the World, Father of princes and of kings, and Earthly Vicar of Jesus Christ our Saviour”; and the same day He made a triumphal progress through the city to take possession of the Lateran. In the porch of that cathedral there is a low marble throne, called Sedes Stercoraria, on which the Pope sits to receive the homage of the Lateran Chapter while cantors chant the anthem “He raiseth-up the poor out of the dust: “and lifteth the needy out of the dung-hill. “That He may set him with princes: “even with the princes of His people. (Ps. cxiii. 7, 8).