In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Chapter Nine The Ultramontane Family 1896-1933 Luigi da Parma was bitterly disappointed at his inability to persuade the Sacred Congregation for Bishops and Regulars to include the Ultramontane family in their plans for unification. He did not, however, concede defeat. In March 1896, he returned to the attack. The vote taken in favor of unity at the General Chapter in Assisi had given the Minister General new heart. Emboldened by what Leo XIII had said during his audience with the Definitory, he asked the Sacred Congregation to order the return of the Spanish family to full dependence within the Order.1 It was now beyond any doubt, he argued, that only a few religious, supported by four or five priests at the head of the family, were in favor of maintaining the present abnormal and provisional situation. He realized that the Holy See would already have subjected the Spaniards to the common regime and legislation of the order had it not been for the well-founded fear that a few friars might induce the government to block the proposal with a series of unpleasant counterproposals. He was of the opinion that the civil authorities would not raise any serious or insuperable difficulties provided the administration could assure them that the Franciscan Provinces were not about to undergo any substantial changes and that they would keep intact their rights to the missions both inside and outside Spain. Religious from the Province of St. Gregory the Great in the Philippines had been responsible for stirring 1Luigi da Parma to Cardinal Prefect, VV.RR., March 3, 1896. ACRIS, M64/4. "In the hearing of February 20, the Holy Father considered the proposal of the Union of the four families very seriously and concluded his admirable talk with these following words: 'God wants it, St. Francis is waiting for it and the Holy See fervently desires it.' These auspicious words of the Pontiff give me enough courage to humbly pray with deep respect for His Eminence and this entire Congregation to open the door to the Spanish Family to the ordinary dependence of the Order." 182 / The Leonine Union of the Order of Friars Minor up fears in this regard. They had suggested that if the union were carried into effect, the Order would send religious from other nations to their own mission and those of Cuba, thus undermining Spanish domination in those places. By reassuring the Spanish authorities that this would not happen, the Holy See could remove the major, and possibly the only, obstacle to union. However, Luigi was prepared to admit that for the moment it might not be easy to include the Spanish in the union of the four families. Nevertheless, this could well be achieved in the not too distant future if the powers enjoyed by the Apostolic Vice- Commissary were henceforth to be limited. He proposed a term of six years during which time the incumbent would be fully dependent on the Minister General and his Definitory in matters of major importance. The head of the Order should have the right to canonical visitation of all the Spanish provinces, and the role of the Spanish Procurator in Rome should be taken over by the Procurator General with the assistance of a Spanish under-secretary approved by the General. By limiting the powers of the Vice-Commissary in this way, they would be taking the first step towards unity. Since such action would be in line with the Order's traditional legislation, it would not upset the sensibilities of the few who opposed unification. Linares's predecessors themselves had in fact enjoyed limited faculties and been partly dependent on the Minister General in exercising them. In conclusion, Luigi asked that both Linares and Panadero be removed from office and replaced by religious who supported the unification of the Order.2 No action was taken by the Congregation, and Luigi da Parma's campaign was at an end as far as the unification of the Spanish family with the rest of the Order was concerned. Just prior to the publication of Felicitate quadam on October 4, 1897, Serafino Linares wrote the General a sad letter in which he complained of the unjust campaign mounted against himself by those who claimed that he was opposed to 2Ibid. "To the submitted proposal I would like to add the following: that since Father Linares is contrary to the Union and Father Panadero works very actively against it, trying to maintain the status...

Share