Bishop Ellis on the Apostolic See wH1LE only the bishop of
Rome could be the head of the Chi rch, this did not mean that the Pope as such was Italian, stated Bishop Ellis of Nottingham in his Advent pastoral. " As a human person he may be of any nationality or race, hut in his office as Pope he is neither Italian nor French nor English.
" He belongs to no nation and is the subject of no state. The kingdom he rules is neither national nor international. The Catholic Church is the supernational society of which Our Lord said: ' My kingdom is not of this world.' . . .
" It is to this supreme headship of the Roman pontiffs that we chiefly owe the blessing of unity in our beliefs, in our moral standards, and in our worship. We have so grown up with these things as to take them for granted. But the discordant voices, even of virtuous and learned Christian leaders, outside the Church serve to emphasise the wonderful favour of unity we enjoy."