“THIS SOCIETY PLEASES ME; I KNOW THE GOOD IT DOES… MY INTENTION IS NOT MERELY THAT THESE RULES BE PRAISED BUT THAT THEY BE APPROVED” (POPE LEO XII)

Eugene continued his narration of his audience with the Pope:

This morning, at the time appointed, I betook myself to the Archpriest’s house who, in parenthesis, lives at the other extremity of the city. He received me immediately with good grace, dealt with some affairs in my presence with one of his secretaries, and then commenced to speak of our affair. He first read to me the succinct report that he had made to the Holy Father which, it must be said, basically contained my memoir and the essential points which ought to stand out but, as he had given me to understand the day before yesterday, he concluded in favour of the laudanda after the text had been examined to see if there was anything to change.

But, give praise to the goodness of God and unite yourselves, all of you, to me to thank him! Such was not the mind of the Holy Father: “No,” said the Pontiff, “This society pleases me; I know the good it does, etc., etc.” And he entered into multiple details which surprised the Archpriest to the uttermost. “I wish to favour it. Choose a Cardinal, one of the mildest of the Congregation, to be the ponent of this cause; go to him on my behalf and tell him my intention is not merely that these Rules be praised but that they be approved.” O Leo XII! Even were the Congregation to reject our Rules, you would nonetheless be considered for ever amongst us as the benefactor and the father of our Society.

Letter to Henri Tempier in Marseilles, 22 December 1825, EO VII n. 213