Pope’s Protest Sparks Opium Smuggling Row

March 18, 1889 – In a shocking turn of events, a major opium smuggling operation has been exposed in New York, sparking outrage from the Catholic Church and law enforcement officials. The scandal began when a message from the Pope, Leo XIII, criticizing the temporal power of the Church reached the ears of Cardinal Taschercau, who promptly sent a letter in support of the Pope’s protests to the Canadian bishops. Meanwhile, a wealthy collector had his prized possessions, including a quantity worth $10,000, ravaged by the waves along the Long Island shore.