WAR-TIME AGONIES.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 251, 22 October 1919, Page 7

WAR-TIME AGONIES.

EFFORTS AT ALLEVIATION. INTERVIEW WITH POPE. o GRAVE PROBLEMS OF PEACE. Ei (By ralile.--rress Association.—Copyright.) (I* LONDON, October 21. Mr. Philip Gibbs, on behalf of the "Daily Chronicle," lias secured a remark- n< able interview with the Pope. The Pope |St made no reference to his attitude towards : of responsibility for the war. tic outlined jat the works of mercy which had been cease- l 'l; lessly undertaken by the Holy Sec. J '"' The war, he said, was a scourge, the ol effects of which were enormous and incal- '" tillable. Few guessed that it would last j nearly five years. "That long period of j N strife, that terrific scourge." he con- P l tinned, "will have far-reaching and en- I"" during rc-sults. The people must make j l 'j up their minds to endure the consequences j J[ |of the war. They must steel themselves j ' Ito suffer. At the same time we must do !,l I everything in our power to alleviate the. 'sufferings and ease the burdens of those js' | who are least aide to support them." CONDITIONS OF WORKERS. I The Pope's thoughts throughout the | "j! interview appeared to lit- concentrated on j '" the conditions of tlie working classes, lie j' ; said that the people had been irritated | ' by a sense of injustice. There were many men who had made money out of the war. Those who had thus grown rich ' would have to pay. The burden of ta\il- !'~ tion would, doubtless, fall heavily mil them. The Pope mentioned the financial M' situation of various countries, lie feared ■ ' that there was no quick solution for I ' economic problems nor any immediate | prospect of bringing down prices to I . . normal level. . w ! Referring to the Roman t'alliolio |(i Church's efforts t.. alleviate Kuri>pc's| ti wartime agonies, he said: "We could do ji; very little' in comparison with the enor-| A mous suffering the war caused, hut as far , f| as possible we took every opportunity j of relieving the people's sorrow by workz ■ of charity. We couldn't do more. It was little, but it did bring comfort to many poor people, wives. mothers, prisoners, and wounded, and it mitigated some of the severities of military acts." The Pope recalled that it was the result of the Holy See's representations that incapacitated prisoners of war were exchanged, civilian prisoners liberated and exchanged, and missing soldiers traced. I' SHARING THE BURDEN. s The Pope sent over 1(10,000 letters to s Italian families whose soldiers were h either prisoners or missing. He also t secured a refuge in Switzerland for sick o land wounded prisoners, especially con- I , stimptives. It was impossible for the v I Pope to act in Nurse Cavell's case owing j n to the rapidity and secrecy of her n execution. h The Pope repeated: "What I could do i was very little, and it only touched the ] great anguish of the war." Turning to h the present unsettled state of the world, s the Po|>c said: "It is the duty of all men i to endeavour to solve the after-war social c problems in a lawful und peaceable way, > so that the burden will he fairly shared wit* goodwill and charity." He expressed a hope that the writings of Pope l.co XIII. on the relations of capital and labour would he popularised. Their teachings, he said, were summed up i' - the two words, justice and charity. .. men behave justly and with rent Christian charity towards one another, many of the world's troubles would be removed, but without justice nnd charity there would be no social progress. — (A. and N.Z.)