IF ROME BOMBED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 87, 14 April 1941, Page 5

IF ROME BOMBED.

j VATICAN SHELTERS. 1 j GAS-PROOF FOR POPE. One hundred tons of steel are bcinj built into the ,2as-tight'air raid shelter which io to protect Pope Pin- XII. from any bombs that may Ik- dn.pj.ed ~n . Rome. <ai<! tin* ( ork "\\ Hxaminer** 11 recently. Vatican prelate- -ay the Pope ; ha< declared that lie would n<.t ]<-a\e pjXatk-an City for "any rea-011." ij Ihe Pontiff- hope- for peace now re=t [only in JJi vine intervention, a—ociates |say. The Pope's air raid shelter i- ncar- ; i"o «*oin plot ion in ground floor room- of jthe l'apal Palace. Durinjr an alarm tli« ; Pope, if lie went t<. the -lielter. w..uid |1k» escorted by two Xoble Kuards. The refuse would be -ealed immediately by f:a<--ti£rhi iron doors. Once in hi- -lichcr, the I 'ope would find everything to pa-s the hours comfortably. The -heller i< (heated, limited and equipped with a i small kitchen. bedroom. and corner 1 1 reserved for prayer. There i> al-o a. '! miniature library. rt - Shelter- for ecclc-iat ic.il an>l lav I residents of \alican (,'ity already b.i\e "been prepared, and tie- inhabitants i in-trncted in tiieir n-e. When there is ( 'an alarm. Ught- are immediately <-u'. oif a from a central <■ mtrol and the ret-iden!-. j with dimmed tla-hlamp-. hurry t<> the • j shelters, which then are -eah-d again-t . ,ga-. I'rie-t-. foilowcd 1»\* ail pP'-enl, r | intone the ro-arv. Should Home lte 1 - bombed, -ome Vatican prelate- -ay. the J Pope—a Roman who often lias declared that lie considered his native city -acred y I —probably would "Tair-e high hi* voice pI in protest." r| Before the war began. France promii-cd lithe Pope that it would not !> nub Pome, p;but the British < Joverniiiciit replietl that, -'while it had no intension of >. ■minn: tin--1 city, ii- action would dc;.-r,d "ii :h.i: of - Italy. Up to now the K:.-n,a: < li.is not l>een bombed. Sine.- Ital\ entered lue i war, Rome has had several air raid •alarms, but the only casualties »era l'thoso caused by -hell splinters from 'Italian anti-aircraft lira. ,