THE EUCHARTIC CON-GRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14355, 27 October 1908, Page 2

THE EUCHARTIC CONGRESS

-4frAN UNPRECEDENTED ASSEMBLAGE. PAPAL NUNCIO IN LONDON. (From Our Own; Cobrkspondent.) LONDON, September 11. Now, for the first timo emca the Reformaion, a legate of his Holiness the Popo is in London. Slowly and strangely the cyolo has passed round, and to-day tho Protestant nursery of Europe is cherished by the Roman Catholic Church above all other lands because it. offers liberty and sanctuary to the fugitives from the religious persecutions oi France. In London to-day there is an unprecedented assemblage of prelates of the Holy Chureh-a papal legate, eight cardinals, fourteen archbishops, and seventy bishops. It Is a wonderful gathering from every , corner ,of the earth. THE INAUGURATION. Tho oongrcs6',\vas brilliantly inaugurated on Wednesday night with the great ceremonial and dignity of the solemn reception to tho papal legate in 'the Cathedral at , Westminster. The church was densely thronged, and there .was a solemnity not merely in tho devotional earnestness of the t-.ongTegat.iou and the impeding array of bishops and canons, but even in the nolinished chape!.; and-trie unpacked marbles that betoken the appraaohiiig and'of this great triumph of Roman. Catholic effort ... nwu-itujir. England. A -burst of bugles without, and a mighty bbel ot welcome announced the arrival of his Eminence. Putting off his inozzetfa he ayaimwl the eappa; knelt reverently a.nd kissed the crucifix in the- hands ot the Metropolitan, tttting, Ise received tho aspercory from tho Metropolitan, sigiu'd himself and sprinkled the bystanders with' holy water, 'flic Archbishop ihen assumed the mitre, and all proceeded solemnly to the altar, a verger leading,and tho ehoirsinging the iiiitiphon ' fcacerdos el, Pontifex." Followed in succession tlm cathedral chaplains, the legato eross-bearer, tho canons, a-nd the Metropolitan, with attendants. And then, walking slowly beneath a rieh canopy of gold and white, borne by members of, the .Guild of St. Stephen, benignly giving his blessing in« return-for the reverent genuflections of the cangrcgalion, his Eminence proceeded to the choir and assumed the achiopiscapal throne. Besides his eminence, ihero wore seven cardinals, fourteen archbishops, and seventy, bishops. The cross having be»n"pkced in the repository prepared for it, tho legato knelt in tho middle «f the sanctuary before the I altar, while the Metropolitan ascended the I steps and sang -the versielo "Prelector wester," afterwards putting dff his sacred vestments and'-returning to his.scat, apari. the Inul.ni- antiphon sounded through the building,. and then, tho legate, ascending and kissing the altar; gravely btescd the kneeling congregation. AN ACT OF REPARATION. Then one of the chaplains read the Pontifieial letter, which was afterwards translated into English. The Cardinal Lcgatca ta.ll, staking figure-mounted tho pulpit and made a simple but impressive speecii on tho purpose.? and dignity of tho congress. Then tho Archbishop of Westminster delivered a forceful and cordial address of welcome. Tc him it fell to make' the only reference to the feeling that had been shown regarding the procession. Referring to flic congress, ho said: — "It is an act of worship, an act of faith, but at the same time an not' of reparation, intended to alone for all those- words Jittered in Iho English tongue which' some sent forth in knowing and hitter malice, anil many more, spoken in ignorance— •which will surely ■ plead in mitigation of their guilt—have done outrage to the Blessed Sacrament. This spirit of reparation, made animate by our faith, is in tho hearts of all to-day, and mingles with the joy that marks this gneat assembly, made memorable, as it, is, by the presence of cardinals of the Holy Roman Church and of bishops of the Catholic- Church in numbers such as our English soil has, I think, never witnessed in davs gone by. And if profiting by tho grateful- fact that iho aiative sense of justice an'.our countrymen has overcome Iho prejudice, which pne'e did them so great dishonour, we, oh this occasion, make the fullest, use of that right of free speech and public demonstration, which they employ so readily to advance every cause which they have at heart, let no man imagmo that we do these things in any spirit of hostile feeling towards tho=e who <io .not think as we; still less that there is any thought of empty boastin*in our minds." * ° The choir sang another vorsicle, the legate uttered a collect, theio was a bonediction of the Blessed Sacrament and hymns, and then the procession to the sacristy was rc-formed and the first great ceremony was ended. THE CONGRESS DELIBERATIONS. . 0n Thursday the congress proceeded to its deliberations, which wero arranged in the. usual rnanner under sectional divisions, all of which are working simultaneously. ' THE " ILLEGAL PROCESSION.!' Colonials fortunately cannot understand the rancour which exists . in the Mother Country between tho Protestants and the Roman Catholics, for rears past there has been a decided trend on the part of a. large section of the National Church toward the practices of the Church of Rome; and this lapse seems rather to have inflamed than otherwise- fte, feeling 0 f the groat body of churchgoers against the Roman Catholic community. tfi s Holiness the' tope, already warm-hearted towards the free institutions of tin's country, has in his short pontificate teen more cordially attracted to the home of Protestantism; partly by the deflection of the Established Church towards Rome, and, secondly, by the free sanctuary given to the Roman Catholic priests and orders on their disestablishment by France. Thus Cardinal Vanmitclli expressed the Pope's feelings in his spech at the opening ceremony oirWednesday night: — " The Holy Father had declared that it was pleasing 'to him that the congress should be held in London. This was not only on account of the good results -which the Pope Irnsted would follow, but also became it afforded him the opporfunity of expressing 'hi« .special regard and benevolence towards tho noble British race. Was it. not tin's great affection of the Pope for his children of England which induced him larely lo raise their dioceses to the status enjoyed by those of Catholic countries'" Hence the great eclat arid .enthusiasm with which this, the nineteenth and, greatest of all the Eueharistie Congresses, lua been inaugurated in the City of London. The French Catholics, who are rather restricted by the laws of the Republic, are entering with great wa|i-mth into the congress. A special steamer nnd special trains had to be chartered to convey to London the French offerings of (lowers, valued at many thousands of pounds. 11l his letter to Cardinal Vanmitclli appointing him legate for the congress—the first papal legate to land in England since the Reformation -his Holiness sa.ys-.-~ "It was properly decided lo "hold this congress in the capital of that Empire rightly famed for the liberty it extends to its'citizens, and to whose'authority and laws so many millions of Catholics render faithful and dutiful obedience. As on other occasions, wo not only give our approval lo I his design, but 'we gladly take part in it," In another place the Pope mentions that '' impressive religious celebrations will take place publicly in the heart of the great metro|>olis." Public opinion in England, already slightly irritated by the suggestion that this great convention was designed as a reply to the Pan-Anglican Conference held in June, became actually incensed when itwas announced that the programme would include a public procession and the bearing of the Host through some of the streets adjacent to the Cathedral at Westminster. The Protestants, who have been viewing the whole of (he elaborate preparations with misgiving, immediately burst into a storm of protest, and for more than a week the columns of the London press were full of letters, eomo written in terms that would have raised an immediate riot in the colonics, calling upon the Government and the King to forbid what was described as an illegal, idolatrous, and insulting proceeding- Fortunately the history of the colonics bears no warrant for such recriminations in tlm Antipodes. The intention of tho congress authorities was plainly illegal, for the Act of Emancipation itself, which gives Roman Catholics the privilege of citizenship, provides that '' if any Roman Catholic ecclesiastic shall exercise any of the rites or ceremonies of the Roman Catholic religion, or wear tho | habits of his order, save within the usual [ places of worship of the Roman Catholic religion, or in private houses, such ecclesiastic ov other person shall forfeit for every j such offence the sum of £50." The congress authorities did not make 'any statement; bit one of tho officials, | speaking with some authority, contended I that although the statute still stood, it j could just ae well be regarded as obspjeto

«3 that statute under which it was sought a few years ago to expel a priest from England because ho was <i Jesuit. Eventually the precession -was abandoned.