The Catholic World.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 10, 8 July 1898, Page 24

The Catholic World.

BELGUUM.— The Pope and the Aumoniers dv Travail. — The Aumoniers dv Travail, a c in.;regation of priests, the establishment of which was fully described in our columns a yeir or two ago, and who 33 special objeot is to further the spiritual and temporal interests of the working classes is carrying on its most valuable work with signal succebs. The Abbe Reyn, the Superior-G-eneral of the Institute, with two priests of his congregation, accompanied the recent Workingmen's Pilgrimage to Rome, and the cordial reception extended to him by the Holy Father affords fresh proof of that solicitude for the working classes which has earned for him the noble title of the working man's Pope. On the day following the arrival of the party in the Eternal City the Abbe Reyn was admitted by the Holy Father to a private audience which lasted nearly half-an-hour. His Holiness manifested the deepest interest in the work of the new congregation, making very minute inquiries as to its organisation, the institutions it had founded. and the manner in which it carried on its apostolate among the workingmen. Having been informed by the Abbd Reyn that the members of the society live in the iniflM: of the workingmen and share in their meals and recreations, the Holy Father expressed his pleasure, remarking that ' when the priest devotes himself to the workingmen, the workingmen come spontaneously to him.' His Holiness intimated to the Superior-General his desire to sco established at Antwerp and Ghent AVorkingmen's Hotels similar to the foundation at Seraing which in to short a time ha-> proved a signal success. The Pope subsequently conversed v> ith the Abbe Reyn upon the political situation in Belgium, dwelling upon the necessity of a cordial union between the various Catholic groups, and expressing his satisfaction at the success which had recently crowned the efforts of the Bishop of Liege in this direction. At the close of the interview the Sovereign Pontiff assured the Abbe that his institute had the Papal approbation, and that he was at liberty t> make the fact widely known on his return to Belgium. After the audience the two other Fathers of the congregation were received by His Holiness. CHINA.— The Catholic Church in China. -A letter from a distinguished Italian priest in China, Don Giuseppe Carbelli, brings interesting particular-, of the progress of the Catholic Faith there. As was mentioned in theje columns some weeks ago, the intervention of the Powers in China has already had at least one good effect in obliging the Government to adopt a much more conciliatory attitude towards the Catholic missions. r lhe murderers of Father Mazel, the young missionary done to death H»t year in the Kuang-si, have been brought to judgment, and on the peremptory demand of the French Ambassador at Peking an indemnity ot 7:5,000 francs was paid over by the Government for hi;> assassination. A part of this sum has been forwarded to the Society of Foreign Missions in Pari3, and the remainder to the young martyr's relatives in Rodez. It was noted as a striking event, which made a marked impression on the whole population, that the Chinese authorities were present in solemn form at the consecration of Mgr. Favier in Peking a couple of months ago. Around Hong-Kong especially, writes the ecclesiastic above referred to, is the Catholic religion now looked upon with favour and consideration. Certain prejudices are rapidly disappearing, and the tolerance extended to Catholics is quite satisfactory. The inhabitants of a little village near Hong-K >ng have, as a body, decided to embrace the Catholic religion, and have extended the most hearty welcome to an Italian missionary, who at their request has gone to give them instruction in the doctrines of our faith. The French Government has likewise put in a claim for indemnity for the recent murder of the Catholic missionary at Fung Cheng. ENGLAND.— Catholic Open- Air Lectures.— P.eguiar open air lectures dealing with some phase of Catholic truth, are now j^ven on Suniay afternoons in the various parks of London, and so far the lecturers have met with considerable success. On a recent Sunday afternoon Mr. J. J. Moores gave a lecture in Hyde Park, near the Marble Arch, to a large and respectable audience. It is soaaevvhat significant of the times and of tie remarkable change that has taken place in public opinion that at the next platform to thao ojcupied by Mr. Moores a well-known Protestant lecturer in a se>niclericul dress was refused a hearing, and, owing to the jibes and jeers

of the people, the police had to break up the meeting. After a lapse ot' some time he essayed a second time to address a meeting, with the same result, many of the people afterwards joining the audience of the Catholic lecturer, to whom they listened attentively whilst he explained the doctrines of the church as contra-distinguished from » the caricatures and misrepresentations of the so called 'N o Popery ' lecturers.' At the end questions were put and replies given. Mr. Moores then thanked the meeting for the respectful hearing they had given him, and announced that he would give another lecture at three o'clock nent Sunday. Mr. Moo-'es has been appointed to 'ectu^e in Hyde Park drrlnsr the Sundays in May, and in Regent's Park during June, when Mr. Lister Drummond will continue the lec.ai cs in Hyde Pi^k. Mr. Watts a"d Mr. Ausi/Hztber give lectures in Victoria Paik duiiug May ai d June. We quit j expect that sooner or later tl"e opca air Lcture movement will be started in at least some of the larger cities on the other side. There seems no good reason why srch lectures should not be delivered, with the happiest i suits, oa the bar'ts of the Yarra, or in the Sydney Domain. GERMANY —An Editor's Calumny Exposed.— The Frank furter Zcitung, in the course of its comments on the Cuban question, st .t jd that the Spanish Jesuits were the proprietors of the Transatlantic Steam Company, from which they derive great revenues, and laid upon their shoulders the blame of the sufferings of the unfortunate wounded . ildiers transported back home for the island. The editor has row received the following official contradiction under the seal of the Prefecture of Toledo of the Society of Jesus : 1 1 request the editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung to in Drt the following rectification. The assertion of the Frankfurter Zeitunj (March and April, 1893) that the Jesuits are the proprietors of the Transatlantic Company, of the trading firm of Siglo, of the engineering and sbip-building works ' Maritimay Terrestre,' of the Gene-al Company of Philippine Tobacco, of the Hispano-Colonial Bank and the Northern Railway line, is as a whole and in all its parts absoluteiy false. The Jesuits are neither proprietors nor shareholde-8 in the above undertakings, nor do they derive any profit from them. (Signed) Jaime Vigo, S.J., Madrid, 28 April, 1898.' The Frankfort paper was, of course, legally obliged to publish this correction, but it was contemptible enough to append a note to the effect that probably the communication contains some ri'svr vat to mmtalis, and that 'it has for us only the value of a Jesuitical rectification !' There is only one argument that can be used with an editor of that kind, and the Superior of the slandered Order was too far away to apply it. ROME.— The Vatican and the War.— The outbreak of the Spanish-American war furnished an opportunity for slandering the Pope tbat was eagerly availed of by the enemies of the Holy See, who circulated all sorts of rumours as to the Holy Father's attitude regarding the war. All doubts, however, have been set at rest by an official declaration from the Vatican clearly laying dov> n the Pupa's neutrality and expressing his strong desire for peace. A Reuter's telegram from Washington states that Mgr. Martinelli, Papal Delegate to the United States, has communicated t>> the Press the cablegram which he has received from the Vatican, and which he makes taown with the object of warning all against crediting 1 certain rumours published concerning the position and tendency of the Pope and the Catholic Church in rearard to t,he war. The text of the cablegram is as follows : ' Rome, May 9. — To M<rr. Martinelli, l'apr.l Delegate at Washington : Some journals, and particularly English journals, have been diffusing insinuations in regard to the attitude of the Holy See towards the present Spanish-American conflict, a" though the Holy See we p c siding with one or the other of the conflicting parties. It is superfluous to deny such foolish talk the perfectly proper attitude which the Holy See has maintained towards the two nations being known to all. The Holy Kee has no other desire than for peace. You may make tuch use of this as you may deem opportune — Rampolla.' UNITED STATES.— The American Bishops and the War. — Some time a^o we were apprised by cable of the fact that the arehbihhops of the Catholic Church in the United States had ordered their clergy to offer Mass daily for the success of America in the present struggle. The last mail to hand brings us the full terms of the letter addressed by the hierarchy to the clergy and laity throughout the country. The letter, which was read in all the churches was endorsed by Mgr. Martinelli, Papal Delegate at Washington. After extolling in warm terms the patient calmness and dignified forbearance of President M'Kinley, the letter proceeds : • We, members of the Holy Catholic Church, are true Americans, and as such loyal to our country and our flag, obedient to the highest decrees of the supreme authority in the nation. We are not engaged in a war of section against section, or of State against State, but are united as one man against a foreign enemy. If, as taught by our Holy Catholic Church, the love of country should come next to the love of God, then it is our duty to labour and pray for the temporal ard spiritual well-being of the brave soldiers who are battling for our beloved country. Let us faithfully beg the God of Battles to crown their arms on land and sea with victory and triumph, and to ■-pee lily re- tore peace to our beloved land and people. To this end, we direct that after the receipt of this circular letter, and until tho close of the war. every priest shall daily at Mass pray for thy restoration of peaje by the glorious victory of our fUsf. We also direct that prayers for the souls of the brave soldiers and bailors who fall in battle be said every day after Mass.' In a pastoral letter also, which was read in all the churcheß of the dioedseon sSuniay, May 1, the Most Rev. William Henry Elder, Archbishop of Cincinati, adverting to the war, wrote as follows : Catholics have not need of lengthy instruction concerning tJie^r duty in time of war. They have been taught trom childhood that the service of their couutry is a part oi! the'.r service of God. St. Paul wrote to the Christians of Rome, that the authority of their civil rulers was given by God, and ' whoever res.'»teth that authority resisteth God." God has made it of the nature of men that they shall live in society ; society must have civil gQveru-

ment. Hence G-od requires that the civil government be obeyed and served in all that is not sin. The power of declaring war is an essential attribute of sovereign authority, consequently Catholics understand very well that in time of war everyone must do his full duty to his country, according to his state and his obligations ; under pain of sin. And sin is punished by God even if human penalties fail to reach it. I wish only to remind you that there is one service which everybody owes to his country, and that is prayer. I direct that all priests celebrating Mass in this diocese, continue to recite the prayer for "For any Necessity," — Pro tjnavumque necessitate, during the continuance of the war, or until otherwise ordered. Likewise that after Mass the priest and people recite one '• Our Father " and one '■ Hail Mary," and that the priest announce each time, that it is for " God's guidance to our rulers, and for His protection over our soldiers and seamen and others engaged in the war." And then they shall recite one " Our Father " and one •• Hail Mary " " for the souls of those who die in the contest, including the brave victims of the Maine." I grant an indulgence of forty "days each day than one recites them. I recommend our religious communities to offer special devotions for these same ends, and I authorise that any community which finds it convenient may have an hour's exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every week, and an exposition all day once in the month, in addition to the privileges already enjoyed. Implore the Prince of Peace to grant us speedily His holy peace, temporal and spiritual.' It would be like slaying the thrice-slain to again advert to the Rev. Saunders, in this connecso we will only remark that probably even that gentlemen is now satisfied that the United States does not • stand for Protestantism ' in the present war.