The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 19, 9 May 1907, Page 31

The Catholic World

ENGLAND— St. Patrick's Day The Irish service in Westminster Cathedral on St. Patrick's Day was largely attended. The sermon was preache.i by Father Augustine, Prior- of the Capuchin College, Rochestown, Co. Cork. The Benediction was g'ivien by the Right Rev. Dr. Fenkm. The Acchlbishop, being absent from London, was unable to attend. FRANCE— The Holy Father's Sympathy Cardinal Merry del Val, on March 13, sent the following telegram to the Bishop of Frejus expressing the Holy Father's regret at the Jena disaster : — ' The Holy P"ather, profoundly afflicted' by the misfortune that has befallen the French nation .and fleet, expresses through you his sorrow and sympathy. Praying for the eternal repose of the victims, he blesses with all his hoart the families so terribly tried.' The Bishop has replied that the French nation, the fleet, '"and the afflicted families are deeply grateful. The Nuncio's Papers . ; The debate in the French Chamber on the seizure of the Vatican archives at tbe residence of the Papal Nuncio (says the ' Catholic Weekly ') gives a further striking illustration of the underhand chicanery and shifting subterfuge which have characterised the conduct of the Government throughout the whole' history of the recent legislation against the Church in France. The chief argument used by M. Piebon, the Minister, for Foreign Affairs, in justification of .the illegal seizure of the papers, was that at the moment of the rUpture of diplomatic relations between France and the Vatican the latter, contrary to all precedent, had neither placed the archives of its Paris Nunciature under seals, con-. Ming them to a foreign Power, nor notified France of any such intention on its part. On the other hand, France, on June 20, 1905, and on Ausrust 1 of the same year, notified the Vatican of the formal rupture and took the necessary precautions as to the safety of the French diplomatic arohives in Rome. Thus, it is contended, Monsignor Montagnini remained in Paris in no way the official guardian of the archives, and the Government had a perfect rie;ht to prevent him from conspiring against the Separation Law and to seize his papers and expel him. Impossible Conditions ' We know (says the ' Croix ') from a direct source that the rupture of tbe negotiations has produced at the Vatican a feeling of relief rather than of disappointment. It is by condescension to the desire expressed by the Episcopate that the Pore authorised the" negotiations, although he -dreaded their obscurities. He has seen their failur& without rejrret. There is only one solution : a direct and loyal understanding. The Government insists that the cure be personally responsible for the heavy repairs. This requirement alone suffices to prevent an arrangement. The importance of the demand will be understood when we si/ate that the repairs in Paris alone amount to £100,000. Mon-sig-nor Dadolle, Bishop of Dijon, declares : " Such conditions for the lessee are altogether exceptional. It is impossible to consent to such demands. Whatever migjht be their good -will, 55t) out of mv 600 priests would be ■quite unable t 0 accept such a charge. The Bishops' move was made with the intention of general pacification. This understood, the people will know on whom 'it should fasten the responsibility for the continuation of the conflict. It " will know this the better when it considers the results of the referendum of the municipalities, .which in immense majority have shown themselves favorable to,, the- project of contract we proposed. For my diocese, for example}, where the greater* number of the municipalities are radical, I received ondy seven refusals out of 515 communes.' As to the possibility of new attempts to arrive at an agreement, „• the Prelate did not think there was any opening for them, in' view of tbe attitude of the Government," r which maintains its pretensions, not only on the point -of the repairs, but also, on • the other questions which" concern the very principle of th& rights of the hierarchy. INDIA— The Archbishop of Madras His Grace the Archbishoo of Madras (Dr. Colgan) has ffiven over charrce of the Archdiocese to his coa.jutor, .the Right ■ Rev. J. Aelen, D.D., owing to failing health. The announcement was received with widespread regret by Catholics throughout India Dr Colgan has been 63 years in the ministry in the Madras Archdiocese, and nearly 25 years in the episcopate.

His Grace is now at Yercaud, and a pubJic meeting of the clergy and laity of the Archdiocese of Madras will be held in St. Mary's College Hall for the purpose of taking steps to celebrate the silver jubilee of the episcopal consecration of the Archbishop. ... ' ROME— St. Patrick's Day St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in all the Irish institutions in Rome, and especially at the* Irish College, the Church of San Clemente, where the Irish Dominicans are estaißHsbeti,- and Sant' Isidore, of the Irish. Franciscans. Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli celebrated early Low Mass at the Irish College. the Remote Cause of the Conflict " The Holy Father on Sunday, March 1-7, received in audience the Right Rev. Dr. O'Gorman, Bishop of Sioux Falls. Discussine; at length the situation of the Church in France, his holiness said Archbishop Ireland was correct when he said the remote cause of the conflict was that the French cleigy and leading Catholics failed to follow the ad.'l^e of 'his illustrious predecessor: ITALY— The Training of the Young A new association has been formed in Italy for training the young to respect the oM, women^ and children, and for teaching them not to deride the unhappy arid the weak ; to avoid blasphemy and indecency ; not to ill-treat animals ; - not to harm plants and trees ; not to iniure buildings or monuments, and to behave as gentlemen should. ROME— Death of a Convert There died recently in Rome Mrs. Morgan, widow of the late Rev. Mr. Morgan, Episcopalian clergyman at Fraserburgh, Aberd'eenshire. The deceased lady belonged to -the distinguished family of the Scottish Leslies, and on one side traced her • escent from Queen Margaret of Scotland. She became a convert during the. lifetime of her hus'bamd, wrote many popular stories, and oontibuted a bright interesting life of her saintly ancestress, Queen Ma-garet, to the publications of the Cath/olic Truth Society. The Holy Father's Name Day The Holy Father, at noon on Monday, March" 18, received the members of the Sacred College, who, led by Cardinal Oreglia, doyen of the College, went to greet his Holiness on the occasion of his name day, which occurred on March 19. The onl^ member absent was Cardinal Nocella, who was suffering from an apoplectic stroke. His Holiness thanked them, and conversed with each member. He di ! not ma y e any allusion to the situation in France. On the Poie's name day many telegrams and addresses of congratulation arrived -at tbe Vatican from Italy and abroad. The Pope celebrated Mass early, . admitting- to it his sisters and about 200 distinguished people, mostly foreigners. nsincerity of the French Government The nature of the situation as between France and the Holy See is shown by not a few facts (writes a Rome correspondent). The Government has been proved insincere by the whole course of events and by all tbe efforts t 0 settle the question which it has made of its own initiative. These efforts make it clear that the aim all along has been to entrap the Church, but the Church has each time rendered vain the artifices designed to discredit it morally after the material' spoliation. Having failed to catch the Church, the Government is now engaged in an attempt to justify its violation 'of the Nunciature archives ny means of- nublications in tbe ' Messidor ' and l Matin.' This policy is supposed to be merely the prelude to some-new'audac-ity by the French Government, and though M. Clemienceau's measures are not those of Danton,' still he may have * a surprise in store for the public. Some newspapers have stated that the French Hierarchy was in a mood to give a trial, to the law of Separation ; - its attitude has been at all times *the very' reverse. There never was "such union and dependence on Rome in any crisis # of a national Church. Time w?«, under one of the earlier French kings, when . the Abbot ot Citeaux received f*onr the Po^e a .medal, tlv lecend of which .praised him because he alone had withstood the monarch in defence of the - rijrhts of the .Holy Pee. jj O w all the Freroch ecclesiastics are «on the side of the Holy See. In the assembly of the national Prelacy then not a Bishop stood with the Pone. Thore is not one who has not done so with a full heart durine: all this crisis. UNITED STATES— The Laetare Medal * Miss Katherine Eleanor Oomwa^ editor-in-chief of the Boston Pilot,' has been awarded the Laeta~e medal .for 1907 by the University of Notre Dame South

Bend, Ind. The medal, which is given annually to some member of the Catholic laity in the United States distinguished for service to religion, art, science, philanthropy or other public work, came as a great surprise to Miss Cbnway. • • GENERAL The Cause of the Trouble The ' Catholic Times ' has been informed by the Rev. Father Verbagen, 0.F.M., Commissary of the Holy Land, that as the resulc of the investigation of the circumstanoes connected with the affray which took place in January between the Franciscans and the Armenians at Bethlehem, the Armenians have been competed of aggression. Two of their monks have been sentenced to two months' imprisonment, an|". are to be removed from Bethlehem. Their Superior was reprimanded, and is also to be removed, and the Armenian' Patriarch has apologised to the Franciscan Father Custos. The Italian Consul had charge of the case.