More Italian Slanders

New Zealand Tablet, 16 July 1908, Page 22

More Italian Slanders

The man who makes a sheep of himself will find plenty of people willing to fleece him; and the churchman in lojigeridden France or Italy that silts silent under libel will get it galore. The organised campaign of defamation of the Church and of Church persons and institutions by the anti-religious press in France and Italy has- made the worm turn ; and, as a result, the . law-courts in those countries have been paving the path of the libeller with (figurative) thorns and tacks and broken glass. Here is the latest addition to the .long list of legal victories won by the intended victims of the slanderous tongue and the envenomed pcn — we quote from the Rome correspondence of the Philadelphia ' Catholic Standard ' of May 23, 1908': ' From Aversa, Italy, comes news of a trial that has excited a good deal of public attention here. It appears that some time ago several charges of a grave nature were spread broadcast by the. Socialist paper "La Luce " against Monsignor Raffaele De Biase, secretary to the Bishop* of that diocese. Monsignor De Biase Jost no 'time in bringing the responsible parties to justice, with the result which- all who understand the state of affairs in Italy heartily approve of. The tribunal condemned Gennaro Gentile, correspondent of '* La Luce," to a period of imprisonment to last for one^year and five months, and to pay in addition a fine of 1500 francs. After extenuating circumstances had been taken into account, the responsible director of the precious journal, <f Francesco Mari," was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment, a fine of 833 francs, the payment of all the costs entailed during the trial and full reparation to be made to the injured party. Tbe court acquitted Alceste Gandino, charged with being the author of the articles in question, as full proof of his guilt could not be obtained.'

This is one of the cases of Rome's ' abominations ; which a j-ather notorious missionary agent has been ' exposing ' in England (for the benefit of his mission funds) at so much per ' expose.' It is to be presumed that in this, as in Fumagalli and Varazze cases, he will take no steps to make the truth reach those who listened to his echoes of the slanders of the atheistic press..