The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 23 July 1908, Page 31

The Catholic World

ENOLAND— The Manning: Centenary -, Wednesday of last week was" the centenary of the birth of Cardinal Manning. In connection with the event great openair demonstrations had been arranged. ! A big procession was to take place on Sunday, July 19, through .London to Hyde Park, where a meeting was to be held, at which many leading Catholic ecclesiastic's and Irish and Labor membeirs of Parliament were to attend" and speak. Pilgrimage to Lourdes A- Catholic pilgrimage, numbering between 250 and 300, left Charing Cross, London, by special train on May 29 for Lourdes. The party travelled under the leadership "of the Right Rev. Dr. Whiteside, Bishop of Liverpool. Fifty of the pilgrims were from Ireland, about seventy from, London, and a. large number from the different parts of the Englishvprovinces,: Liverpool 1 and Manchester being .the foremost in this '- respect', r ■ An Appeal for Fair Play ' '' , The 'Catholic \Veekly ' quotes the following passage, from • Ah Earnest Appeal to Free. Churchman ' which appeared as a leading article in a recent issue of Jhe ' British Weekly ' :— : ' We plead that Nonconformists should seriously reconsider the posij tion, and carry on the, coming negotiations as . men prepared to do" justice — we do not say to concede justice, for justice is a right—to their opponents. Why, do the Catholics object to Simple Bible Teaching? In the first place, they are not bound to answer. When a great historical body comes ..forward,, arid through its authorised representatives says that certain forms of religious teaching are repugnant to its', conscience, then the fact must be taken for granted and allowed'~To7 in whatever has to be done. Surely Free Churchmen will grant this. There' was nothing more exasperating in the disputes of five years ago than Mr. Bal four's calm assumption that he knew much better what was good for Free Churchmen than Free Churchmen did themselves. Yet we have read arguments by distinguished Nonconformist leaders elaborately showing that Catholics ought to be satisfied with the simple teaching of the Bible. .It. is- for them to say what they will be with. They have said it. They have proved their sincerity' in a thousand -ways. When confronted by the alternative, Simple, Bible Teaching or no religious teaching, they have unhesitatingly chosen the latter, and have made great sacrifices to provide for their children what they themselves desire. . . Cowper-Templeism is essentially Protestantism, unless suppjemented v and that is why Free Churchmen love it. But though they love it and think it good, it does not follow that they can force it upon others who do not iove if and who think it evil. That is the apology of all- persecutors : "It is good for you." We desire very much that the present temper should continue; that the utmost, pjiins should^ be taken to arrive at an agreement; but if the Free Churchmen are to exercise any real influence on the deliberations, they must, cleanse their minds of the, delusion, that they, can force Simple Bible Teaching upon Catholics, or, that they can leave them without religious teaching in school hours.'. • GERMANY— Catholic Population According to figures given by Father Krose in a recent number of the" * Stimmcn aus Maria Lasch," there was in the German Empire on December 1, 1905, a Protestant population °f 37i646i852, as compared with 35,231,164 in 1900, and a Catholic population of ' 22 ,094,492, as compared with 20,321,441 in 1960. ROME— Papal Audiences . ' ■ Over two hundred. French priests who visited Rome for the beatification of. Blessed Madeleine Sophie Barat were received in audience by the Holy Father- in- the ConsistorialHa.il on Ascension Day. His Holiness- in a short address encouraged them to fight on iravely in the cause of religion. On the previous day. the Sisteps of the Sacred Heart and their pupils, numbering Soo, from all parts of the world, were admitted to audience by the Holy Father, who received them with the greatest warmth, blessed the Sisters ior -the good work theyuire doing, \ and exhorted 1 the pupils to be faithful to'the maxims they received from their teachers. ""■"". -.. " Pope's Birthday ; . ' ' Tuesday, June 2, being the Holy -Father's 73rd birthday, the Vatican was unusually animated" with, the' coming and going of personage's, special audiences given, and the general movement

to be found on any special occasion.. The Pontiff rose early and celebrated .Mass, and after breakfast received several persons, among them his sisters. The Cardinals in Rome, all sent congratulations or went in person, as did all the, high personages of the lay "and ecclesiastical courts. Thousands'- of telegrams were received from all parts of the world. The Duke of Norfolk having telegraphed to the Pope the news of the birth of an heir to the Dukedom,- the Pontiff telegraphed in" reply congratu* lating the Duke and -sending, a Benediction -to the infant and all the members of his Grace's family. '"-''- Postponement of the Consistory v . The Archbishop of Hobart (Most Rev. Dr. Delany), in a letter to Father Gilleran, of Hobart, "says :— lt .seems n6w that the Consistory is adjourned indefinitely. At my first interview with Cardinal Gotti he told me it was -thought that it would be held in June?- A couple of days ago something seems to have i come in the_way. difficulty, I believe, lies with the creation of Cardinals.' The attitude of the Governments has to -be con* sidered. In fact, if Catholics- knew the embarrassments that ! are wantonly thrown daily in the Pope's^ way by 'persons of "alt sorts— good, -bad, and- indifferent— they ' would, be. much more alert in their championship, of his independence. I have" learned [ a good deal since I came to Rome, andthe^moral of jt all is b.riefly this; that our Pope is a saintly 'and clear-headed" man, and_ that his fellow-workers in the "Curia and throughout the _Congrcgatiqn are men of exceptional abilities and sterling virtues. They are _ likewise wonderfully .. broad-minded and- sympathetic! This postponement of the Consistory may mean a longer sojourn ~ In Europe than 1 had anticipated. . ' . British Sailors at the Vatican 1 \ - On ..May 29 some two hundred British sailors from^the Mediterranean Fleet, which was lying off. Civitavecchia, paid_v 3 visit- to. • Rome, They were accompanied by a number- of their officers, and arrangements wer,e made by Mgr. - Prior,, whose interest in the British sailor. is well known, for them to have as pleasant a day as possible. Meals were provided for. them at the Hostel of S. Marta, and a number of clergy volunteered to act as guides in showing them round the city. The Catholics among them, who numbered some eighty or a hundred, were ' admitted to a special audience by the Pope. The Holy Father, ! after passing round the sala, where they were assembled) in I order that each man .might kiss his ring, -gave a very practical I little -elocution, "which was interpreted by- Mgr: Prior.' »His Holiness, speaking of the preaching, of St. John, the Baptist, said that- the soldiers who heard him were frightened at his preaching of penance, and therefore naturally asked what they -as ordinary soldiers were to do. _ The answer to which was, said the Pope, do your duty as soldiers," and . that was what he had to say to the sailors to-day. They ..were called upon as Catholics to obey their officers and to do< their work well His Holiness expressed his great pleasure at seeing' them, and blessed them and :their- relatives,- as .well as all the objects of piety they had with them, to which he.- applied all the. indulgences. Before seeing the men the Pope, received the officers, of whom some six were Catholics. -, • The Holy Father before he Jeff the^sala^ was greeted by three ± hearty. British cheers -from officers^ ,and_.men~ After .the audience .the- men were shown round the/.^atican. galleries, and then went to do justice to an -excellent .dinner vided for them. .* - ■;. - ""•_.-.•-, SCOTLAND— SiIver Jubilee Celebrations < _ On. June 2 the Archbishop of Edinburgh presided over a -crowded meeting in the Cathedral Hall, Edinburgh. The <ibjfcct of the gathering was the presentation of an ' illuminated address and a cheque for to the Very. Rev. Canon "Stuart, in ceje;! bration of his silver / jubilee ; and as showing his popularity among all classes of the community, the testimonial was* ; "sub^ scribed to. by a large number of non-Catholics' of Edinburgh and district. -His Grace,, in congratulating -Canon Stusjrt on r th!e attainment of his silver, jubilee, _saTd it Was^vjiot given "to' vejajf' ijnany of the clergy , to teach that stage,' and" it' wa 5 s J "giv.eri 't6 still fewer people' to show such' a 'record of devotetTWrk 'ftfr th<j Church of .which he , was so" zealous a" member.' Mr. William Campbell, -K.C., Dean of the Faculty of- Advocates,' made ' the presentation, and in the course of his remarks said that a man who had Canon Stuart's record behind him was a singularly happy. and a singularly fortunate man; That happines^ he Had attained by the only' means, whereby' happiness could be accomplished in this world — namely, by hard and congenial work! But in his. case he' had the .additional satisfaction" of knowing that he had worked not foe Himself but for others, and those labors had not been in vain. ' Their wish was, that he might be spared

for many years to adorn the Catholic Church in Scotland^. He could not better sum up their estimate of Canon Stuart than by " saying that they had found him by personal experience to be a model man and a model priest. . Canon Stuart replied in appropriate terms, remarking- that when Jic first came to the Edinburgh mission there were only three Catholic Churches in the city. Now there were eight, -and the number of priests had doubled. UNITED STATES— Cardinal Cogue's- Visit Accompanied by several prelates, Cardinal Logue on _May 7 visited Mount Vernon, where he placed a wreath on the tomb of George Washington. His Eminence had an -enthusiastic greet ing from Archbishop Begin and his people- on proceeding to Quebec. With his party he "paid a visit to tlie famous shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre. The Cardinal had a hearty reception from the Catholic Benevolent Legion and the Council of the United Irish League at Archbishop -Farley's residence, New York. In returning thanks, he said Irishmen wanted a little of the freedom Americans enjoyed. The Irish party, he said, worked hard to that end, and well deserved sDpport.