The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 18, 6 May 1909, Page 711

The Catholic World

CHINA— Many Converts An idea of the conditions of the Church in the province of Chi-li, China, may be gained from the fact that during the past year 50,000 adults were received into the Church. This is the district where much blood was shed during the Boxer uprising. ITALY— Obstructing Voters A Rome correspondent, writing about the manner iv which the clergy were obstructed at the polling booths during the recent general election, says: The fact that Monsignor Ceppetelli, Patriarch of Constantinople and Vice-gerent of Rome, was kept waiting for^two hours before he could exercise his electoral^ right, owing to the manner in which those in charge of the booth at the Chiesa Nuova wilfully killed time, is but one instance of a- practice largely followed. A.t the, booths of Testaccio, to use the words of the Gorriere d'ltalia, 'it was absolutely forbidden to . priests and religious to' vote.' Ten religious of the Congregation of the ' Fate-Bene-Fratelli ' went to the ninth station there in the morning for the purpose of voting, but, being prevented by the partisans of the Bloc candidate, had" to leave without effecting their purpose. Towards evening the Direzione Romana learned of the fact and sent Catholic laymen to accompany the religious to the booth. A flat refusal to supply them with voting papers was given to their demand ; and when Sig. Alessandri, a prominent lawyer of Rome, protested against such injustice, he was silenced by a blow of a stick. This was the signal for a general melee. This religious and Catholic voters present were roughly handled by the mob and then ejected without being able to vote. But the treatment meted out to Rev. Ennann Bonazzi at the eighth section at S. Anselmo was even more disgraceful. This gentleman insisted on being supplied with a voting paper, but was informed he ' could not vote.' On denouncing the action of those in charge as unjust he was told : 'We are masters here, and shall do whatever we please.' JAPAN— Catholic University College Rev. Father James Rockliff, S.J. (says tKe London Tablet), has met with a fine welcome at Tokyo. The foundation of a Catholic University follows hard upon the recent mission to the Mikado from the Holy See. The absence hitherto of speakers of English among the Catholic missionaries has unluckily caused the Japanese to regard the language of their Western ally as the religious monopoly of the many -British and American Protestant missions and schools. It is not surprising, therefore, that, as a matter of high policy, the new Universiay college is to be ' English-speaking in its directing spirit.' Father Rockliff, whose task it is to supply the paramount - need, is himself a good specimen of Jesuit cosmopolitanism. Born in India of English parents fifty-five years ago, he went, after a year at Stonyhurst, to the Jesuit college at Feldkirch in Austria, where he entered' the German Jesuit Province. The German Jesuits being denied corporate existence in their own country, he had his later training in this country, at Ditton Hall and elsewhere in Lancashire. He next went to the States and was Prefect of the College founded by the German Jesuits at Cleveland, in Ohio. A three years' Rectorship of Canisius College, Buffalo, followed, and he was Superior at Buffalo from^ 1898 to 1907, when that mission was raised to the rank' of a new American Jesuit Province. Towards the' end of last year Father Rockliff was named Prefect of the Jesuit Mission in Japan, a country where the Society has the prestige which clings to the memory of St.' Francis Xavier. He has been accompanied to Tokyo by the well known Orientalist, Father Joseph Dahlmann, S.J., and by Father Henry Boucher, formerly Rector of the French Jesuit College at Zikawei. ROME—A Repentant Editor . The well known Maltese anti-clerical journalist, Matteo Decaesare, editor of the La Sedfr dei Papi, has just died, in the Eternal City (wrkes a Rome 'correspondent). On learning that his end had come Decaesare repented of the campaign he~~had carried on against the Church for such a long time, and left behind a document of some interest, considering the previous life of the writer. 'I, the undersigned, repentant of my errors, declare that I wish to die in the bosom of the Catholic Church, my mother, which I profess and believe to be the only true Church. I repudiate every doctrine that is not taught by her, and I believe and prof ess to believe all that the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church teaches. I re^^efr- intensely having by my writings insulted ecclesiastical authority in the venerated person of his Excellency the Archbishop of Rhodes and Bishop of Malta, of whom I now humbly ask pardon and beg his?, pastoral blessing. Signed^ Matteo Decaesare.' '

Belgian Pilgrims The reception of the Belgiali pilgrims on March 11 was an event in which the Holy Father took great pleasure (writes a Rome correspondent). Amongst those present were Cardinal Mercier, the Bishops of Bruges and TouVnai, Mgr. T'Serclaes, Rector of the Belgian Seminary, and Count d'Urseel, the leader of the pilgrimage. Cardinal Mercier read an address to his Holiness, and the Count presented rolls containing the signatures of millions of Belgian Catholics who offered their homage in connection with the Papal Jubilee celebration. Very cordial were the terras in which the Holy Father replied. He praised the Belgian episcopate, the Belgian priests, and the Belgian people. Nor did he forget the King. His Majesty, he said, was justly renowned for his wisdom and for his indefatigable activity. He thanked the Belgian Catholics for their generosity in erecting the Church of St. John Berchmans, which Cardinal Mercier will soon consecrate, and in giving all his blessing said he trusted that- within a short period the immense territory of the Congo would be won -for the Church by the untiring zeal of their admirable missionaries. SCOTLAND— Death of a Convert The Rev. Father Angus, parish priest of St. Andrews, Fife, passed away recently. Father Angus was the son of a former Town Clerk- of Aberdeen, and was originally intended for the Army, -but afterwards entered the service of the Free Church as one of its ministers. He did not remain long in that capacity, for his conversion followed soon afterwards. He was made parish priest of St. Andrews twenty-four years ago, and during that time he has done splendid work in that mission. He was immensely popular with all classes in the" fashionable Fifeshire town. Protest of Trade Unionists Au important meetirjjg^ of Catholic Trade Unionists was held on March 13 in St. John's Hall, Glasgow, to protest against the secular education resolution being passed by the Scottish Trade Union Congress. Members of about thirty trade unions took part in the proceedings. Mr. Hugh Murnin, J.P., of Stirling, Stirlingshire Miners' Union, presided. Mr. Hugh Galagher, Hamilton Miners' Union, moved a resolution to the effect that that meeting, representing 60,000^ Catholic workers- and loyal trade unionists, strongly protested against the passing of the Secular Education resolution. It was decided to send a copy of the resolution to every trade union represented at the Congress. UNITED STATES— Converts to the Church Mr. John G. Ewens, who was stationed at St. Clement's Protestant Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, about twelve years ago, and who was rector of Holy Trinity P. E. Church, Manistee, Michigan, previous to his reception into the Catholic Church last spring, entered St. Vincent's Seminary, Germantown, Pa., on March 6, at the close of a retreat, as a novice of the Congregation of the Mission- (says the New York Catholic News). Mr. Ewens' predecessor at Manistee entered the Church four years ago, and is now Father Edward J. Jewell, of St. Mary's Church, Bay City, Mich., in the diocese of Grand Rapids. Mr. Ewens is the fifth minister of St. Clement's P.. E. Church, Philadelphia, to become a Catholic. The others, . who are itow . priests, are the Revs. Basil W. Maturin and A. B. Sharpe, of the diocese of Westminster, England; the Rev. Samuel P. Macpherson, of New York; and the Rev. Alvah W. Dor an, of Philadelphia, now at the Apostolic Mission House, Washington, D.C. - Catholics in* Various States - - More than one-half the total population of fourteen American States and territories, including California, New York. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Rhode .Island, is Catholic. GENERAL The Catholic Hierarchy " In the Ecclesiastical Annual for 1909 there is.^much interesting information concerning the hierarchy of the Catholic Church (says the New York Catholic News). There are now 1027 bishoprics in the Catholic world, 946 in the Latin and 81 in the Oriental Churches. Europe alone has 605 of these bishoprics, of which Italy has 268, France 84 Spain 56, Great Britain 53, Austria 52, Germany 25, and other countries smaller numbers. In Asia there are 40 bishoprics, 32 in the East Indies, 4 in Japan, 3 in Turkey, and lin Persia. The American Continent has 249, of which 29 are., in Brazil, 91 in the United States, 30 in Mexico, 29 in Canada, and _14 in Columbia. Australia has 19, Philippine Islands 9, New Zealand 4. Of the 81 residential bishoprics of Oriental rites, 31 are Syrian, 27 are Greek, 20 Armenian, and 3 Coptic. In addition to the residential bishoprics there are nearly 400 Titular Archbishops and Bishops.