The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 2 May 1912, Page 55

The Catholic World

AUSTRIA

THE PRINCE-BISHOP OF CRACOW.

The new Prince-Bishop of Cracow, Monsignot Adam Stephan Sapieha, has been received in his Cathedral city with the utmost demonstrations of rejoicing, his entry being made the occasion of a perfect ovation. All the notabilities of the city were at the station to meet the illustrious prelate, where an immense crowd awaited his arrival, and the streets through which he passed were gorgeously decorated. The imperial saloon carriage had been put at the disposal of the distinguished traveller, and was richly adorned with a profusion of plants and flowers. Mgr. Sapieha delivered an oration in the form of a Pastoral Letter in the Cathedral, treating of religion in the domestic and social sphere. .

THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS.

p.; The programme of the ceremonies which are to take place on the occasion of the Eucharistic Congress at Vienna in September next has been submitted to the Holy Father. The honorary presidency of the congress will be held by the venerable Emperor Francis Joseph. The Holy Father was deeply touched and pleased at this beautiful act of Imperial piety, and heard with great satisfaction that the Imperial family is taking an active part in promoting the success of the congress and also that the Austro-Hungarian Episcopate has already shown the greatest interest in the same. The congress will open on the 12th September, anniversary of the day on which King Sobieski, of Poland, in 1643, after receiving Holy Communion, delivered Vienna and Europe from the Mussulman invasion, and will be closed on the 15th. The congress will take place in the great and historical cathedral of St. Stephen. There will be held the solemn meetings for which the assistance of the most illustrious Catholic orators has been secured; and each will speak in his national tongue. On the 15th, feast of the Name of Mary and liturgical commemoration of the deliverance of Vienna, the solemn procession through the principal streets of the city will take place with the participation of the aged Emperor, the Archdukes, the Archduchesses and all the high personages of the Imperial Court and of the Government, besides deputations of the Judicial Bench and of the Army. On the same day a solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and a general Communion will take place in all the churches of the Empire.

ENGLAND

CATHOLICS AT OXFORD.

Over a hundred Catholic undergraduates are at present in residence at the University of Oxford, about eighty-five being lay students, while the remainder are members of the private halls established by the Benedictines, Franciscans, Capuchins, and Jesuits, for the members of those religious Orders (says the Glasgow Observer ). The tutorial staff of the University also includes several Catholics, and the spiritual charge of the students is under the Rev. Father Lang (himself an old member of St. John’s College), who has taken up his residence at the fine old house in St. Aldate’s, formerly occupied by Mgr. Kennard. A recent visitor to Oxford has been Mr. Hilaire Belloc, who spoke at the Union (of which he was twice president in his undergraduate days), and delighted his Oxford audience, as he always does, by his trenchant and brilliant oratory. The President of the Newman Society this term is a young Scots Catholic, eldest son of Mr. Ogilyie Forbes, of Boyndlie, Aberdeenshire.

HOLLAND

THE POSITION OF THE CHURCH. . The latest census reveals the fact that the Catholics in Holland now number over 2,000,000. Whilst

among Protestants the women adherents largely outnumbered the men, in the Catholic Church men and women are about equal. Very many Dutch people declare that they have no religion. Taken as a whole the statistics •of the country are——sß per cent. Protestant, 35 per cent. Catholic, 2 per cent, Jews, and 5 per cent, unattached. Catholics thus number more than a third of the total population. An American contemporary remarks that in the field of journalism the Dutch Catholics have done, and are doing, remarkably well. Of Catholic daily papers there are at present no fewer than 16, with 31 bi-weekly and 76 weekly papers ; and, in addition, there are 52 monthly or quarterly journals of a religious, scientific, or literary nature. The newspapers are all excellent, giving the telegraphic news of the world and market reports of the day, so that Catholics are not obliged as elsewhere to go to non-Catholic sources for this information.

ITALY

SOCIALIST ORGANISATION.

. The striking statistics of the Italian Socialist' organisations are a startling reminder of the headway the movement is making among the working classes; there are now altogether sixty thousand women workers belonging to the various Socialist associationsa fact which should inspire the Italian Catholic Women’s League to fresh efforts.

A FACT NOT EMPHASISED. T , The Vice-Admiral Aubry, Commander of the Italian Fleet operating in the Mediterranean, died very suddenly early in March. His body - was brought to Rome and buried at the expense of the State. The funeral was one of the grandest that has taken place in Rome for a long time. Representatives of every division of the Army and Navy, and of both Houses of Parliament were present. In fact, the King himself walked belnntl the hearse for a considerable part of the way. thus official Italy paid the highest honors of which it was capable to one of its most brilliant and efficient officers. But there is something else to be added. When the Commander’s ship arrived at Taranto with the ying dmnalj the Bishop of the diocese was at once summoned and admisitered the last rites of Holy Ssft an , d Admiral Aubry died as he had lived, a faithful and fervent Catholic. The press described with g anng headlines, and in several columns, the great military and naval pomp of the funeral, but, naturally, was f not f n s °/ the lughest ° fficers in the service was not • ashamed to practise and openly profess his Catholicism was not emphasised.

PORTUGAL

A REIGN OF TERROR. ; The Carbonari Secret Society that effected the Portutr % b^'^terrJisin g the whole of Portugal. . The other day there was a jury trial of ™ of nSOnerS / t Trmas ’ and on the J acquittal of one of the accused a number of Carbonari Iho were

Monteiro ? a “ aCked «*» Prisoner s advS ST. Jc / . age w *y ; : They , struck him with wounded Th revolver shots at him. He W severely Tave bli h . dg ? and Jymen, in attempting to SeveralTf Tlf/® treated m .the, same brutal manner, Several of the jury were seriously wounded. Soldiers escorted to a | r ii'. court V Members of the: court ‘were escorted to their homes by companies of cavalry