ROME LETTER

New Zealand Tablet, 11 February 1915, Page 41

ROME LETTER

(From our own correspondent.)

December 8.

THE EUROPEAN WAR AND THE FINANCES OF THE VATICAN.

Considering that since the year 1870 the Vicar of Christ has had to depend on the generosity of his spiritual.children throughout the world for the maintenance of his vast household and the officials of the Holy See, it is interesting to see how far the Titanic war raging in Europe affects the finances of the Vatican. As a matter of fact, the war has not yet had time to exercise its baneful effects upon the Peter’s Pence collection, and only two countries, which have been great contributors, have had to limit the extent of their generous efforts foi the temporal needs of the Sovereign Pontiff. The Peters Pence have come from American, Irish, Australian, New Zealand, and French bishops as in former years. In the income of the Vatican', derived from investments, no change has taken place so far. But it is not to be understood that the Vatican is going scatheless out of the European struggle. There is not an individual from Dublin to Constantinople to be found wholly immune from loss caused by the war. Since an entrance foe was fixed some four years ago, for all the picture, sculpture, and Oriental galleries of the Vatican, after the custom in such resorts all over Europe, a steady source of income was assured to the Holy See by the thousands visiting them weekly. Now, however, this has ceased, as the influx of visitors to Rome may be said to bo nil’. Moreover, numerous Catholics of means showed their feelings for the dependent condition of the Pope, and this in a substantial fashion. With the cessation of the stream of foreigners, this generosity to the Holy Father has also ceased to come into play.

THE SACRED COLLEGE OF CARDINALS

When referring last week to the saying that ‘ Cardinals die in threes,’ 1 did not think the dictum would be fulfilled so soon. By the death of Cardinal Dubillard, Archbishop of Chambery, the Catholics of France have lost a champion they can ill afford to lose at present. They say 90 per cent, of the French troops now recite their prayers, but this does not prevent the atheists at home from bringing calumniatory charges of traitorous conduct against the clergy. And whatever are your and my ideas about the war, we have to sympathise with the priests whom atheistical countrymen of their own maliciously charge with treason. And so it is not among the elderly cardinals ‘ the third ’ victim to the grim visitor is to be found. Francis Virgil Dubillard was only sixty-nine. Ordained priest in 1869, he held a chair of Dogmatic Theology in the Grand Seminaire of Besancou. In 1899 he became Bishop of Quimper, and eight years subsequently Archbishop of Chambery. His elevation to the Sacred College took place in 1911, but the malady from which his Eminence had suffered for two years prior to his demise, prevented his taking part in the recent conclave. But this letter can scarcely be well out of the sound of cannon until the Church may have lost a venerable servant, whose name has often appeared in this column. Cardinal Di Pietro, Datary of his Holiness, has received the last Sacraments and is sinking fast. His Eminence is in his eighty-sixth year, sixty of which he has spent in the service of the Church, most of them in Rome. By Pius X., Cardinal Di Pietro was, I believe, offered a. position of far greater importance than that of Datary. But it is not at eighty one cares to change his whole trend of thought and action, so the offer was refused.

LEO THE THIRTEENTH’S PRIVATE SECRETARY.

When Mgr. Angelini, of Rome, died the other day, not one but many volumes of ecclesiastical history died with him. For many years the aged prelate filled the delicate post of private secretary to Leo XIII.,

and consequently was au courant with every item filling that great Pontiff’s reign. . ' v ■

CHRISTMAS IN ROME.

Readers who passed a Christmas in Rome will readily recall the magnificence with which these festal days are celebrated in St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran’s (the Pope’s Cathedral), St. Paul’s, St. Mary Major’s, and all. the lesser basilicas and churches. • And they can picture the bright, busy scenes on the narrow Corso long, straight, and historic,-Rome’s most important street. In other years every nation in Europe, the lands of the Southern Cross, and every State in America were represented in the well-dressed, laughing crowds that did their shopping in the gay resort. But this year the Romans have the Corso to themselves.

NOTE.

In a test case brought by the parish priests of Milan against the anti-clerical municipality of the city, because of a regulation issued by it regarding the ringing of church bells, a decision has been given in favor of the pastors. The municipality,’ decided the tribunal, Ima legislate on the abase, but not on the use of the bells.