COMMONWEALTH NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, 4 March 1920, Page 31

COMMONWEALTH NOTES

VICTORIA. Speaking at the Kensington Town Hall on Saturday afternoon, February 7, his Grace the Archbishop, Most Rev. Dr. Mannix, made a very important statement with regard to the participation of Catholics in the forthcoming St. Patrick’s Day demonstration and procession. His Grace, who was accorded a great reception, said: •There is nothing else that I wish to say now except that I hope I shall see you all at the St. Patrick’s Day procession. We are not going to give offence to any reasonable person. We don’t own the streets nor the city of Melbourne, but we intend to have our procession just as it has been held any time for the last 50 years. My advice to those taking part in the procession, or looking on, would be to do nothing on that occasion which could reasonably offend anybody. When we are fairly treated, we meet people half-way. I hope that when the procession is over even those who are now opposed to it will see that they were mistaken, and that there was no cause for alarm. Of course, there are people who will take offence whatever you do. They are offended already. hor the greatest offence of all to them is the procession itself. on cannot hope to satisfy these people. It has not been the custom, i understand, to introduce the flags of any nation into the St. Patrick’s Day procession hi the past, here is no reason for doing so on this occasion. Ihe significance of the demonstration would be unmistakable in any case. It is hearts that matter, not flags. And our hearts are in the right place. Some people think that Catholics should go quietly into the polling booths and vote tor the Labor {’arty without saying anything about it (remarked Ins Grace Archbishop Mannix in the course of an address recently, at the Kensington (Melbourne) Town Hall. 1 do not share tuat t ten, and my advice to Catholics would be, though they may lose some present advantage, not to lose their self-respect, at all events. They have no more reason to be ashamed of being Catholics than they have of being democrats. Those who are ashamed or afraid of association with Catholics are not democrats at all. but sectarians of a poor type. J have learned, since 1 have been in Australia, that if a seat in Parliament or a publicposition is vacant, although a Catholic may be easily .the best man, there is a tendency for some people to say. V e must run a- non-Catholic.” It does not matter whether ho goes to church or not : as long as he is not a Catholic, he will get certain Protestant support which no Catholic could hope to get. Surely such an attitude is very unfair, and very undemocratic. A man’s religion should be no bar to his entrance into public life. if he is a man who stands out on his own merits for a public position, ho should get it, no matter what religion he belongs to. The sooner Catholics face this unfair and hostile attitude the better. If we do not face it squarely and openly, we will never get rid of it. I do not say this with any desire to injure the Labor Party; quite the reverse. I simply wish to emphasise the obvious fact that the Labor Party must rid itself of sectarianism, if indeed it be infected with sectarianism. The Labor Party does not belong to non-Catholics any more than it belongs to Catholics. It belongs to all equally. I do not hide my views, nor often change them. What needs to be said 1 say, even though it may hurt somebody. One may perhaps seem to lose at the time by open diplomacy, -but one retains one’s self-respect, and' in the oil'd one will gain, because the truth must prevail. If what one hears be true, the profiteers have only to get a certain type of parson going, and, with the help of a section of narrowminded sectarians, the parsons can bar the progress of democracy. I know not if that be true. If it be true, the sooner a change comes the better.

QUEENSLAND. The last day and the last Sunday of February, which this year will be the 29th, will be a very important day in Warwick (says Catholic Advocate, Feb. 12). On that day the foundation stone of the new St. Mary’s stone church to cost over £37,000, will be laid by Archbishop Mannix! Most elaborate preparations are being made for this important event. Ten special excursion trains will run to Warwick that day from Wallangarra, Goondiwindi, Killarney, Goomberra, Mary vale, Millraerran, Toowoomba, Dalby, Crow’s Nest, and Haden. As all these trains are expected to be packed, the ladies of the parish are making elaborate preparations for supplying luncheon to the thousands who will be present. Archbishop Mannix is to arrive in Warwick , by the Sydney express at noon on Saturday, February 28, and the reception he will get from the Catholics of the town and district is expected to surpass anything ever seen in Warwick. For a radius

of over. 100 miles from Warwick the chief topic of conversation is Archbishop Man nix’s visit to Warwick. Num°f VIS ,?' S ar a a j ,°. f Jin S all the way from Brisbane to see and hear Archbishop Mannix, the fearless champion of 1 the liberty of Ireland and the saviour of the manhood of Australia. His Grace the Archbishop of SlfeiST vl't". WarViCk to meet and Welc ° me the

WEST AUSTRALIA. The great event of 1920 for the Catholics of the archDelecato S fiiv C ° m l tn V sit of his Excellency the Apostolic his Excel Icnr S a of hOIC temporary). We understand Excellency will arrive at Kalgoorlio on Saturday morning, April 18. After visiting Perth, his Excellenev "postobc o7 S E- N K W , N ° rCi w Geraldton, aid the Vicariate Apostolic of Kimberley. We feel sure that his Excellency will be received by the Catholics of the West with evallcrI 1 ” 1 enthusiasm and loyalty which are due to his v , position as direct representative of the Holy 1 atlier and to his own gracious personality.