Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 49, 14 December 1922, Page 47

Catholic World

THE PAPAL PEACE NOTE AGAIN. '•■•. The ex-Kaiser has been indulging in memoirs, which are at present going through publication serially, and among the incidents is the version of Wilhelm 11. of the conversation with the Papal Nuncio, Monsignor, Pacelli, on the. famous Peace Note of Benedict XV. (says' Catholic, News Service, London, for October 28). . The history of this Note has been twisted and distorted in the most remarkable manner, and before now Mgr. Pacelli has felt himself called upon to give the correct version of the facts According to the story told by the ex-Kaiser in his memoirs, on June 29, 1917, Mgr. Pacelli, who was then Papal Nuncio at Munich, appeared at the German General Headquarters, then at Kreuznach, accompanied by a chaplain who lived in mortal fear lest the Italian Government should set the Roman mob on to the Vatican. There wer« other mental processes, with which the said chaplain was supposed to be moved, according-to the ex-Kaiser's version. All this .has been strongly controverted by a statement from,the Nunciature at Munich, which the Catholic daily Germania has published in a recent issue. This correction is ascribed to Mgr. Pacelli, and reads as follows: "From Berlin the Nuncio went to Kreuznach, accompanied not by a '"chaplain,' but by the Auditor of the Apostolic Nunciature, Mgr. Schioppa (now Nuncio to Hungary), and was received in official audience by the Kaiser at a quarter to one on June 29. At this audience, in which Mgr. Pacelli fulfilled the mission entrusted to him by the Holy See. neither the Auditor nor any other person was present. The Nuncio handed.to the Kaiser a letter from the Holy Father, Benedict XV., in which the latter expressed his great anxiety as to the prolongation of the war and as to the consequent enormous material and moral misery. To this the Nuncio —without going into detailsadded orally in the name of his Holiness heartfelt exhortations to the Kaiser to do his utmost to put an end to the terrors of the war, even if it should thereby be necessary to give up one or other of the aims pursued by Germany. ; ' "Wilhelm 11., whose looks, gestures, and voice betrayed the effects of three long and anxious Avar years, replied that Germany had not brought about the world war, but was compelled to defend' herself against the destructive will of England. He recalled Germany's peace offer of the previous December, complaining that the Pope had not then spoken as President Wilson had done. And after the Kaiser had mentioned the dangers which, in his opinion, were threatened by the activity of International Socialism in favor of .peace, he expressed the idea that the Holy Father might issue a solemn proclamation, directed not to Governments, but to the clergy and faithful of the entire world, in which he should prescribe prayers and untiring work for peace. . "The Nuncio, who had no instructions with regard to such a proposal, neither raised objections to it nor accepted it. And assuredly he did not state that it would be difficult for the Holy Father, • in consequence of his position towards the Italian Government, to work in the sense of the proposal mentioned. Still less did the Nuncio state that such a Papal exhortation would not find a favorable reception in 'various bishoprics.'" - CARDINAL BOURNE AT LISBON. Some 30 Lisbonian priests, with-Mgr. Pmnington, the Vicar-General of Liverpool, at their head, gathered in Lisbon to celebrate the tercentenary of their alma, mater, the .English College at Lisbon.. With the President and superiors of the College the visiting alumni made, their Way to the Rocio Station to welcome Cardinal Bourne, who as the : representative of the. English Hierarchy had come to take part in the celebrations. : i The". Cardinal was greeted also by the, priests of Corpo Santo, and the parish priests of Lisbon, who were accom-

panied by many of their parishioners, including such wellknown public men as Conselheiro Fernando da Sousa. An enthusiastic welcome was given to the Cardinal on his arrival at the College by the students, who gathered in the "Arches." v ■•'-:•■■•■, After giving time to those returning from the station to get back to the College, Cardinal Bourne received past and present Lisbonians in the hall. Mr. Crowley, the Prefect, read an address on behalf of the students. Dr. Cullen then welcomed the Cardinal officially, and then Mgr. Pirinington welcomed his Eminence in the name of the old alumni. In his reply Cardinal Bourne thanked all for his welcome) and then announced that the Holy Father had been pleased to raise Dr. Cullen to the rank of Domestic Prelate. At the first Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving for the tercentenary Cardinal Bourne occupied the tribune overlooking the sanctuary. The celebrant was the Bishop of Vizeu, who was assisted by English priests, while Father Tobin, of St. David's • Cathedral, Cardiff, presided at the organ. During the afternoon of that day Cardinal Bourne received the Papal Nuncio to Portugal, Mgr. Locatelli, and the Patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal Hendes Bellos. Later in the day the Cardinal called on the British Ambassador, Sir Lancelot Carnegie, and the Prime Minister, Senhor Antonio Maria da. Silva, afterwards proceeding to the Patriarchate to return the call of the Cardinal Patriarch. On the following clay the Bishop of Vizeu again celebrated Mass, and at mid-day the British Ambassador gave a lunch in honor of Cardinal Bourne, at which many members of the English colony in Lisbon were present. The chief ecclesiastical festivities of the tercentenary were on. the following day, which was Sunday, when High Mass was sung by the President of the College, coram cardinal), at which Cardinal Bourne assisted in cappa magna. The parish priests of Greenwich and Plumstead assisted at the throne, with the Cardinal's secretary, Canon Jackman, as ceremoniarius. 'The sermon was preached by the Cardinal, and after the Mass the "To Deum'' was chanted. The Cardinal Patriarch and the Papal Nuncio, who had assisted at Mass in the tribune, were received by Cardinal Bourne after the m ceremony, as was also the British Ambassador, avlio attended Mass in the nave of the college chapel. At luncheon, which was served in the college .refectory, the guests were the Papal Nuncio, Cardinals Bourne and Mcndes Bellos, the British Ambassador, the Bishops of Vizeu and Portalirre, the Marquis de Sousa e Holstein, the Viscount Assientes, and the past and present students of the college, as well as the priests of Corpo Santo. The Nuncio replied to the toast of the Pope, which was acclaimed with "0 Roma Felix!" Then followed the health of the King, to which the British Minister replied, disclaiming any pretensions as an orator, since his Exxcellency said the word was derived from "orare," to pray, and he had no pretensions in that direction. Cardinal Bourne replied to the toast of "Our Own English Cardinal," claiming that he had some right to the title of Lisbonian, sinco he was the only English Cardinal who had been Protector of the College. His Eminence said that he held, as did the Holy Father himself., that the tercentenary was of interest not only to Catholics of England, but-to the Catholics of the whole world. The next day Cardinal Bourne and the Nuncio were entertained by the students at their country house across the Tagus—the Quinta da Pera v On their return, the Cardinal and the Nuncio attended the banquet given in their honor by the Patriarch at the Patriarchate. The Cardinal also paid a visit to the Irish Dominicans, who are at the Corpo Santo. ' - On his departure for- Madrid a large company assembled at the Rocio Station to bid his Eminence farewell, amongst those present being the British . Minister, the secretaries of the Nunciature and Patriarchate, several prominent Portuguese public men, and members of the English colony. As the.: train steamed out of the station loud cheers were raised by the Inglezinhos for their illustrious compatriot. .'