Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 45, 12 November 1924, Page 47

Catholic World

THE POPE AND THE LEAGUE. There appears to be a widely growing body of opinion that the inclusion of the Holy See in the counsels of the League of Nations is vitally necessary, if the League is to have any real and effective moral force (says Catholic A eivs Service, London, for September 22). Lord Parmoor is credited with having very definite views about this, and as be holds an important post in the present Government, there is good reason to believe that his opinion is shared by some, at least, of the members of the English Cabinet. Support of this plan for including’ the Holy See in the League now comes from Germany, where at the recent German Catholic Congress at Hanover, Prince Alois Lowenstein declared that: “I believe I am speaking in the name of all the Catholics in Germany when I call upon the German Government to make Germany’s entrance into the League of Nations dependant on an invitation to the Holy See to send to it a representative endowed with all rights. That is eminently a demand of politics and of humanity which will and can be accepted by every thinking friend of peace. To the Catholics of the whole world we address a. request to work with ns for the fulfilment of this condition, the object of which —we say it with all franknessis the erection of Papal arbitration. Not to raise the power of the Pope, whom God placed on a throne which is inaccessible to mundane ambitions, hut for the sake of poor humanity, which needs a peacemaking judge, if it is to escape condemnation to bloody extinction.”

TWO REMARKABLE CURES AT LOURDES.

Two remarkable cures are reported amongst the members of the Italian National Pilgrimage to Lourdes, which are vouched for by the medical officers attending the pilgrimage. One case, that of Maria Chiappa, is that of the cure of tuberculosis of the bones; the patient being reported as having been completely cured. Artemia Zacarelli, the other cure, suffered from an affliction of the spine, which made it impossible for him to turn his head. The cure in this instance is reported to have taken place after the pilgrim first bathed in the waters at Lourdes,

KING GEORGE AND THE FRIARS.

A loyal telegram was sent to King George by Cardinal Bourne and the Franciscans from Canterbury, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the coming of the friars, as follows; “The members of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi, celebrating at Canterbury, under the presidency of Car- • dinal Bourne, the seventh centenary of their arrival in England, September 10, 1224, humbly salute your Majesties and earnestly beg God’s blessing on your Majesties and all your Royal House.” Replying from Balmoral Castle King George, through Lord Stamfordham, replied; “The members of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi, Canterbury, am commanded to express the sincere thanks of the King and Queen for the kind message of greeting and goodwill which Their Majesties have received from the members of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi who to-day are celebrating at Canterbury the seventh centenary of the arrival of the Order in England on the tenth of September, 1224.”

ALSACE OFFERS ASYLUM TO EXPELLED RELIGIOUS

Religious opinion in Alsace and Lorraine, both Catholic and Protestant, already exasperated by the anticlerical proposals of the Government, has been further deeply stirred by the expulsion of the Poor Clares of Aleinjon, and the threatened expulsion of the nuns at Evian. To cope with circumstances of this kind a committee

has been, formed in Alsace, with the definite aim of offering a home in the Province to all those religious who may be dispossessed of their homes under the expulsion laws. The Poor Clares of Evian have not yet been evicted, though they have been warned that they must go. The Bishop of Annecy, in whose diocese the Evian convent is, says quite definitely that the nuns will refuse to obey the expulsion order. In the event of the order being enforced a delicate situation will arise ; for the population generally is indignant at this threatened harsh treatment meted out to a’ purely contemplative’comm unity, that asks for nothing more than to be left severely alone.

UKRANIANS READY FOR UNION WITH POME.

According to Professor Lossley, of the University of Lemberg, the time is ripe for the union of the Independent Church of the Ukraine with the Apostolic See of Rome. . Professor Lossley was a delegate to the Church Unity Congress that was held recently at Velehrad, in Slovakia, when important discussions took place on the return of the Oriental Churches to communion with Rome. In the event of union with Rome, Professor Lossley declares, the chief wish to the Ukrainians would be to have their own liturgical language conserved in their religious worship. It is understood that a commission will be appointed to go into the whole question, and to make proposals to Rome, particularly in the matter of the use of the national idiom in the liturgy.

NOTES FROM ROM.

Rome, September 15.—The officers and naval cadets of the Argentine battleship, the President Sarmiento, were received in special audience in the Throne Room by the Holy Father, although the audiences are not generally granted at this time of the year. The -men were introduced by the Argentine Ambassador to the Holy. See, who, speaking in the name of the Argentine Navy, offered an address of humble loyally. His Holiness replied in a very happy speech, and as on the occasion of the audience to the English sailors, told his hearers that he also was somewhat of a sailor/since the Supreme Pontiff is called upon to navigate the barque of the Catholic Church through troubled waters. After presenting his hand to be kissed, his Holiness presented each of his visitors with a Stella Maris medal. During his lifetime the late Pope, Benedict XV, promised a mosaic for the church of the Catholic University of Washington. Pius XI is desirous of carrying out the. wish of his predecessor, and work has been'begun on a splendid mosaic. The work will be a copy of one of Murillo's Madonnas. It will take probably two years to complete the mosaic, which will be of rather generous proportions. The composition is being made in the Pontifical School of Mosaics, under the care of the Director. The Eucharistic Congress of Palermo was inaugurated with brilliant ceremonies in Palermo Cathedral, when an eloquent discourse was pronounced, by Mgr. Lualdi, Archbishop of Palermo. After the inaugural Mass the body of the congressists repaired to the oublic buildings where the sessions of the congress were held. At the inaugural session addresses were delivered by Mgr. Paino, Archbishop of Messina, by Bishop Bartolomassi, President of the Congrese, and by Comendatore Pericoli, who represented the CoWaJ Council of the. Italian Catholic Action. Lust of all, there was an inspiring speech from Cardinal Granito rli Behronto, who. was present as Cardinal Legate of his Holine-s. The congress of Palermo was a great success; particularly striking wore the religious delegations that came from all earts of Sicily to take part in the congress. Mire than forty bishops were (present,- them the Apostolic Nuncio at Munich and Archbishop Cieplak, formerly of Russia.

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