Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 7, 18 February 1925, Page 55

Catholic World

PONTIFICAL BIBLICAL INSTITUTE. Wt As a result of the invitation extended by \the Pope in a Motu Proprio last April there •has been a remarkable increase in the riurri/Iber of ecclesiastics enrolled in the Pontifical f Biblical Institute, Rome, for . advanced studies in the Holy Scriptures. The. Pope’s invitation urged Bishops and Superiors of Religious Orders to choose priests fitted for this work for the purpose of improving the standards of ecclesiastical education throughout the world. There are now student priests from 16 nations? and from 16 religious Orders enrolled at the Institute. The total enrolment is seventy, as compared with 26 last year. One of the seventy is from Australia. CATHOLIC POSITION IN BULGARIA. Since the arrival of a number of refugees from Thrace and Macedonia, the Catholics of the Oriental Rite, that is, the ByzantineSlav Rite, have increased considerably in the Bulgarian capital. They never had a church of their own, and used the church of the Latin Rite, served by the Capuchins, where they worshipped according to their own Rite. But thanks to the generosity of Pope Benedict XV and the present Pope, who sent gifts of money, a small church has now been built for these Oriental Catholics. The church is not large, but it does for the time being. It was consecrated a short time back by the Latin Archbishop of Sofia and Philippopolis, who gave an address to the Catholics of the Roman and Greek Rites who r assembled for the occasion. ' Since the death, in 1921, of Mgr. Petcof, Vicar Apostolic of Thrace, the Bulgarian Catholics of the Slav Rite have been without a Bishop. The Archimandrite Condof, who was appointed Administrator Apostolic, died some months ago, and he has been replaced by Rome by a priest of the Latin Rite who went over to the Slav Rite some 30 years ago. This is the Rev. Joseph Cozarof, who acts as spiritual chief of these Slav Catholics. But it is understood that the Catholics wish to have a Bishop of their own, and it is expected that the Holy See will nominate a Bishop as Vicar Apostolic. The position is rather difficult. A number of refugee priests have come in from Thrace and Macedonia. Some of them have brought their parishioners with them. It seems then very desirable that a Bishop of the Slav Rite should be there to attend to the wants both temporal and spiritual of these people. FREE-THINKING TEACHERS SEEK TO CONTROL SCHOOLS. I It is becoming more and more apparent that a complete control of the public school system in Czechoslovakia is the aim of the anti- ■ Catholic school teachers. These are -either 11 rank Socialists, or avowed atheists and freea thinkers, and their federation, the Associai tion of School Teachers, makes no secret of j their aims. ■ ■ It is very regrettable, but many , of the

Civil servants connected with the educational department are more distinguished for their dislike of religion, rather than for respect of the law or the religious sentiments of Catholic parents. This grievance has been aired in Parliament, during the discussion on the Budget for next year. A -woman deputy, who is also a school teacher, severely criticised the antiCatholic attitude of the educational - authorities towards the Catholic teachers, who are either given the least desirable appointments, or else are completely overlooked in the results of the competitive examinations. This sort of thing, said the teacher deputy, is not good enough. Catholic teachers have their rights, just the same as the other teachers, and so have Catholic parents; and these last have v decided that they will not have the religious feelings of their children outraged by anti-clerical teachers, NOTES FROM ROME. The promulgation of the second Papal Bull, announcing the Year of Jubilee, which customary is read on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, was anticipated by a full week as the Fourth Sunday falls too near to Christmas Eve, when the Porta Sancta is opened in the presence of the Pope (says Catholic News Service, London, for December 22). The first part of this interesting ceremony, on the Third Sunday in Advent, took place during the morning in the Throne Room, His Holiness was attended by the Vicecamerlengo, the Prefect and Master of the Ceremonies, and other high officials of the Papal Court, Mgr. Marinucci presented himself before the Pope, begging permission for repeating the reading of the Bull in Latin and Italian. The Pope replied, giving permission, and remarking that it was a happy coincidence that the second reading should take place on Gaudete Sunday. Then, giving the Pontifical Benediction, his Holiness took leave of the ecclesiastics. The prelates of the,Chamber and the auditors of the Rota, preceded by the Swiss Guards made their way to the login of St. Peter’s, where they were awaited by the Chapter of the Vatican Basilica, the clergy and students of the . Pontifical Seminary of Rome, On either side of the bronze doors a pulpit had been erected; on the left were stationed the prelates, on the right the Chapter of St. Peter’s. From either of the pulpits the Bull was read once in Latin and once in Italian. At five o’clock the Papal Majordomo, Mgr. de Samper, with the Prefect of Ceremonies, and accompanied by torch bearers and Swiss Guards, went to St. Peter’s for the ceremony of identifying the Porta San eta. The marble covering .of the door was removed, and from within a recess was taken out a casket deposited during the .Holy Year, of Leo XIII. A glass tube was also removed, in which were cipher instructions for opening the casket. This’ was opened, and there was taken out twelve gold medals' of Leo

XIIL, thirty medals or silver arid sixty of bronze, also a parchment on which were inscribed the acts of the closing of the door.

The Secret Consistory, for nominating the Cardinal Legates for the Holy Year at the Major Basilicas, was held on the 18th.

The nominations’were preceded by an Allocution, in which the Holy Father uttered a grave wraning against the perils of social revolution. His Holiness made mention of the Pontifical Mission of Relief to Russia, which had returned. The Church, said his Holiness, had in no way sought to favor the manner of government in present-day Russia.

Then addressing himself to all those in authority, to all those who seek peace, the public welfare, the sanctity of family life and the dignity of humankind, the Pope exhorted them to avert with all their power the menace and dangers of Socialism and Bolshevism. His exhortation, the Pope continued, was in no way inconsistent with working to raise and better the conditions of the working classes and of mankind in general. .

As everyone expected, Cardinal Gasquet on the golden jubilee of his priesthood was promoted to the rank of Cardinal Priest, his titular church, Santa Maria in Portico, being also raised in consonance with his new title. The Cardinal’s actual jubilee took place two days later, when his Eminence celebrated his thanksgiving Mass in his titular church. The Cardinals were present in great array, and the Benedictine Order was represented by ten of its mitred abbots. The vestments worn by Cardinal Gasquet at his jubilee Mass were those once used by Prince Henry Maria Stuart, Cardinal Duke of York, who was in his day the titular of the very church now associated with Cardinal Gasquet.

There was a very happy gathering in the Vatican Gardens, at the palace of Pius IV., when the Holy Father presided at the inaugural session, of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which has just started the academic year. Attending his Holiness were Cardinals Vannutelli, Merry del Val, and Ehrle.

Father Gianfranceschi, who is president of the Academy, read out the report for the past year, in which he mentioned that Cardinal Ehrle had been made an honorary member of the Academy. The Pope replied in a brief speech, in which he congratulated the Academy on its work.

With the formal 'business over, there was a very pleasant little conversation, for which his Holiness remained, taking part quite informally, and chatting frse’y with many of the academicians, of whom a great number are personal friends of the days before he became Pope.

Relations between the Holy See and Mexico have greatly improved, says the Ossermcore Romano, largely due to the initiative of the Holy See itself.

Accordingly relations will be resumed, and an Apostolic ' Delegate to Mexico is to be appointed. It is understood that the appointment will be conferred on the Franciscan friar, Padre Serafin Oirnind, whcj will jfe consecrated to the episcopate as (titular Arcubishop of Qyirhus. ‘ , * .