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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
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Bitter Opposition In Sweden
lo Admission of Sisterhoods
Proves Author of “Rule
Brittannia” A Catholic
Christiania—Comment aroused by
flic protest of Bishop Bitter against
the misrepresentation of the Catho
lic church in Swedish schoolbooks
lias not yet died down, and already
another subject of controversy has
arisen in regard to the admission of
Catholic sisterhoods to Sweden. In
this case, it is not a question of
Catholic religious communities in
general, but of the Brigittine Nuns,
that is to say the religious order
founded by Saint Brigit of Sweden
which enjoys great consideration in
that country and which was the
subject of a very sympathetic mono
graph by the Protestant Archbishop
N. Soderblom. The Brigittine con
vent in Rome is visited by many
Swedish visitors to Italy, and the ab
bess, as well as many of the nuns
are Swedish. There are also sev
eral Danish and English nuns in the
order, and it is stated that these
are actively engaged in learning the
Swedish tongue in the hope that the
order will soon he permitted to re
turn to Sweden.
The fulfillment of the sisters* wish
will not be easily achieved. If Swe
den were as tolerant in religious
matters as Denmark, for instance,
where all Catholic religious bodies
have free entrance, or even Norway,
where preparations are being made
to abolish the clause against the
Jesuits, the chances for an early re
turn would he brighter. Unfortu
nately the greatest intolerance still
prevails in many circles in Swe
den, and every effort is being made
to prevent a modification of the an
ti-Catholie terms' of some of the
Swedish laws.
The small group of Catholics is
putting Up a brave fight for free
dom of conscience, and is finding
support among the liberal deputies
in the Swedish parliament who rec
ognize the justice of the Catholic
claims. The campaign against any
modification of the laws against
Catholics is being conducted princi
pally by the Swedish High church
and the conservative circles who, in
turn, invoke freedom of conscience
as the reason for their objection to
the return of Catholic sisterhoods
to Sweden. They claim that no
where is there less freedom of con
science than in a Catholic convent
where every sign of free and indi
vidual thought is rendered impossi
ble and is strictly prohibited. An
article to this affect appeared in the
Swedish paper Vardcnsgang.
A refutation of this statement was
written by St. Olaf in Christiania,
who says: “An extraordinary con
ception of convent life must pre
vail in the high church and con
servative circles of Sweden when
the interdiction of Swedish contents
is based on a belief that there is
no freedom of conscience in Catho
lic convents. These good people do
not know that the entire fabric of
monastic life is based on the vol
untary decision to work for God, and
that a long period of probation is
customary in order to try the real
ity of the vocation. Furthermore all
monastic vows taken under compul
sion are inralid according to eccles
iastical law. To oppose freedom of
conscience in the name of freedom
of conscience is to render one’s
self guilty of absurdity.”
London.—The Anglicans have
have lately been honoring the
memory of the famous musician,
Dr. Arne, who composed the well
known “Rule Britannia,” to the
extent of placing a tablet to his
memory in a London church.
It now turns out, on the tes
timony of Father Bracey, of the
Dominican Order, that Arne was
a devout Catholic. Curiously
ROME DURING CONCLAVE
(Continued from page Seven)
Was to open, the doors of the “Sis-
tinc” were opened and the fortunate
ones who were present, were invit
ed to inspect the chapel, which was
entirely prepared for the election.
Naturally we were overjoyed.
On entering, there was a space of
about ten yards square, in tlie ex
treme left hand earner of which
w»s the little stove that was to send
up the announcement smoke to the
thousands outside on the three fol
lowing days, and on the right was
the place for the choir, which
present for the immediate opening
ceremonies preceding the “Exeunt
Onines,” the words that excluded
from the chapel all hut the cardi
nals.
After passing through this little
space, we mounted three steps to
the chapel proper, where we were
really carried away by the vision
that presented itself before our
eyes. It was a very bright day,
and as our eyes hurriedly scanned
the sixty-odd thrones and val da
china, the Last Judgment of Michael
Angelo simply imposed itself upon
us. Visitors to Rome are advised
to pick a clear day to see the Sis-
tine chapel, because the light is
very necessary, if one is to carry
away the wonderful impression that
this remarkable canvas should con
vey. But today was an ideal day,
and this, coupled with the wonderful
setting of purple in which it was
placed served to bring out its
strength, to a degree that is rarely
attained. And wind is true of the
Last Judgment is true also of the
frescoes of the other great masters
that adorn the walls.
In the middle of the chapel were
two tables^ one of which was unin
cumbered, while on the other was
placed the hook of gospels upon
which within, the Jiour, the cardi
nals were to take the oath, and also
the vessel in which the votes were
to be placed.
The Thrones.
The thrones, not wide, but of very
good height, were placed along the
sides of the chapel, going as far as
the altar, and also along the rear
wall, where we entered, on either
side of the door. They were done
in a very pretty purple, or probably
a dark blue. The. batdaehinnm over
hanging seemed to add very much to
the scene, and it wasn’t hard to im
agine all of the balnachina down ex
cept one, after the irae-cessful bal
lot had taken place. On each lit
tle desk, for there was one before
each throne also clone in purple, was
a bottle of ink, a candle, and sev
eral large sheets of paper. It was
a wonderful day for me, for I had
often imagined what the Sistine
chapel might look like 5^7, such an
occasion, but had new - iped *0
See it in reality.
enough Dr. Arne was buried in
the Protestant Church where the
memorial tablet has been erected;
hut Father Bracey brings forward
undeniable proof that the com
poser of “Rule Britannia” was
not only a Catholic, but a de
vout one, and at a time when
Catholics had practically no
places of worship.
During Arne’s lifetime there
were two places in I.omdon
where Catholics could worship in
safety; these were the chapels of
the Sardinian and Portuguese
chapels, and that he died in a
devout and penitential state of
mind fortified by the sacra
ments.
CATHOLICS INCREASE
In Numbers in America, New
Directory Shows.
London—There is significance in
the fact that for the second time
in its history the London County
Council has a Catholic for its chair
man. The new chairman is M. F,
R. Anderton, a prominent Catholic
barrister, who has already done a
great work on behalf of Catholic in
terests as secretary and treasurer
of the Catholic Education Council of
Great Britain, a body in whose hands
PRIEST SENDS WIRELESS
SERMON TO PROTESTANTS
about ten minutes, we returned to
our places outside to await the cere
monies. Several times when the no
ble Guard stood at attention we
strained our necks looking up to
get a first glimpse of the cardinals,
hut the first few times it happened
that several bishops passed on the
way to the chapel.
Finally the time came and the all
important event was to begin. The
Cardinals in double file passed from
the resting room to the chapel. We
were so close to them that we could
have touched them. Drawn up on
each side were the Noble Guards,
while the Princes of the Church
passed between. According to the
Ritual, the opening exercises is the
“Veni Creator” to be intoned in
the chapel, and to be chanted in
proceeding from the Paulius to the
Sistine. These points were followed
out to the letter.
As we were stationed just at the
door of the Sistine, where we had
a full view of the procession com
ing toward us, it was impossible
not to note the facial characteris
tics of the different cardinals. In
fact we forgot the music almost en
tirely in our desire to sec the man
who would he the next pope, for
we toid ourselves that he must be
among the cardinals. Men of more
serious mien could not be found
than were present in the Sacred Col
lege that day, from tha Dean, Car
dinal Vanutelti, who had taken part
in, at least, two previous conclaves,
to the youthful appearing Polish
Cardinal, whose tender years were
emphasized by the fact that he
walked close io the aged Cardinals
Billot and Gasquet.
Cardinal Mercier.
The most prominent figure of all
was the stately Cardinal Mercier
the sanctity of whose life could be
read upon his face. Everybody
sought him out, and after having
found him, was satisfied that he
surely was capable of all the won
derful things attributed to him.
Naturally we looked for those
cordinals who had been prominently
mentioned in the newspapers as
likely candidates, viz., Cardinals La-
fontaine, Mafft, Gasparri and Haiti.
Those we did not know from other
occasions were indicated to us by
their relatives or acquaintances
standing by..
Each one was of very serious mien,
tike the other members of the Col
lege, and carried upon his counte
nance the deep sense of a great re
sponsibility which was weighing
heavily upon the cardinals at that
moment, as they were entering the
Sistine chapel, singing the “Veni
Creator” to invoke the guidance of
the Holy Ghost in their endeavors
to choose as the next pope, the man
most fitted for the arduous task.
After the opening prayer and re
sponses, the Dear! of the Sacred
words, “Exeunt, omnes,” which was
the sign for all to leave the Sis
tine except those who were to be
present during the conclave. The
choir, as well as the bishops and
archbishops who were in the pro
cession, came out, while the doors
were locked. The conclave had
really begun.
Of course the ritual prescribes the
talcing of the oath by each cardinal
for the first afternoon so that it
was not very long before the doors
opened again, and the Cardinals filed
by on their way to their rooms,
not to leave the Vatican walls un
til the new pope had been named;
and one of them probably was to
remain the voluntary prisoner of
tlie Vatican the rest of his days.
As this was the end of the cere
mony for the first day, we passed
on through the Sala Ducale to the
great loggia, which circumscribes
the Court of St. Damascus, where
we passed Cardinal Merry del Val.
who was conversing with some
friends and also the bent figure
of Cardinal Logue, whose years are
weighing upon him very heavily,
and naturally so, in view of the
extreme cares he has had in the
last few years.
In the court yard below the No
ble Guard was being photographed
as well as the “celebrities” or “cele r
brities to be” in case a close rela
tive should be exalted to the posi
tion of supreme pontiff. But as we
ests the welfare and progress
Catholic education in general.
It is only about a year ago that
the first Catholic chairman of the
London County Council, Alderman
Sir John Gilbert, finished his term
of office, and after a year with non-
Catholic chairman, a Catholic once
more is found to fill this high of
fice.
The London County Council is a
body instituted by Parliament, and
it has control over the largest mu
nicipality in the world. Its juris
diction extends over the area known
as Greater London, and possibly
something like eight millions or
more people come under its sway.
Independent of the London County
Council are the numerous municipal
and borough councils, with their
mayors and aldermen and council
lors.
But in certain matters appertain
ing to the welfare of Greater Lon
don as a whole the London County
Council reigns supreme, and it is
to the chief government of this vast
administrative scheme that a Cath
olic has been called.
In itself the appointment might
mean nothing more than that a
Catholic has been thought to pos
sess the high gifts of government
and administration that such a po
sition demands. But the significant
fact in this particular appointment
is that it follows a complete rout
of Labor-Socialists and the British
communists, who had laid all their
plans to capture the London Coun
ty Council at the elections which
took place a week or so ago. Mr.
Anderton was , nominated to the
chairmanship by the municipal re
form .party and this party fought
the election on a clear and definite
platform of opposition to the ambi
tions of the Labor-Socialists, and on
that platform it won thd election by
a handsome majority—therefore, the
appointment.
There are two things to be taken
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New York.—A Catholic priest
will preach the sermon to the
congregation of the Fort George
Presbyterian Church, one Hun
dred and Eighty-sixth street, and
St. Nicholas Avenue, it has been
announced by the Rev. Lyman IL
Hartley, the pastor.
The sermon will be by wireless
according lo Mr. Hartley, who lias
expressed the hope that the use
of the radio will promote a clos
er friendship and better under
standing among members of dif
ferent religions.
into account here. One is the fact
that the Socialists and ' Communists
have been trying lo Secure the use
of the public schools under the ju
risdiction of the London County
Council for holding their so-called
Socialist Sunday schools on Sun
days; the other is that a certain
faction has tried to introduce into
the elementary schools a series of
history books or pamphlets giving
the story of the Russian Revolution
from the bolshevist point of view.
There have been these two attempts
to seize hold of the school children
for the purpose of administering
Communist propaganda to them.
In the light of these attempts the
fact that there is a Catholic al he
head of the London County Council,
and another Catholic, Sir John Gil
bert, on the executive body, means 1
considerable opposition to the So
cialist scheme for capturing the
schools and the school children. The
next step will be the fulfillment of
their election promises by the Mu
nicipal Reform party, and in order
that there may be no mistake about
this the South London Catholic
League has called upon the party
to carry out certain promises made
during the electoral campaign. As
these promises arc concerned with
school matters, it is of no little con
sequence that the secretary of the
Catholic Education Council should he
at the head of London’s greatest mu
nicipal body.
were not particularly interested in
this phase of the proceedings, we
descended the steps, passing the
Swiss Guards at each turn, and
reached the Piazza of St. Peter’s,
thanking the Lord for the Kind
Providence that led us to witness
the events that had met our view
that afternoon.
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