Newspaper Page Text
FEBRUARY 25, 1939
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
Peace of World Last Thought of Holy Father
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Solemn Ceremonies Mark
Interment of Holy Father
Death of His Holiness Re
veals Austere Simplicity of
His Apartments
(Continued From Page One)
and was transported on the shoulders
of Papal chair-bearers to that potns
in the Basilica where the three-folc!
coffin had been made ready. The
first of these coffins, made or
cypress wood, is lined with red silk.
The second casket is made of lead,
and the outside casket, made of
walnut, is surmounted by the crest
and name of the late Pope.
When the procession had reached
its objective, the body of the Pontiff,
dressed in his Pontifical robes, was
taken from the funeral bed and
placed in the coffins, which, for con
venience already were arranged one
within the other.
The Dean of the Vatican Chapter
then gave absolution over the body,
following which Monsignor Carlo
Resphigi, Prefect of Apostolic Cere
monies, placed a white veil over the
features of the Holy Father. Next
the red silk lining of the inner
casket was drawn about the Pontiffs
form. At the Pope’s feet were
placed bags containing gold, silver
and bronze sacred medals of all the
years of his Pontificate. Then there
was placed, in the casket encased in
a lead tube, a summary of the life
of Pope Pius XI prepared by Mon-
signorf Antonio Bacci, Secretary for
Briefs and Principes.
Workmen then approached the
triple-casket and fixed the lid of the
first coffin securely in place. His
Eminence Eugenio Cardinal Pacellt,
the Cardinal Camerlengo, affixed
two wax seals, and two wax seats
also were affixed in the name of the
Maestro di Camera. These were at
the comers of the coffin. Then two
seals were placed in the center of
the coffin—one bv the Vatican Chap
ter and one by the Archpriest of the
Vatican Basilica, an office also held
by Cardinal Pacelli.
When the lid of the second coffin
was fixed in place it was soldered
with lead seals, as in the case of the
first casket. The funeral eulogy read
by Monsignor Bacci, together with
documents read by Monsignor Fer
raro, Archivist of the Vatican Chap
ter. also was placed in the casket,
and then the third lid was shut and
sealed.
The procession reformed, with the
members of the Vatican Chapter
leading the way, and the body of the
Pope was escorted under the cupola
of Michelangelo to the Altar of the
Confession, where apparatus had
been installed to lower the heavy
casket to the grotto below. The
triple-coffin was borne on a hand-
car draped in mourning. The Cardi
nals walked behind the body, and
the choir, which had filled the vast
Basilica, with magnificent music
throughout much of the ceremonies,
sang “Miserere Benedictus.”
The shadows within the great basi
lica had lengthened and deepend as
the ceremonies progressed. Now, as
the moment of supreme emotion ar
rived, it was nearly dark. It became
necessary to turn on some of the
electric lights within the great
church, whereas only the flickering
lights of numerous candles had fur
nished the illumination before-
The procession halted. The chofr
stood silent. The armed corps stood
rigidly at attention. When all was
ready, the triple-casket was lowered
slowly to the grotto below. There
another handcar awaited. The coffin
was rolled to the place prepared for
it and pushed slowly into the tomb.
The clergy then gave the last abso
lution, while workmen began imme
diately to brick up the wall.
As the burial of Pope Pius XI took
place within the Vatican Basilica,
two topics of conversation engaged
all of Rome. The first was the
austere simiplicity of the late Pope's
bed and bedroom, as revealed by the
pictures taken and published after
the Pontiffs death. The second topic
was the astounding manifestation of
faith and love given by hundreds of
thousands of persons by the visit to
St. Peter’s. Newspaper correspon
dents long in Rome had never seen
anything before that even approach
ed it, Vatican guards, accustomed to
seeing and handling huge crowds
were absolutely amazed, and at
times almost unable to cope with
the situation.
To appreciate the enormity of
their task, it is necessary only to
know that estimates put at 400,000
the number of persons who passed
through St. Peter’s Square on Sun
day alone despite a constant rain.
As one commentator said, it was the
poor come to pay a last tribute to
their loving father and friend. They
could not come any other day, be
cause they were working, he said.
They took their one day of rest to
say a last goodbye to the Holy
U. S. LAYMAN GUARD
OVER BODY OF POPE
(Radio, N. C. W. C. News Service)
VATICAN CITY. — An American
is one of the lay dignitaries who have
been standing guard beside the body
of His Holiness Pope Pius XI.
The American enjoying this dis
tinction is Bruno Benziger, of New
York City, a Secret Chamberlain of
the Cape and Sword, who was on
duty at the Vatican at the time of
the Holy Father's death.
Pope Pius Named All
Bishops of Southeast
Pope Pius XI not only gave every
Diocese in the Southeast its present
Bishop, but in four cases the prede
cessor of the present Bishop also.
In addition to appointing Coadju
tor Bishop Ireton of Richmond, Bish
op McGuinness of Raleigh, Bishop
Walsh of Charleston, Bishop O'Hara
of Savannah-Atlanta, Bishop Barry
of St. Augustine, Bishop Toolen of
Mobile, Bishop Gerow of Natchez and
Bishop Adrian of Nashville, His Holi
ness appointed Bishop Brennan of
Richmond, now retired, Bishop Hafey
of Raleigh, now of Scranton, Bishop
Keyes of Savannah, also retired, and
Bishop Smith of Nashville, who has
died. He appointed Archbishop Rum-
mel of New Orleans to his present
and previous post as Bishop of Oma
ha ,and named Archbishop Floersh of
Louisville Bishop and Archbishop of
that See. Bishop Barry was the first
American Bishop appointed by Pope
Pius XI, his predecessor in the See,
Bishop Curley, was named Archbish
op of Baltimore by Pope Benedict XV.
Father, and many of them traveled
long distances to do so.
The funeral eulogy pronounced by
Monsignor Bacci and enclosed in the
casket with Pope Pius XI’s body re
calls the principal events of the
Holy Father’s Pontificate. The eu
logy emphasizes the late Pontiffs
vast work for the development of
Catholic Missions and the furthering
of cordial relations between the Holy
See and various Governments and
peoples. The eulogy mentions es
pecially the conciliation with Italy,
which the late Pope had wished
solemnly to record on its tenth an
niversary. The document concludes
with a prayer for everlasting peace.
End. Comes Tranquilly After
Valiant Battle for Health
Until Shortly Before End C ame, His Holiness Planned
Immediate Resumption of Dutie'
(Continued From Page One)
ment, who had remained in the Pap
al apartment throughout the night,
verified by a progressively weaken
ing pulse that the end was immi
nent. The physician immediately
summoned Bishop De Romanis, who
administered Extreme Unction and
gave the Sovereign Pontiff Holy
Communion. The Pope was per
fectly conscious and received the
Sacraments with impressive piety.
At 5 o'clock, when the Pontiff had
grown weaker, and oxygen had to
be administered. Monsignor Diego
Venini, one of Pope Pius’ secretar
ies, began the celebration of Mass
in the chapel adjoining the Holy
Father's bedchamber. Those as
sembled in the Pontiffs room knelt
and joined in the recitation of pray
ers. These included Cardinal Pacel
li, the Marquis Camillo Sarafini,
Governor of Vatican City; Monsignor
Alberto Arborio-Mella di Sant’ Elia,
Maestro di Camer of His Holiness;
Count Franco Ratti, nephew of Pope
Pius XI, private chamberlains, and
other prelates closely associated with
the dying Pontiff.
Bishop De Romanis then recited
the prayers for the dying, suggesting
the various ejaculations to the Holy
Father. His Holiness, who was per
fectly conscious, attempted to repeat
the phrases uttered by his Sacristan,
and when this was impossible let
it be known by movements of his
head and hands that he joined in the
prayers.
When death came to the Pontiff,
all those in the bedchamber filed
past the body and tearfully kissed
the Holy Father's hand.
Monsignor Carlo Confalonieri,
another of the Pontiff’s secretaries,
immediately offered Mass for the
repose of the Holy Father’s soul.
As Camerlengo of the Holy Roman
Church, Cardinal Pacelli gave or
ders entrusing the Papal apartment
to the custody of the Noble Guard,
and charging the Papal secretanec
of State to communicate the sad
news of the Sovereign Pontiff's
death to the Sacred College of Card
inals, to the members of the diplo
matic corps accredited to the Holy
See, and to Papal representatives
abroad.
The news broadcast from the Vat
ican City radio station brought from
all parts of the world innumerable
messages lamenting the demise of
His Holiness and extending con
dolences.
All Vatican edifices brought the
Papal Flag to half-staff, and the
bells of St. Peter's Basilica were
solemnly tolled. St. Peter’s Square
in front of the Vatican was kept
clear to permit Cardinals, diplomats
and other dignitaries to enter and
leave the Vatican without hindrance.
Word of the Pope’s death was
communicated at once to King Vic
tor Emmanuel III of Italy, and to
Premier Benito Mussolini. The first
diplomat to arrive at the Vatican fol
lowing the Pontiffs demise was
Italy’s Ambassador to the Holy See,
who presented the sincere condol
ences of his country.
When the Holy Father's body was
taken to the Sistine Chapel, rather
than the throne room of the official
apartment, to lie in state, it was a
departure from the custom followed
in the deaths of previous Popes. The
change was made in order to pro
vide a greater opportunity for view
ing the Pontiff’s remains.
A mask of Pope Pius XI’s face
was taken by Aurelio Mistruzzi, the
Papal sculptor. Then doctors pro
ceeded with the embalming of the
body.
The Holy Father’s final illness be
gan on Tuesday, February 7, but at
first was not thought to be serious.
It was announced that His Holiness
was suffering from a slight cold, and
that he had decided to accept the
advice of his physicians and rest.
All scheduled audiences, except the
daily meeting with His Eminence
Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Papal Sec
retary of State, were cancelled. This,
it was explained, was a precaution
taken to conserve the Sovereign
Pontiffs strength, since it was ex
pected that the ceremonies to have
been held in the Vatican Basilica on
Saturday and Sunday would prove
fatiguing to him.
On Wednesday, it was reported
that the Holy Father's condition
was satisfactory and that he had
passed a tranquil night. It was add
ed that. on the advice of his phy
sician, he continued to receive only
Cardinal Pacelli, and that he had
requested his Maestro di Camera to
receive his stead and in his name the
newly-married couples who came
for the usual Weekly audience.
Thursday, it was announced that
His Holiness had passed a sufficient
ly good night, but that there were
intermittent changes in his temper
ature,, and a loss of strength caused
his doctors some apprehension. Tt
was stated that the Holy Father's
spirits were excellent, and that he
persisted in his determination to
take part in the ceremonies schedul
ed for the Vatican Basilica on Sat
urday and Sunday, to commemorate
the seventeenth anniversary of his
coronation and the tenth anniversary
of the settlement of the so-called
Roman Question. His physicians, it
was added, did not know if it would
be possible for the Sovereign Pontiff
to take part in these exercises-
Pope Pius’ condition grew worse
at four o’clock Friday morning. The
physician, who had been in attend
ance in his apartment all night, ver
ified from a weakening pulse that
the end was near. It became known
that Dr. Aminta Milani, the Holy
Father’s personal physician had left
his own sick bed to join Dr. Filippo
Rocchi, of the Vatican City health
department in attendance upon His
Holiness. The end came at 5:31
o’clock Friday morning.
The illness which ended in the
death of Pope Pius XI was the cul
mination of a series of attacks which
extended over something more than
two years, and which caused His
Holiness excruciating pain.
Pope Pius had taken part in spirit
ual exercises which began at the
Vatican on November 29, 1936, and
it was understood that on December
5 he would address a discourse to
all those who had taken part in this
retreat. On December 4 it was an
nounced that His Holiness would not
give the scheduled address, and, in
fact, Cardinal Pacelli read the mes
sage from the Holy Father the fol
lowing day.
It was stated that the Holy Father
was suffering from a “local trouble
in the left leg owing to a varicose
state.” A month later, Dr. Aminta
Milani, the Pontiff’s physician, sum
marized the Holy Father’s condition
as follows:
“The fundamental cause of the ill
ness lay in the process of arteriosc
lerosis with prevailing myocardic
localization and consequent disturb
ance of the cardiac rhythm. In the
first days of December, the accen
tuation of these disturbances gave
rise to a state of insufficient circu
lation which necessitates his remain
ing in bed- With rest and the
necessary treatment the phenomenon
of cardiac insufficiency, although
oscillating, has gradually improved,
while the pain in the lower part of
the left leg is accentuated and is ap
pearing also in the right, together
with trophic trouble of vascular and
neuritic origin.
“There is - every reason to hope
that the trouble will gradually im
prove and pass; but the cardiac con
dition prevents my giving an opin
ion on account of the nature of the
process and his great age.”
The Pope was -able to leave his bed
after a month and a half, and on
March 11, 1937, he was able to leave
his apartment for the first time. It
was a really marvelous recovery, but
in the three months he had suffered
pa : n which words can hardly de
scribe.
Pope Pius went to Castelgandolfo
in the summer of 1937. and returned
at the end of September greatly im
proved in health.
Indicative of the fortitude with
which His Holiness suffered his
painful illnesses, were the words he
uttered in a radio message broad
cast from his private library on Oc
tober 2. 1938. Extending an invita
tion to Bishops, priests, religious and
laity to join with him in “most un
daunted and insistent prayer” for
the preservation of peace. His Holi
ness thanked all those who had of
fered prayers for his restoration to
health. Pope Pius then offered to
God “for the salvation and for the
peace of the world, this life which,
in virtue of those prayers, the Lord
has spared and even renewed.”
His Holiness was stricken with a
sudden and alarming asthmatic car
diac attack on November 25, 1938,
shortly after he had read Holy Mass.
The Holy Father’s recovery on this
occasion was most amazing. Just
three days later, on November 28,
Vatican circles were able to an
nounce that the Pontiffs health was
entirely normal.
Bishop O’Hara Gives
Philadelphia Lecture
(Spee’al To The Bulletin)
PHILADELPHIA. Pa.— The Most
Rev. Gerald P- O’Hara, D. D., Bishop
of Savannah-Atlanta, formerly Aux
iliary Bishop of Philadelphia, de
livered a lecture here Sunday night
on “Pope Pius XI, the Greatest Man
of Our Times”, before the Catholic
Philopatrian Literary Institute, the
second in _ a new series of lectures
of the organization. Bishop O'Hara
had selected this subject before the
death of the Holy Father, and the
passing of the great Pontiff add
ed to the timeliness of the subject.