POPE AVERTSPANIC

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 219, 10 May 1932, Page 2

POPE AVERTSPANIC

FANATIC'S ACT CAUSES SENSATION IN ST. PETERS. PONTIFICAL BLESSING. A Pontifical blessing, calmly be- ■ stowed by Pope Pius XI upon a vast I congregation of 80,000 alarmed per- \ sons, averted an imminent panic in j the huge hasilica of St. Peter's, Rome, J on February 12. The critical moment occurted at the end of the Pontifical High Mass mark- • ing the tenth anniversary of the Pope's coronation. Around the magnificent altar were seated in a semicircle twenty-two officials and mem- ' bers of the Diplomatic Corps. j. Suddenly and without warning a \ little man with strangely bright eyes l-ushed past the imposing array of officials and hurled something toward | the Pope. For one dramatic moment, | says the Daily Exnress correspondent, i it was thought that an assassin had thrown a deadly missile at the Pon- ■ tiff. Men in gold braided uniforms . and red sashes took a frantic step forward as if to throw themselves ; upon the missile and save the Pope j from any possible harm. ^ Shocked Officials. The thrown object, however, fluttered to the Pope's feet. It was a letter from a religious fanatic. Its author had forced his way past all shocked officialdom to throw himself at the feet of Pius XI and beg for grace. "I crave justice and grace," the demented man cried. The vast congregation, aware only that danger seemed to threaten, swayed uncertainly amidst tensity and silence. A single shriek by some hysterical woman would have precipitated panic and probably a melee of tragedy. None realised this better that the Pope in this fleeting instant, for his elevated position gave him an unobstrueted view of the sea of troubled and strained faces. The Pope's mind must have flashed to the one obvious remedy. Slowly and calmly, so that none of the dignity of the act was iost, the Pontiff raised his arm in pontifical blessing. As he pronounced the sacred words with solemnity and fervour the congregation sanh, to its knees. That ended the threatening danger. Meantime gendarmes had quietly removed the fanatic. The letter was picked up hy an attcr.dant and placed out of sight. The service continued as if nothing had happened, and the ^ope shortly afterwards broadcast a message to the world. Prayer for World Peace. The message was brief and to the point. The Pope invited all peoples everywhei'e to pray for world peace, so that the nations and humanity m'ght be saved furf-hcr misery and live in tranquility henceforth. The usual dazzling spectacle preceded the celebration of Pontifical High Mass. An impressive ecclesiastieal procession from the Vatican to St. Peter's opened the ceremony. Sutrounded hy eivil and military orders and the picturosque Swiss Guards, in addition to the cardinals and high clergy, the Pope was carried into St. Peter's on the Sedia Gestatoida, a raised platform topped by a velvet canopy. This was borne on the shoulders of twelva liveried stalwarts. The Pope v/as attired in white, with the triple tiara on his head. The procession wound its way to the altar, where the Pope aseended his throne.