CARDINAL MERCIER SPEAKS AGAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 240, 19 March 1915, Page 2

CARDINAL MERCIER SPEAKS AGAIN.

Tlll'j GERMANS EXPOSED. TI!K VATTCAX'S FACTS. Amsterdam. January 10. A formal protest against his trental the hands of the Ciernian authorities has been made by Cardinal Mercier. and is published in to-day's Tijd. It affords ample proof of Ihe worthlessncss of the Cennan protestations issued ollicially anil semi-oilicially from Berlin ami Brussels that "nothing at all had happened.'' The Cardinal's letter, which is dated .January HI. and was sent from Malines to all the priests in his diocese, is'tn follow-: "W'ithcut doubt, you have seen the eoininunicaiioii which the Ocrmaii Cov(riiinent at lirussels has published m Die dailv papers. and fa which it is declared that the Cardinal Archbishop of Valines had been ir. /i:> wise himself hindered in the oxerei-e of his episcopal duius. The facts, sho.v how far this report. is from the irulh. Oil the evening of the Ist and the next day soldiers ( force,! their enlry into the residences of the cures, seized my pastoral h'tt r, and contrary to my c.iseopal order for- '■ hade t!o la reading i. to their cougrcgltions, threatening thou with the severest. punishments, which they said would be inflVtcd cither i'l the cures llieiusilves or on tile pari-'n. "My own dignity was not spared. </n January -, at six o'clock in the morning T received an order to appear the same morning before, the Covcrnor (Jencral to answer for my letter to the priests and thoir parishioners. Xcxt day T was forbidden to attend service ill the Cathedral at Antwerp. Finally T was not allowed to travel freely in order to visit other bishops in Belg\,m.

"Your rights and my own have thus been violated. As a. citizen of Belgium, as your pastor, and as a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, I strongly protest against it.. "However others may interpret, my pastoral letter, experience has proved that it has caused no danger of rebellion. On the contrary, it has been instrumental in calming men's minds and appeasing them. 1 congratulate you on having done yonr duty." The correspondent of the Tijil at lier-gen-on-Zooi.i says that the letter, wnich is written in Latin, has made a deep impression on the clergy. The letter was sent secretly to all parishes in the see of Malincs, being conveyed by special carriers.—Renter.

TITK VATICAN'S FACTS. Notwithstanding all the ell'orts of the Berlin authorities to stifle the truth as to the arrest of Cardinal Mercier and the all'ronts oll'ered to him, it is begining to be known at the Vatican, which is now actually certain of the following facts: — 1. The Cermans seized at the shop of a printer at Malines 15,000 copies of Cardinal Mercicr's pastoral letter. 2. The Hermans sentenced the, printer to a fine of 500 marks. 3. The Cermans forbade the reading of the letter in a great number of parishes. 4. On January 3 .three Oerman officers arrived at the Archipiscopal Palace lit Malines*nnd compelled the Cardinal to undergo an interrogation. 5. On January 3 Cardinal Mercier was prevented from celebrating Mass. The fact, was, he bad that morning received from Ocneral von Bissing a telegram inviting him not to proceed to this service, which was to have been held in Antwerp.

(>. On January 4 Cardinal Mercier was detained the whole day In his palace. On the morning of that day an aide-de-camp of Ceneral von Bissing arrived at the Palace in a motor-car. accompanied by soldiers, and presented a letter from (,'eiieral von Bissing, to which he lemanded an immediate reply from the Cardinal. The latter oll'ered to send his reply the same day to Brussels, but the aide-de-camp, after having telephoned from Malines to the Covernor-Oeneral in Brussels, informed the Cardinal that he had received orders to remain until the Cardinal gave Jiim an answer. The aide-de-camp remained at the Palace until the evening.

On .January li the Cermans presented to Cardinal Mercier a document retracting expri ssions used in the pastoral letter, which thi' Cardinal was called upon to sign. The request was refused. The comforting impression produced upon the whole of the Belgian people by Cardinal Mercicr's admirable pastoral letter is now also known at the Vatican.—Renter.