Dean Hackett's Panegyric on the Late Pope.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 32, 6 August 1903, Page 20

Dean Hackett's Panegyric on the Late Pope.

1 Mercutio,' the well known ' Herald ' critic, writes under local gossip : ' The sermon preached by Dean Hackett on Leo XIII. was one of the most forcible, eloquent, and learned orations that I have ever heard, and my experience in that line is probably as groat as that of anyone in New Zealand. He preached for an hour and a quarter to a congregation, many of whom were standing, and to the last word he uttered there was not a movement or a sign of impatience or weariness. This was a sure test that the sermon had all the qualities that it should have. The Roman Catholic Church may be proud of such an orator His sentences were as fluent and correct, as well balanced, as fiee from tautology in the wording, as if they had all been carefully written out, and yet the discourse was preached with free action, not read. Dean Hackett did not simply p.ile up eulogistic ad]ectives upon the late Pope He did much better than that. He defined the functions of the office, and in doing so made a clear statement of the position and fundamental doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Then in noticing Pope Leo's encyclical letters he was enabled to state what were the Church's decrees in reference to marriage, divorce, the education of the young, the sanctity of private property, as opposed to Socialism— in fact, to review the great questions of the age. He gave a brief narrative of the contest of Bismarck with the Church over the Falk Laws, and showed how the great man of ' Blood and Iron ' had to give way. An element of pathos was reflected o\cr the entire discourse . . Many have been the discourses throughout Christendom on Pope Leo XIII , but I think that few could have been more edifying and useful than that which the congregation of St Patrick's had an opportunity of hearing on last Tuesday evening.'