'ACTIVITY OF THE ROMAN CHURCH.' Propaganda Abroad.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 13, 1 April 1909, Page 493

'ACTIVITY OF THE ROMAN CHURCH.' Propaganda Abroad.

Rome, August 12. " Great interest has been aroused in Rome by tho report brought by the Rector of the Apostolic Mission House at Washington, the Very Rev. A. P. Doyle, of the remarkable work which is being done by that institution, and the hundreds of missionary priests who are being trained there for the purpose of preaching the doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith to the non-Catholics of tha

United States. The aim of the organisation is no less than to make - the whole of * America dominantly Roman Catholic, and ,judging by the extraordinary success "of tie first ten years' work, it is; difficult to foretell how great may be the results of the next few years. ' The work of the. Washington Mission starts " from an entirely new point of departure. Instead of the negative and controversial attitude of the past towards Protestants, the- old-fashioned priest who., denounced them to his people _ as bigoted and aggressive enemies of them and of religion — the carefully selected young priests wBo are trained at the -Washington Mission are taught to avoid', entirely all harsh and controversial methods, to consider in every way the feelings, and even the prejudices, of their • hearers, and, while instructed in the most elaborate way to— present the doctrines of the Roman Church in such a manner as to convince the non-Catholic of the superior advantages of the Roman Church, equally great attention is given to training the young in the art of persuasion, in patience, gentleness, unaffected good tern-"/ per, and that tactful and sympathetic manner which goes' far* to disarm criticism and undermine' the prejudices of ; opponents. In addition,**' they are trained in elocution,-, good taste, charm of manner, and even in such comparatively small details as the management and use of. the lopal press. It is hoped that eventually every diocese will contain a band of these missionary priests to the nonCatholics, who will hold constant missions and devote all their energies to the great ideal that they have set before themselves of guiding a constant stream of converts inbo> the Roman Catholic fold. _ ■> - * ' Though the work is at present in its infancy, with such highly-trained and magnificently-equipped instruments, it is not surprising that through their agency some 6000 converts have already been* received into the Roman Catholic Church, while 62,500 have been placed under instruction to be received later. In order to give some " idea of -the militant methods of the Roman Catholic Church in America at present, it is sufficient to state that during last year over 25,000 converts in all were received, among them no fewer than thirty Episcopalian ministers. Such wonderful success has induced the Roman hierarchy •in England to desire to start a like organisation in every English diocese, and Father Herbert Vaughan has been sent by Archbishop Bourne to study the methods and - ideals of the Washington Mission . House in order that a thoroughly organised movement may be started in England and Scotland on the. same lines, establishing a similar Apostolic Mission House to be the great nerve centre of a widespread missionary movement. It is said that Pius X. and his Secretary of State, Cardinal Merry del Val 3 consider this movement one of the most important in tha Roman Catholic Church of to-day, and one which may have even more far-reaching results .than the Oxford Movement that gained for the Roman Church Manning and Newman. * They will accordingly give it every help .and encouragement, in their power.'