The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 3 June 1915, Page 55

The Catholic World

-&■■ ENGLAND A DISTINGUISHED SOLDIERS CHARITY. A short time since (writes the London correspondent of the Irish Catholic) I referred to one bequest which the late Major-General Sir Luke O'Connor, Y.C., had made in his willviz., his legacy to the Crusade of Rescue. Now all his bequests are made public, and their publication goes to show what a very charitable man Sir Luke was. During his lifetime he was renowned for his beneficence, and his kindly remembrance of so many institutions will surely win for him an unending chain of prayer for the repose of his soul. Already I have mentioned the illooo which he left to Father Bans for the purpose of emigrating two children annually to Canada-, and a further £3OO for the general -objects of the Crusade of Rescue. He left £'soo to the manager of St. Hugh's Home for Catholic cripples, Clapham Park; £SOO to the Hospice for the Dying, Hackney £SOO to Nazareth Home, Hamersmith : £SOO to the Rector of Farm Street Church ; £SOO to the Sisters of Charity, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, for the very poor £SOO to the Catholic Blind Asylum. Merrion, Dublin: .£3OO to the Poor Clares' Convent, Galway : £3OO to the Poor Clares' Convent, Not ting Hill, London: £3OO to the Sisters of Charily, Elphin, Roscommon, for the very poor : £3OO to the Sisters of Charity, Carlisle place, Westminster, for the very poor; £3OO to the Sisters of Charity, Li. Seymour street, London, for a similar purpose: £3OO to the Little Sisters of the Poor, London: £3OO to the Helpers of the Holy Souls Convent, Regent's Park, London": £3OO to the Superior of the Catholic Church, Warwick street, London: £3OO to the v ßenevolent Society for relief of the Aged ami infirm poor; £2OO to the Catholic Soldiers' Association. His medals, decorations, ami swords he left to his old regiment, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers: his miniature medals he left to his brother's family. ITALY ANXIETY AS TO ART OBJECTS. Throughout every city in Italy (writes a Rome correspondent) anxiety is beginning to be felt for the safety of the almost innumerable art treasures which this country contains. Marble, canvas, bronze, gold, silver, and wood, all these arc found not only in the larger towns and cities, but sometimes in hamlets almost unknown to Italians themselves. The Leonardo da Vinci Society of Florence, the ' City of Art,' and more than three hundred societies have formed a plan for putting objects of art out of danger in case of Italy's taking part in the war. This society recalls the dispositions made at the Hague Conference in 1907 and adhered to by forty-four States, guaranteeing the safety of museums, galleries, archives, libraries, etc.,. both during and after war. The President has sent a note to the consuls of the neutral and belligerent countries requesting them to explain to their respective embassies and legations the object of the movement on behalf of art, a movement which he expects to spread to other nations in the interest of art treasures there. When one considers that Venice, Rome, and Florence, to take only three of the Italian art centres, measure their museums and picture galleries by dozens of miles, we can form an idea of the anxiety "the artists feel for the future of Italy's masterpieces. r ROME THE POPE AND AN OLD COLLEGE FRIEND. A letter of Pope Benedict XV. to the Archbishop of Vercelli, who was a companion of his as a young priest in the Academy of Noble Ecclesiastics, is at present read with a good deal of interest in Italy. 'My dear Monsignore,' writes his Holiness, 'old people like to recall memories of past years, and, I,'who have now

become old—more in sentiment than in appearance—now revive the feeling of pleasure which I experienced some thirty years ago or so at Madrid when I learned of your approaching elevation to the episcopal dignity I remember that I then felt dissatisfied at not being able to be among the. first to kiss your ring ; and perhaps had I been near you I would have offered you a little ring myself as a souvenir of the years passed together at the Academy. But what I did not do then why not do now at the approach of the thirtieth anniversary of your preconisation to the See of Cuneo V The Holy Father accordingly presents Archbishop Valfre di Bonzo with a magnificent episcopal ring set with brilliants, and concludes by wishing him every blessing and many more years of activity. THE HOLY FATHER AND PEACE. The New York World published recently an important interview with the Pope on the question of peace. The Holy Father was graciously pleased to transmit this message to the American people and press through the representative of the World:— 'Send the American people and the American press through your paper my greetings, and my blessing, and convey to them my one message, that they will work unceasingly and disinterestedly for peace to the end that this terrible carnage and its attendant horrors and miseries may soon cease Through this your country and your press will he rendering a service to God, to the world, and to humanity, the thought and memory of which will live through the ages to come. If your country avoids everything that might prolong this struggle of nations against nations, in which (lie blood of hundreds of thousands is being shed, and misery untold is being inflicted, then can America by its greatness and its influence contribute much towards a rapid ending of this terrible war. Bray and work untiringly, unceasingly, and unitedly for peace. This is my Easter message to America.' 5 PAIN HOLY WEEK AT THE PALACE. In the Palace (writes the Madrid correspondent of the Irish Catholic) the traditional celebrations were carried out as befits Christian Royalty. On Holy Thursday their Majesties, followed by the Infantes, the Grandees of Spain, and the members of the Court, all wearing their decorations, entered processionally into the Chapel Royal, where the King and Queen took their seats within the sanctuary indeed, but on simple chairs, as during Holy Week they use neither throne nor dais in the ceremonies. On Good Friday the Royal cortege entered in the same order, but the King now wore no orrle.s or decorations, and the Queen and other members of the Royal Household were all dressed in black—as a sign of mourning for the death of the Redeemer. One of the most impressive moments in the Good Friday ceremonies is when the King approaches to adore the Cross. The Chaplain Royal, the Bishop of Sion, approaches with a silver tray, on which are some rolls of paper tied with black ribbon, and containing the names, the sentences, and other particulars of a certain number of criminals condemned to death. ' Sire,' says the Bishop of Sion, ' does your Majesty pardon those guilty ones condemned to the extreme penalty of human justice. ' ' May God pardon me as I pardon them,' replies the Monarch, and immediately kisses the foot of the Cross, while the black ribbon bands are substituted for white ones. This year the number of indults so granted was five—three being reprieved for murder and two for robbery with homicide. On Easter Sunday, on the conclusion of the ceremonies in the Palace chapel, the King and Queen passed to the Red Salon, where the Pascal Lamb is blessed, and all the Royal personages and their suites taste it. This is followed by the usual presentation of Easter eggs, richly adorned with gold and purple.