ROME LETTER

New Zealand Tablet, 8 July 1915, Page 51

ROME LETTER

(From our own correspondent.) May 7. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE HOLY SEE". The acceptance by the Holy See of a Legation to represent Holland at the Vatican brings us to consider the number of nations which have at present their ambassadors and ministers at the Vatican. Truly, the diplomatic corps to the Holy See covers a wide area—viz., Austria-Hungary, the Argentine, England, Bavaria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chili, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominique, Ecuador, Peru, Prussia, Spain, and several small republics. An interesting bit of modern history is recalled by Holland’s request to have an ambassador representing her at the Vatican. It brings us back to the convocation of the international Peace Conference at the Hague in the days of Leo XIII., when the Italian Government vetoed the admission of this Pontiff to the gathering of nations, and Holland echoed the veto. Here was a country, which had a nuncio from the Vatican, voting for the exclusion of the Vicar of the Prince of Peace from a gathering of the world s leaders at a peace conference ! Ever since then, diplomatic relations between Holland and the Holy See exist in little more than in name, for the Pope has kept no nuncio there.

THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR IN HISTORY. Despite all its opposition, the world has fallen back upon the Pope as a mediator in almost every century since that day in 313, when Emperor Constantine led Pope Melchiades from the Catacombs, after the defeat of pagandom. Here is the histi of the Popes’ successes as arbitrators, as furnished by the JUdfettinu Salesiann ; 440-461—St. Leo I. : With Attila, King of (he. Huns, in favor of Italy. 590-604—St. Gregory I.; With Agitulfo, King of the Lombards, in favor of the Romans. - 590-604—St. Gregory i. ; Retween the Emperors of the Orient and the Lombards. 715-731, 74 1-752—St. Gregory II.: With Lnitprandns, King of the Lombards, in favor of the Romans. 1049-1054—St. Leo IX. : Between Emperor Henry 111. and King Andrew of Hungaiy. 1055-1057—Victor 11. : Between Emperor Henry 111., Baldwin of Flanders, and Geoffrey of Lorraine. 1198-1215—Innocent III.: Between John of England and Philip Augustus of France. 1216-1227—Ilonorius III.: Between Louis VIII. of France and Henry HI. of England. 1243-1254—Innocent IV.; Between the King of Portugal and his people. 1277-1280—Nicholas 111.: Mediator several times between Emperor Rudolf of the Hapsburgs and Charles of Anjou, King of Naples. 1316-1334:—John XXII.: Between King Edward of England and Robert of Scotland. 1334-1342—Benedict XII.; Between Edward Plantagenet of England and Philip of Valois, King of France. 1370-1378—Gregory XI. ; Between the King of Portugal and the King of Castille. 1447-1455—Nicholas V. : Mediations in Germany, Hungary, and Italy. 1484—1492—innocent VIII. ; Mediations in Moscow, Austria, and England. 1492-1503—Alexander VI. Between Spain and Portugal. 1623-1644—Urban VIII. : Mediations to allay the dissensions provoked by the succession to the Duchies of Mantua and Monferrato. 1572-1585 Gregory XIII.: Between the King of Poland and the Czar, 1878-1903 —Leo XIII. ; Between Germany and Spain.

1878-1903 — XIII. : Between the Republics of Hayti and San Domingo. v 1915—Benedict XV. : Mediations between Germany, and Austria on the one part, and England, France, Belgium, Serbia, and Montenegro on the other, for the exchange of disabled prisoners and of interned civilians. NOTES. His Holiness the Pope declares that the following formula suffices for chaplains during this war when imparting the Apostolic Blessing to soldiers at the hour of death :—- ‘ Be-nedicat vos Omnipot Dent Pater, et Filins , et Spirit us Sand us.’ Up to this the number of Italians, who have had to return to their native land by reason of the war, comes to a total of 287,360 men and 68,000 women. Not half these have found work as yet in Italy.