THE POPE'S APPEAL FOR THE HOLY PLACES

New Zealand Tablet, 24 July 1919, Page 17

THE POPE'S APPEAL FOR THE HOLY PLACES

The following, letter on behalf of the Catholics of Palestine has been addressed to the bishops of the world by Pope Benedict XV. : “We recently learned by letter from Our Venerable Brother, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, that, in consequence of the devastation suffered, the missions of Palestine are reduced to extreme misery, so much so that one can foresee that not only can they not gather the fruit of their daily labor, but they can no longer subsist. Besides this, there is another grave question, namely, that non-Catholics exploit such grave misery to spread* their doctrines there. They do this by coining to the aid of the poverty of the people (provided as they are with money and food), and especially by founding schools in those places where Catholics are unable to repair their losses. "You will readily understand, Venerable Brothers, what the safety of souls and, the very condition of the Holy Land demand from all Catholics in the face of such a fact. As We said in the Allocution delivered by Us yesterday in the Consistory, We absolutely cannot tolerate that so many souls, by losing the Catholic faith, should go to ruin there, where Our Lord Jesus Christ gained eternal life for them at the price of His Blood. It is, then, necessary that all good people give all possible help to these missions, so that they may be placed in a position to oppose the efforts of the non-Catholics. We have already destined a certain sum for this end, and We would have gladly given more if We were not impeded by the straightened circumstances of the Holy See. With regard to you, there is certainly no need for exhortation from Us that you strive with all care to promote the cause of the missions among your diocesans. At your invitation We are confident that all will correspond, while the offerings that, according to the Letters Apostolic, ‘Salvator ac Domini,’ of Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII., must be collected and transmitted to the Gustos of the Holy Land, will remain unchanged.

“As a sign of heavenly favors, and an earnest of Our benevolence, ‘ Venerable Brothers, to you, the clergy, and people, We send with all affection the Apostolic Benediction. ' s . , “Given at Rome, from St. Peter’s, March 2, 1919, the fifth year of Our Pontificate. “BENEDICT XV., Pope.”