Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 5, 4 February 1925, Page 55

Catholic World

NEW PERFECT FOR THE AMBROSIAN. The famous Ambrosian Library of Milan, which had the present Pope for its Prefect, is to have a new head in. Mgr. John Galliati (says Catholic News Service , London, for December 15). Dr. Ratti was succeeded by Mgr. Grammatica, who has now been called to Rom© by Pius XI as president of the new Missionary Library, which will be a permanent part of the Missionary Exhibition at the Vatican. The new Prefect of the Ambrosian, who is a disciple of Antonio Ceriani, the predecessor of Dr. Ratti is also Professor of Latin Literature in the Catholic University of Milan, founded by the late Cardinal Ferrari. He has published some important works on the Italian painters; but his special branches of knowledge are Graeco-Latin and Oriental Semitic philologies. The writings of Dr. Galliati are distinguished not only for their scientific value, but by the elegance of the classical Latin in which they are written, a Latin that has caused him to be ranked with the great humanists of the 15th and 16th centuries. Quite recently Dr. Galliati discovered on an Arab palimpsest a long bi-lingual fragment of the Aeneid, written in the East, possibly in Egypt, with the Latin text on one side and the Greek on the other. The new Prefect studied Hebrew under Dr. Ceriani, and studied Arabic as the pupil of Griffini Pasha, the present librarian of King Fuad. He has specialised in Christian Arabic philology, and in this particular branch of knowledge is considered to be one of the most accomplished scholars in the world. SCOTTISH PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. The old pre-war cry of “Rome on the rates ” has recently been raised by the Scottish Protestant League, at a demonstration in Glasgow, with the end in view of getting the educational grants to the Catholic elementary schools stopped. This plain end of the threat was wrapped about in a great deal of high-flown language; but the idea of the Scottish Protestant of this way of thinking is to make conditions pretty intolerable for Catholics. The Catholics have been attacked because they got jobs under the ‘local corporation; they have been denounced because the more needy of them have received aid from the guardians of the poor, to which they have every right. And the last attack on the Catholics comes l because they receive those grants and emoluments which under the Education Act are - allowed to all the denominational schools, whether Catholic or Protestant or Jewish. Never was humbug more open or unashamed. Protestants of this kidney have children from their own schools, entirely by their own fault. They have lost some of ™ grants because the pupils in their schools have dwindled. And they have now the effrontery to say that thousands of pounds are passing from the Protestant ■fax-payers into the coffers of the Catholic Church, to > propagate the religion of the Pope.

The object is not to get a change in the . education' law, but to drive the Catholic schools out of business. This is quite clear from one of the resolutions passed at the Protestant conclave, which called for compulsory Bible teaching in all the schools receiving grants form the educational authorities. xXK>-v^><X>* FRENCH MASONS DISCUSS VATICAN EMBASSY. A highly interesting meeting took place in Paris some evenings ago, so the Havas Agency reports, when the Grand Lodge of France organised an open session to enable M. de Monzie, Senator of the Lot, to speak in favor of maintaining the French Embassy to the Holy See, which it is the purpose of the Masonic fraternity to bring to a speedy end. According to the agency’s report of the meeting, M. de Monzie outlined the basis of an agreement between the Republican supporters and opponents of the Embassy, which should have the three-fold purpose of keeping M. Herriot in power, of bringing about an amicable regulation of the religious problems in Alsace and Lorraine, and more unity in domestic affairs. How the Grand Lodge took the proposals, history does not tell. But de Monzie, who has never quibbled about the advantages of French representation at the Vatican, certainly took his courage in both hands when he asked the hierarchy of French Masonry to come to an agreement about the Vatican Embassy and religious freedom in the two provinces. NOTES FROM ROME. The German programme for the Holy Year is, so far v the most ambitious of all in the matter of pilgrimages. A German pilgrimage will set out on February 15, and from then on, down to November, a German pilgrimage will set out every week. Each pilgrimage will be limited to 500 members, and amongst them will be one for the members of the German nobility, one for clergy, one for school teachers, for Catholic young men, and so on. • Two days after the burial of Cardinal Logue at Armagh, there was a Solemn Requiem far the deceased Primate at the Sistine. The chapel was draped with the usual funereal hangings, and the Holy Father occupied the Throne. Archbishop Cieplak, the victim of the Belsheviks, was amongst the prelates present. Ireland was represented by the Auxiliary of Ossory, the Diplomatic Corps was in full attendance with representatives of the Order of Malta, and, conspicuously, members of the Irish College and representatives of the religious Orders. The Cause of the Jesuit Martyrs of North America is being actively promoted. A few days ago the Sacred Congregation held an ante-preparatory session to discuss the question of martyrdom and the relative miracles of these martyrs. Those named in the Cause are the priests Jean de Brebeuf, Ga-

briel Lalemaut, Charles Gamier, Noel Chabanel, and Isaac Jogues, with the lay brothers Jean Delaland© and Rene Coupil, all of whom suffered death in North America out of hatred for the Faith. In all the Italian secondary schools there is to lb© a Crucifix, the national flag, and a picture of the Sovereign. This is ordered in an official* decree, which re-organises the secondary schools throughout the kingdom. The Catholics, at all events, are very well satisfied with this ruling, and the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan has already published a letter, calling upon his diocesans to see to it that every classroom is provided with a Crucifix, a popular subscription being opened for this purpose. Apart from pleasing the Catholics, the ordinance shows to what extent the present national Government has emancipated itself from the domination of the Freemasons, who for at least half a century dictated to the Government of the day what its attitude should be towards religious questions. For the second time in his Pontificate the Pope performed the ceremony of blessing the Agnus Deis, the function being carried out in the Consistorial Hall. Accompanied by the members of the Pontifical Court, his Holiness proceeded to the Throne, first of all blessing the water prepared in a great vessel of massy silver. After a certain point the ceremony was continued by the Papal Almoner, the sacristan and the Pontifical Maestro di Camara. At the end of the ceremony his Holiness assumed the cope and mitre, and after the recitation of the usual prayers, imparted the Benediction. There was a very touching scene some days previous, when in the Hall of the Throne his Holiness received 60 Russian refugees, who are being maintained by one of the societies connected with St, Peter's. Most of the refugees are of the Orthodox faith; at the special wish of the Holy Father they brought their children to the audience, even the youngest of them. Mr. Krebel, an old man of eighty, who was once the Russian Consul General in Rome, read an address in French, in which he expressed the gratitude of the refugees for the charity they had received from his Holiness. After replying, also in French, the Holy Father blessed all the refugees, and then in a brief phrase extended his blessing to all who had come to the help of the unhappy exiles. An incident of particular interest to the Spanish-speaking Catholics was the inauguration of the Spanish Academy of St. Teresa, which has been instituted at the LatinAmerican Pontifical College. The aim of the academy is greater perfection m Spanish language and literature. Cardinal Ragonesi, a former Nuncio to Madrid, and Cardinals Billot and Ehrle, took part in the inaugural ceremony, as well as the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See. The Spanish-speak-ing world was also very well represented, there being present the Mexican Archbishop of Monterey, the Archbishop of Montevideo, . the Costa Rican Archbishop of San Jose, and the Bishop of Salto, in Uruguay. Speeches were made, the principal theme being the fusion of Spain and Spanish-America in a new and great era of Spanish civilisation and culture. 4 " '