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A theism: A New Encyclical World Swept by Wave Threatening Its Destruction A ppeal for Prayers to Our Lady
A CON
of DEM NAT ION contained is ommunism C in an Encyclical Letter issued recently by the Pope. exhorting the faithful to pray for the numerous ills afflicting the In the encyclical, which is addressed to the Catholic Episcopate. the Pope also refers indirectly to the civil Nvar in -'1)aitt and to the conditions in Ger many.
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"The dangers which threaten a re no !ess grave than in the nast.- the letter reads. "The world is observed to be ;it a moral ani spiritual crisis forp-,etfulness of God. ,Ine to "Deep dissentions rend al) On the one classes of society, hand Communism rears itself even of all right to private property: on the other hand the cult of the State and the desire to restore order and public authority against the intrigues of C ommunism lea man to forget the wisdom of the Gospels and t o exhume pagan errors and morals. " A wave of atheism sweeps o ver the world and threatens the destruction of all civilisation." The encyclical recalls that "the terrible sect of the Albigenses was overcome by the invocation c f Our Lady. "So we hope shall they be overcome who. as the Communists o f to-day, remind us of them bv !heir craftiness and violence."
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FATHER LECOU R T Ordained priest by Pope Benedict NV. when the latter was Archbishop of Bologna, sentenced to be shot during the ‘var and reprieved following the Armistice—these are two outstanding features in thelife of Father Gustave Alexander Vincent Lecourt. 0.S.NL. M.B.E„. of the Seryite Priory Kersal. Salford. England. Father Lecourt, who is,a native of Cork, Ireland, was British Chaplain in Brussels when war broke out, and during the whole of the war N -as actively engaged in Belgium in helpin British subjects. both civil and military. to escape th,' encmv. He was a member of various orthis ganisations in Belginm purpose. and at the end of the war his service,: were re,..-ognised bv the late King. George. who awarded him the M.B.E. Finally. His Holiness associFather Lecourt was an assoates himself with the protest ,of ciate of Nurse Cavell. and half the episcopate and people of Po- an hour before she was arrosted land. "a nation which venerates he was with her at tea in a BrusOur Lady in a special manner" sels cafe. He was arrested later against "an insult offered with and sentenced to be shot • but the impunity to the Blessed Virgin Armistice was signed before the by the press of a civilised coun- Sentence was due to be carried try." out.
V AN DE VONDEL ANNIVERSARY. The 300th. anniversary of Joost van de Vondel. called the greatest writer of the low Countries. has been celebrated all over HoTland, and in Cologne and the Flemish part of Belgium. Van de Vondel was horn of Calvinist Antwerp parents. who moved to C41logne. where Joost w as born. Later he lived in A msherdam, and there developed rfiendships with Catholic laymen. It was through these contacts that he bec:‘ 7 .‘ with the Jesuits. T- -eivcii into the Chm, example of his dal7fz)ter Van de Vondel's ,,vorks are classic in all the cAeges of Flanders and Holland, just as are Pierre Corneille's in France. He f ound much of his inspiration in th- Bible and the Catholic Faith Of his 32 tragedies. "Lucifer,"foz-.4 in "Mary Dithan." "Stuart." and "Gysbrecht van A mste" are the best known, The last work is played traditionally r
on festival days.
Amsterdam
has a fine park dedicated to thr great poet.