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Recognised Champion of Western Civilisation Remarkable Tribute to Statesman on the Throne of Peter most startling innovations. Those of us who saw them, back in 1944, were moved by the Pope's common touch, by the candid, man-to-man approach which he was using in his contacts with American soldiers of every faith. The total number of Allied soldiers thus received is estimated at 1,200,000 and it is reported that the German representative at the Vatican before the fall of Berlin protested against this "breach of neutrality." While physically exhausting, those mass audiences fascinated the Pope. Remembering America well from his visit there in 1936, he used regrouped his forces along a the renewed contact with Amer world-wide front. At the Con- cans from every part of the sistory of February 18-22, 1946, Union to gain an intimate, deheld at Rome, he revitalised and tailed knowledge of America and internationalised the highest of the American mind. body of the Church, the College Apart from public audiences of Cardinals. For the last six for the forces, a steady procescenturies, Italians had held the sion of American newspapermen, majority of red hats. Now, due senators, congressmen, high to the difficulty of gathering Con- Army and Navy officers, business sistories during the war, thirty- men, radio and film executives, two new Cardinals had to be ap- has recently passed through the pointed to fill vacancies caused private -audience chambers on by deaths in the College's normal the second floor of the Vatican roster of seventy. Pius saw an Palace. Almost every prominopportunity of creating, as he put it, "a Catholic map of the world"; he bestowed the crimson upon a large number of non -Italians, inclading four Americans-there- ent American touring Europe in by raising the total of United last two years has availed State cardinals to five-several the himself the opportunity of South Americans, Germans and shaking of with the Pope. representatives of other Euro- None of hands them walked out upon pean nations, even a Chinese; re- the sunlight-flooded Piazza di ducing the Italian cardinals to a San Pietro without realising that minority. No better gesture he had just spoken with one of' could have been conceived to un- the great men Europe and one derline the solidarity as well as of the most of the universality of the Catholic of our time. impressive figures -"moved by the Pope's common touch, by the candid, man-to-man approach Church and to raise its prestige Pius is the first native Roman throughout the world. on the Papal throne in two cenThe simultaneous award of turies, and An intimate personal study, by an editor of the "Saturday Even- beings, make to God's likeness he is deeply attached ing Post" of Pius XII., who is using his prestige as spirit. would be only the soulless four red hats to Americans threw to the City, whose buff ual ruler of 370 Indians to warn Western civilisation of Russia's wheels." And, while the Catho- a new light upon the Pope's es- colouredEternal dwellings, streets It and lofty cupolas narrow materialistic threat to the ('hristian idea of free man. lic Church "does not seek a teem for the United States. he beholds is no secret that Pius is in favAs mankind stands divided in ideal beyond this world, without "fight," it will rise to defend our of the closest possible con- from his windows in the Vatican. "two worlds," two suprana- religion and without God. The "the dignity, the integrity, the tact between the Holy See and He was born in a third -floor tional forces are facing each one or the other of these two life, the honour, the liberty, the the American people. The Un apartment within a mile of St. other in a death grapple for sup- possibilities will come to pass, de- eternal welfare of her children." ited States' 25,000,000 Catholics Peter's, on March 2, 1786. The remacy over the souls of men- pending on which names will be Here, then, is a political Pope are thought of, on Vatican Hilt, Pacelli family had long been conthe Church and the Communist victorious at the polling booths- ---a statesman on the throne of as the most active, most gener- nected with the Holy See in variParty. The people of ravaged those of the champions or those Saint Peter. Pius XII., then ous, most solid and most influen- ous legal and administrative Eugenio's father Europe are keenly aware of this of the wreckers of Christian civi- Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Vatican tial body of Catholic opinion in functions. a Vatican lawyer; his mother contest. Many of them have lisation." Secretary of State, was elected the entire world; and the United was came from a noble family. There come to consider the Vaticanwere four children and Eugenio the most powerful symbol of orwas destined for a legal career. ganised religion on the continent It was not until his eighteenth on -and the Kremlin as the prinof year that the studious, seriouscipal hitching posts of the two minded youngster decided to berival camps, and cynics are speakof a come a priest, thereby fulfilling ing of the struggle between the a secretly cherished dream of his "two Internationals, the Black of headstrong, pions mother. and the Red." Pope Pius XII. has made it At Capranica College in downclear that he considers himself a town Rome, Eugenio attacked Already, under Pius' leader- Pope by the conclave of Car- States Government is considered the theological curriculum with a champion of Western civilisation. In his address to the College of ship, the Catholic Church has dinals, iitting in the Sistine the Vatican's most desirable vengeance, working overtime to Cardinals, delivered on June 1, emerged as the most successful Chapel on March 2, 1939, for this partner in the fight against the catch up with the other boys, who 1946-the eve of the French and force in politics this side of the very reason. The international Kremlin. had two or three years' head Italian elections, he said: "To- iron curtain; in France, Italy, situation was rapidly coming to a No one could help noticing start. The latecomer to the morrow the citizens of two great Holland, Belgium and Bavaria, head and the wise men in crim- the warm readines with which priesthood graduated with high nations go in compact array to Catholic movements are estab- son, after careful deliberation, Vatican City opened its gates to honours and continued his stuWhat is lished as the largest, most influ- chose the Vatican's best political the many tnousands of Americans dies at the Pontifical Academy the polling booths. It is to be de- ential parties. If it is true that brain to chart the course of the who, after the fall of Rome in of Noble Ecclesiastics. He was really at issue? cided if the one and the other Stalin once sneered, "The Pope Church through troubled waters. the summer of 1944, swarmed in ordained a priest at the age of Pius has lived up to their ex- and almost took over the Vati- twenty-three and said his first of these two nations, of these two -how many divisions has he Although his pru- can, making it, as one of the Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore, sister nations of Latin culture of got?" here is the answer. Poli- pectations. more than millenary Christian tics, it is true, do not interest the dent eyes sparkle behind his more conservative prelates jok- one of Rome's loveliest churches. civilisation, will continue to rest Vatican as politics, they interest glasses whenever he speaks of ingly remarked, "practically an He already held a doctor's deon the firm rock of Christianity, the Vatican only when they the "Church militant," he has American institution." Pius gree in philosophy and theology, on the acknowledgment of a per- "touch the altar." But, in the never abandoned his background himself did not mind a bit. In- was well grounded in law, and sonal God, on belief in the spir- words of Pius, the altar to -day of jurist and trained career dip- deed, his daily G. I. audiences in spoke and read German, French, itual dignity and the eternal des- is threatened by "the spirit of lomat. the huge Hall of Benedictions, English and Polish. tiny of man, or if, instead, they state absolutism which claims for Carefully planning the grand some of which were attended by, The Pope himself, Leo XIII., will choose to entrust their future itself all the controls of the poli- strategy of the Church in antici as many as 8,000 soldiers, large- sent for the brilliant young man social and economic ma- pation of whatever spiritual trou- ly Americans, will go down in to compliment him on his acade to the unfeeling omnipotence of a tical, living bles may lie ahead, Pius recently Vatican history as one of Pius' materialistic state, without any chine, of which men, (Continued on Page 8.)
Papal Efforts to Stem the Tide of State Absolutism
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The future must rest the firm rock Christianity or upon the unfeeling omnipotence materialistic state the champions or the wreckers Christian civilisation.