The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-04-23
France and the Pope-Letter Of Molanie.


The Semaine Catalogue, of Toulouse,
prints the following impressive letter, by
Melanie, the Shepherdess of La Salette. 1t
is dated Castellamare, Kingdom of Naples,
November %, 1870. Melanie writes:
May Jesus be blessed in all hearts! My
dearest mother have received your well
come letter. I am grieved that Julia's hus-
band has had to go to the war. But what
can we dof We must submit to the holy
will of God, and cheerfully undergo, in the
spirit Of expiatiOn, all the sacrifices he re-
quires us to make; for before Him we are
all guilty, some in one way, some in an
other. You say I am happy because
know what is to happen to France. Say,
knowing it. For twenty-four years have
known that this war would come. For
twenty years l have been saying that Ma
poleon was cheat, that he was running
France but the wise people said was
dreamer. France was strong, Napoleon
Where ia the strength of France9 Where
is the greatness of Napoleon Almighty
God has left France to herself for her sins.
She is blind, she is bewildered, in confu-
sion and divided against herself. But did
the evil come all at oncef No, my dear
that it did not. l cannot explain it all to
you; I will only say that if a stranger
came into family, and gave to the chill
dren laws different from those which their
father had given them. and if the children
Obeyed the strangers laws and disobeyed
shown very little love for him, and would
have deserved punishment This is what
las happened in France. An Italian, call
ing himself Catholic, has destroyed by
degrees the law of God; he has reformed
the schools in diabolical way he has in
troduced bad books, and caused them to be
read by the children. So the world cor
rupted itself and became bad, and those
who had eyes did not see; that is, those
who ought to have prevented the evil
winked at it and let it 60 on. Woe to
those persons! These are not my words
they are the words of the Blessed Virgin,
who wept when she foretold the scourges
that We're to come upon the world. 1 will
repeat der words: Woe (she sadly to the
chiefs of the people of God. Woe to
those to whom souls are entrusted and who
suffer them to perish y You, people ofthe
mountains, hold fast the law of God, keep
His Commandments even unto the death.
Love the Virgin Mary next to God she is
everything to you. Make your professions
in the spirit of faith; pray for poor, guilty
France; pray for our Holy Father, Pope
Plus IN, our Head, and the Vicar of Jesus
Christ. To speak i'll of linn is to speak ill
Oh Jesus Chrlst. ferhaps you nave heard
speak of Garibaldi know that he is a bad
man. He is doing that which the devil
would do if he had q body. France COM
mits new crime in calling him to her ar
sistance. Alas, he is the DEVILS help to de-
stroy the faith of those who have still a
little left, and to draw down completely
the curse of God on the people. Finally,
will France acknowledge the hand of God,
or mnst she be utterly destroyed Let us
pray, pray, pray, much, and not cease from
praying and imploring for mercy.-I re-
main, with flial respect, my dearest
Mother, your most affectionate daughter,
"MARIE of the Cross, Victim of Jesus.
May the eye of God watch over me.
MY sai'atioh ID ny tne CroSs' ssss.