The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-07-29
HOLY FATHER TO ITALIANS.
Urged to Electoral Action, But Priests
Must Not Mix In.

A very important encyclical to the
Catholics Of Italy, defining the status
of Catholics in the somewhat anomal-
Gus political life of that country but
enthusiastically devoting more atten-
tion to the strengthening of the spirit
ual life OF the people, has been issued
IN Italian by the holy father and has
found its way into this country in a
translation. 1t is addressed to the bish-
ops of Italy and is on all accounts the
most interesting local pronouncement
yet made by Pope Plus Y.
His holiness begins by intimating
that 1t gives him much pleasure to adj
dress words of consolation and encour-
agement to the faithful in Italy-all the
more so because he had previously
found himself compelled to condemn
undisciplined tendencies which threat
ened to seriously damage the Catholic
cause. The pope then defines Catholic
action as the effort to renew all things
III Christ, TO, promote Christian culture,
and to fight anti-Christian civilization
by all legitimate means.
Thus understood, Catholic action is
he says, peculiarly the affair of the
Catholic laity. This help the church
has at all times accepted from her chill
dren, but in different forms, according
to the needs Of the times. Not every
useful and opportune today. The
church has clearly shown during long
centuries, and in all cases, a wonderful
capacity for adapting itself TO changing
circumstances.
His holiness then sets forth the con-
ditions which must be fulfilled in order
that Catholic action may really be eff
fective. Above all things men expect
from Catholic character and manly
III AT.N-~s -
olics devote themselves must corre-
spond with the requirements of society
today, must be SO adapted to promote
the moral and material interests of the
people and the proleteriat that they will
be readily understood, and welcomed
whilst at the same time the zeal of the
leaders is stimulated through the excel
lent fruits to be secured.
The difficult problems of modern life
demand prompt and sure social solu-
tion and Catholics must find out what
the solution is and make it operative
with the aid of an energetic, tactful.
intelligent, well-organized propaganda
directly calculated to meet opposition.
The most earnest demand of Leo XIII
in the encyclical "Rerum Norvarum''
was the practical solution of the social
question on the ground of Christian
principles. For this object there must
be perfect unity amongst Catholics.
Here the pope recommends the German
Catholic Volksverein. or People's asso-
citation. and the Cnione deile Opere
Economiche. Catholic action must be
made effective by all those practical
means which the advance of sociology.
experience and the conditions of social
and public life suggest. The civil rights
which the present constitution of the
state give TO all. Catholics as we'll as
others, must be preserved. Those rights
are Of different kinds; they even raise
the question Of taking a direct share in
the political life of the country by
means of representation I'm parliament.
Weighty reasons dissuade his holiness
from abandoning the rules laid down
by his predecessors. Plus TX and Leo
XIII. of blessed memory. by which the
participation of Catholics in the par
liamentary elections is forbidden In
Italy. But other equally weighty rea-
sons concerned with the highest inter-
ests of society, which must be safe
guarded at any cost, may bring it about
that in special cases the rules referred
to will be dispensed with, especially
when Catholics are convinced that such
q dispensation is absolutely necessary