The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-06-05
EXPANSION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

At last, the church, thank God is liberated from
the control of governments and lower politics in
Europe. and is free, in measure, to pursue her
policy and her destiny untrammelled by state
dowment and state patronage. This does not mean
that persecution and opposition silent. On the
contrary, the church is having hard time of it
from the determined hatred of those opposed to
Christianity.
This satanic opposition will not end, in all prob
ability without serious conflict Evil will hurry
on to its most wicked ends Among all those placed
in political power in France Italy, Portugal and
South America, there is not one that is doing the
thing that is good, not so much as one.'
But, is not the hour near when the prophecy
will again be fulfilled: "For the misery of him
that is in need, and for the grooming of him that
is impoverished, will arise, saith the Lord. 1
will set him in safety, l will justify the trust he
has placed in me-"
We notice in every country of Europe and
America an immense awakening of Catholic fer
for. The churches thronged, and devo-
tons are most persistently performed, for the
Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ and for the peace
and triumph of the church In France, in Belgium,
in Holland, in England in the various Germanic
countries in the non-Germanic parts of Austria
in the different provinces of Italy, in Spain; yes
even in Russia, we read of tremendous outpour-
ings of Catholic suppliants going to one or an
other place of resort called pilgrimages
few months ago we signalized the gathering
at the Grotto of Lourdes as the greatest pilgrim
age of modern times. Right on the lines of it came
a pilgrimage in Belgium which exceeded in num-
bers that of Lourdes. Among the Germanic Catholics
H.
tanned. And among them we have read lately that
at or other shrine of holy reverence and faith
there have ben pilgrimages so great that it was
necessary to erect temporary affairs out in the
fields, and that thirty forty thousand persons. in
single day, have come to receive communion at
these open-air affairs.
The Eucharistic Congress in London marked the
growth and expansion of the church in Great Brit
ain; and now from Esquipulas, Guatemala, Cen
trail America comes the news that fifty thousand
people, some of them from Peru, assembled for the
annual pilgrimage on the plain of "Our Lord of
Esquipulas."
The political governments of Latin Eurone
seem to be dead-and damned also, even before
they die. But the people of Europe seem to be
coming to a life In short time. as things
going on, the apostate governments of Eurone
-apostate, mean, from the Catholic faith-vir
have fallen. The curse of God, now on them. will
be followed by the curses of their several peoples
and thus this time at least the vox Del will be the
vox populi-the voice of God will be the voice of
the people.
Here, in America we fought mighty stubborn
campaign for our church; but we won out. and the
rancorous hostility to everything "Popishn or
"Romish" is now relegated to the backwoods or has
taken refuge in certain rural corners where the
shadow of coming civilization is now only fall
ing.
Paul Laurence Dunbar who died several years