The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-05-15
AFFAIRS IN THE KINGDOM OF ITALY
The Most Bitter AntCatholic Papers in Europe Printed
in the Boot-Shaped Peninsula Where Pope
and Cardinals Reside.
FREEMAs0Ns, JEWS, ATHEISTS AND SOCIALISTS
Writer in the Saturday Review Pens Description of
the Religious and Political Condition of
the Beautiful Country.

expulsion of the Pope, and the other
maintaining that it is best to proceed
with more prudent and, III sense,
more poisonous methods against that
Church which the Freemasons are
pleased to consider their deadliest
enemy.
''The Asino, which is printed at the
rate of 100000 copies a week, is one
of the worst papers. Needless to say,
it is directed entirely against the Pope
and the clergy, and is intended to di-
minish respect for the Catholic relig-
ion and it's chief in the hearts of the
lower orders. When lately in Italy
took the trouble of asking some of the
newspaper sellers in the various
kiosks, especially at Milan, why they
put the paper SO prominently forward
selves disapproved of it. The inevit-
able answer was: are very hand
somely subventioned by the Freema-
sons for so doing" One old woman,
who keeps kiosk near the Duomo,
said: Il know I am sinner, but 1
have an old husband to support and
the Freemasons pay me thirty francs
a week for exhibiting the. Asino where
you see it, low enough for the children
to be able to read it," There arc
times" the old woman said, "when T
feel could kill myself, but what can
l do?" The same thing was repeated
to me in Venice and in Genoa There
fore the Asino is not published as a
matter of profit. but as one of propa-
ganda.
''The Asino and it's imitators are not
only allowed to violate the law of guar
antees by caricaturing the Pope, whose
person, according to the third article
of the said law of guarantees, should
be held in the same respect as that of
the King-whereby any attempt to
caricature or to write in an imperti-
nent manner about him is punishable
but it attacks the Royal Family very
subtly and indirectly in almost every
single number. The fact is that the
Freemasons hope one day. after fav-
de-Christianized the people if that
is possible, to seize the reins of gov
ernment, proclaim a highly secularized
republic on the lines of the French,
drive the Pope out of Rome, suppress
the nonastic houses and religious edu-
cation. and even destroy or close tho
churches and convert them to. secular
uses. Quite recently the Avanti advo-
Gated the conversion of st. Peters in
to huge place of amusement, and
gave a program of the manner in
which it should be done: and the Asino
has again and again said that there is
no chance for Italy until the Christian
religion has been stamped out in ev-
cry part of the peninsula. Unfortunate
~. side by side with the Asino there
has sprung up not only host of imi-
tators. but whole literature which Is
inspired and subventioned by the Jews,
The Church in Italy has lost almost
the entire control of it's erstwhle i'm
mense fortune. In many cities where
there is a socialist municipality pro-
cessions are prohibited. and all tho
petty persecution which holds good n
modern France is in full vigor. Street
shrines have been pulled down, mag
nificent religious frescoes. notably in
Verona and Padua because they stood
upon the public way. white washed
over; the wayside crosses have been
disturbed. and not a few churches,
even of artistic merit, converted to
profane purposes. In word. modern
Italy has allowed section Of the pop
ulation. by no means the majority. to
work their own sweet will in an ef-
fort to weaken the religious sentiments
of the country in every class. for we
find in Italy amongst the nobility, even
those who have been educated in con-
gregational schools. the same marks
r. 81 - II Hl "a y -