The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-03-26
Easter in Rome.

Writing in the Freeman's Journal,
Mr.. w. F. Markoe describes an Easter
Sunday in Rome before the temporal
power of the Popes passed away. He
says:
1t is now forty years since the spec
tacular function known in Rome in the
days of the temporal power of the
Popes as the "Benediction of the City
and the World was discontinued. I
had the pleasure of witnessing it for
the first and last time on Easter Sun
day, 1869. The impression it left on my
mind has never been effaced. More
than one hundred thousand strangers
had flocked to Rome that year, from
all parts of the civilized world to wit
ness the magnificent ceremonies of
Holy Week. Easter morning dawned
bright and beautiful; and the sun, ac-
cording to ancient traditions, seemed
to dance in the heavens
At an early hour the streets We're
filled with joyful multitude in holiday
attire, wishing one another a "Buona
Pascha, just as we would say "a Hap
py New Year" in this country. If in
ancient times call roads led to Rome,
on this particular morning all the
streets seemed to lead to st. Piers. AS
I moved along with the human tide the
crowds kept increasing; detachments of
infantry and cavalry FASTENED by; mag
nificent equipages mixed with the
throng; and here and there a Cardi-
nails coach, with coal biaek horses,
scarlet trappings and liveried coachman
and footman rolled along on its way
to the Vatican.
After crossing the historic bridge of
San Angelo, l came in full view of the
great Basilica of st. Peter's-Michael
Angeles masterpiece-its mighty dome
glittering in the sunlight, and its long
marble colonnades encircling two sides
of the piazza, as if Mother Church were
stretching out her arms to draw all men
to her embrace, as the hen gathers her
chickens under her wings.
was fortunate in securing a position
on top of the colonnade next to the
Vatican, from which l could see and
hear everything. The sight that met
my eyes was grand one. The Italian
troops and the French army of occu-
pation-numbering many thousands of
infantry and cavalry-had been drawn
up in long lines all across the piazza;
and the immense space back of them
was filled withga sea of eXpectant hui
mainly. AT length the services in the
church were concluded; and the pictur-
esque procession began to file out on
the loft '1oggia," under an immense
canvas that had been stretched to pro-
tect it from the sun. Priests and monks,
bishops and abbots, primates and pa
triarchs, cardinals and chamberlains,
Swiss guards and Noble Guards, all in
their gorgeous robes and brilliant uni
forms, ranged themselves in order;
when. lastly, came the great Plus TX,
seated in his "sedia gestatoria," and
borne on the shoulders of twelve men
in scarlet uniforms. Two cardinals ad-
vanced to the railing and read the an
nouncement of the benediction in Latin
and Italian, then dropped the papers
| from their hands. AS they slowly float
ed adown like white-winged messengers
from heaven to earth, the crowd made
an effort to secure them. One was torn
into shreds by score of hands; a long
arm reached up from the crowd and
seized the other in its iron grasp-a pre-
cious memento to be preserved for a
lifetime.
Then the great Pontiff rose to his
feet, the picture of majesty in his flow
ing white robes. The effect on the
crowds below was magical AS a corn
| field is swayed by the wind, so the vast
concourSe of human beings fell on their
knees; while. the Pope stretching out
his arms towards heaven, and turning
to the North, the South, the East and
/ the West, sang the Benediction Urbi ct
! Orb, in that rich, clear, powerful voice
| for which he was so remarkable. Every
word, every syllable, could be distinct
ly heard. AS the last amen died away
the stiffness became positively appres-
sive: you could hear your heart beat.
| Suddenly the roar of artillery was heard
| from the Castle of San Angelo; twenty
military bands burst forth in strains
of exultant harmony; all the bells of
the city began pealing; and the climax
was reached when one hundred and
! forty thousand voices gave vent TO their
! feelings in prolonged shouts of Viva
Pho Nono," Long Live the Pope" that
made the earth tremble, and pierced the
sky as though they would burst
! through the gates of Heaven itself
Every nation and cline and tongue
was represented in that vast assem-
blage; yet it is safe to say all were de-
vout Catholics at that very instant,
carried away by the strange, irresist-
ible enthusiasm of the moment So
sublime a spectacle can be witnessed
nowhere else in the world. 1t was pos
sble only in Pontifical Rome.
When you learn to use want ads eff
| fectively, you can-wnen you will