The Cairo bulletin., 1910-04-05
THERE'S NO PROOF
THAT THE POPE ISSUED BULL
4 AGAINST COMET SAYS CATH.
oLlc AUTHORITY.
Subject Discussed at Length in Pam
phlet Issued From Vatican
Astronomical OBJ
servatory.

Some time ago The Bulletin gave
a story concerning the big comet in
which the oft-made and widely ac-
cepted statement was made that On
the appearance OF the comet In the
Fifteenth Century, the pope of that
time issued bull" against the
comet. Rev. FIR. Gillen Of st. JOS
eph's church In this city denied the
story, Offering to pay 800 to any
charitable institution for proof that
the story was true. Several com
munications have come to The Bulle-
tin since then, and while all held to
the story none offered the proof. One
of these gave an editorial comment
from3a well known Liberal Relgionist
publication, which concluded that any
positive proof would naturally be in
the archives of the church at Rome
and therefore would not be available
to outsiders.
1t appears that the same subject has
been discussed elsewhere in the eoun-
try In the last several weeks, as indi-
Gated by the following lengthy state
ment just issued by the international
Catholic Truth Society" which
quotes from 40-page brochure is
sued by the Vatican Astronomical
Observatory written by Rev. j.
Stein, s. j., who speaks in part as fol.
lows:
The story seems to have started
with Platina, in 1474, nearly twenty
years after the publication of the
bull He had not been in Rome at
the time, and wrote merely from
hearsay as follows: Then there APP
peared for some days red comet,
which the mathematicians said
meant great pest, great famine and
some great calamity. Wherefore
Calixtus, to appease the wrath Of
Tod, had professions organized for
some days, SO that, if over men evil
were impending, the great God might
turn 1t altogether over the Turks, the
enemies of the Christian name"
Three centuries later the story
was highly embellshed by the as.
tronomer La Place, who wrote that
the pope ordered public prayers "in
which anathemas were leveled against
the comet and the Turk" Since then
the story has been embroidered and
embelished by a long list of scen-
lists, including such lights as Arago,
Babinet, Vice Admiral Smyth, Robert
Grant, G. f. Chambers, President
White of Cornell, Professor John w.
Draper Flammarion and the Scien-
tifc American tsept. Is, 1870; till
1t reads like the story of the Three
Black Crows" or the fables of Don
Quixote
In their anxiety to make the
papacy appear ridiculous, the scien-
lists have drawn Literally on their
and fallen into grave
errors both of history and astronomy.
For example; Grant credits the bull
TO Calixtus IT, who died more than
three hundred years before 1t was
published! Draper declares that "by
order of the pope all the church bells
Of Europe were rung to scare 1t
away" President White says:
Then, too, was Incorporated into the
litany the plea (sicl, from the Turk
and the comet, good Lord deliver
rs. >" Chambers declares that "the
comet was still visible" CD when the
battle of Belgrade was won. Con
authorities declare that it
had disappeared several days before
The battle was fought. The Scientific
American assures us that CONSTANT
1ople" (instead of Belgrade) was
)esieged by the Turks in 1866! And, |
only the other day, Signor Millesovich
lireetor of the Collegio Romano, in
IN article on Halley's comet, wrote:
On August 9Th the great battle took
place under the walls of Belgrade: it
asted two days, and in the interyen-.
ng night Halley's Comet was shin
ng." AS observed by Rome the
battle was fought, not on August 9th
tut on July 21st and 22nd and, ais sal4 4
'eady stated, the comet had disap-
Feared several days before even that
Early date.
DR.. Stein declares that, out of 101
olio volumes, preserved in the Vat-
AN archives, relating to the pontif-I
ate Of Ca1ixtus III, there is not a
Jingle document containing the slight |
st allusion to the comet; and the |
ext Of the authentic bull of June
18th, 1456, furnishes the most per
proof that the ordinances
prescribed by the pope have no conf
lection whatever with the appearance