The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-12-16
The Cars Catholicity-Persecution
of Priests-RusslanIzi Of Cheln1-
Interesting Historical Document
Discovered-A Missionary Bishop
In the Kameroons-At Norfolk
House.

DiscoVered-A Missionary Bishop
In the Kameroons-At Norfolk
House.
Russia is a mysterious country In
more ways than one. Little OF her
internal news ever penetrates into
the general budget of European intel
ligence, and though she stands dim
and shrouded, a menacing figure on
the horizon whenever there Is talk OF
war, her every day life passes with
little attention, and thus great changes
take place In her which are not reck-
oned with by the world outside. It
is the same with her religious side.
With the exception of the solicitous
heart of the Father of Christendom,
whose ears are ever strained to catch
the cry of his suffering children,
Christendom Is scarcely aware that
in Russia at the present time there
is a wave of hatred and persecution
breaking against the Barque of Peter.
And still fewer people know the
cause For some time there have
been rumors in court circles that the
Gear is seriously thinking of embrac-
ing the Catholic Faith and abandoning
the Greek Schismatical Church of
which he is the head. He also pro-
poses, if he definitely decides to take
this momentous step, to secure the
Catholic faith for his young son, the
heir of his vast and difficult kingdom,
and it is understood that such step
would bring at least fifty thousand
Orthodox Russians into the fold of
Peter. The trouble which the EN-
peror already has in governing is
sufficiently shown by the fact that
these rumors have had the effect of
causing the Duma to institute the
most rigorous treatment of Catholics,
with a view of frightening the EN-
peror from the step he is about to
take or causing him to betray his in
tention by stretching out protecting
hand to the Catholics, when the plot
is to declare that he fayors traitors
to the state, and to endeavor to set
up in Russia as a China, Portugal
ETC., dictatorship. Evidences of this
persecution grow more numerous
every day. The Ministry of the In
terror which deals with non-OrthodoS
religions, or cults as they are termed
has just ordered the closing of the
celebrated Pensionnat Ledowchowski
a fashionable boarding school fol
young ladies in st. Petersburg con
nected with the Catholic College o1
St. Catherine. The pretext giveI
was that it served as settlement
for Catholic order of religious
when in reality all the foundation fol
such a statement was that the board
ers were all Children of Mary who
said the sodality Office together
weekly.
Persecution of Priests.
Initiating the tactics of France
priests are being fined in all direc
tions also for the mere exercise o
their priestly functions, which in SOM
mysterious way is made a crime
Thus, at Wilno the pastor, Fathe
Ziuska, has been condemned to pa,
a fine of 200 roubles for having bar
tised child which the authoritie
say was born of Orthodox parents
They even had the audacity to go s.
far as to suspend the priest from hi
functions for six months. Anothe
instance of this tyranny comes from
Minsk. At Wisneowska in the er
virons of Minsk M. Letowski ha
asked for and received authority t
build Catholic chapel. The chape
was completed, and arrangements ha
been made for it's conservation. TIL
Bishop had fixed date and numerou
invitations had been sent to tn
neighboring Catholic gentry whe
suddenly without warning the govern
ment authorization of the chapel wa
withdrawn, and there the beautifr
little building must remain with tn
finishing touches left undone, and ii
whole existence rendered shan
Again, from Odessa comes the stor
of the flning of another priest. Thi
time it is quite Ne Temere episod
only the boot is on the other leg, fc
it is the Government which resent
a Catholic priest marrying Cathol
gentleman, Russian subject, to a
Orthodox lady who was after all
Turkish subject, and the unfortunat
priest was condemned to pay
rouble fine.
Russianizing of CheIm.
In the Duma last week another a
tack was made on Poland. In an il
passioned speech M. Stolypin, broth'
of the murdered Minister, appeale
to the Duma to proceed immediate
with the partitioning of Chelm whit
is now under the Government of Wa
saw, but is to be placed according
the present scheme under that of
Petersburg. He said that unless tn
was Immediately done and Chel
made Russian this unhappy peopl
would be forever lost to Orthodox