The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-03-01


of the world is now almost an uncut
tivated land covered with vast ruins
of its former grandeur. The tale liz
the same wherever the Turk holds
sway.
War Against the InfideIs.
For eight centuries the Popes were
unceasing in their warning against
this ever-encroaching infidel, untiring
in their efforts to check the advance
of this common danger. It was not
merely that the Holy Places were un-
der the rule of Islam that has given
us the unique spectacle of the Church
for hundreds of years trying to unite
her children in holy war, but prin-
cipally the fact that for all that time
a tremendous peril was threatening
the civil and religious freedom of Eu-
rope Sylvester II was the first to try
to unite Europe in the cause, st.
Gregory VII gathered an army, Urban
II promoted the crusade, and Eugenius
commissioned st. Bernard to preach
the Holy War. From that time onward
Pope after Pope attempted sometimes
successfully, sometimes unsuccessful.
ly, to rally the Christian nations
round the standard of the Cross
Jealousies between kings and princes,
the internal quarrels of countries, and
the miserable treachery of the schis.
matte Greeks often proved insuperable
obstacles. Nothing the Pope could dc
could prevent the calamitous fall OF
Constantinople Still the Papal policy
was successful to great degree, and
the invocation of Our Lady as the
Help of Christians in the Litany Of
Loretto placed there by. Plus v in
thanksgiving for the overthrow of the
naval forces of the Turks at the
battle of Lepanto,, the institution o.
the festival of the Holy Name Of
Mary by Gregory XIII, and of the
Holy Name of Mary for the victory
of Vienna by Innocent XIII, are the
liturgical memorials of some of the
triumphs of the Popes. The Popes
curbed and defied even if they could
not overthrow the Ottoman power
Without that unity which, in spite Of
every obstacle, the See of Peter was
able to give to Europe, the West
ern civilization would have vanished
in the degradation Of Turkish prov
ince
The Military Orders of the Church
AS one of the results of the
Church's untiring zeal and vigilance
for the safety of Christendom we fine
those extraordinary institutions, the
great military orders. OF all profes
sions that of arms would seem to be
furthest removed from religious influ
ences, and yet the Church with thai
marvellous gift that she has of spirit
ualizing everything, formed those
great religious brotherhoods o.
knights and gave them the constitu
ton and character of religious orders
They were bound by their vows O.
poverty, chastity, and obedience, they
recited their Office and they Tough
the battles of the Church. Their mon
asteries were citadels and yet true
monasteries, and the knights by theil
VOW of obedience and their zeal fol
the faith realized military ideal that
is but seldom reached. The crusades
were transitory in their nature and
destined to meet some special danger
These orders of knighthood were the
permanent ramparts that the Church
erected against the Turk. Such were
the Teutonic Knights and the knights
Hospitallers of st. John.
The heroic defence of Malta in
1865 by the Grand Master La Vallette
with his handful of knights is worthy
to rank with the victory of Lepanto
This important bulwark of Christen
dom was held by the Knights of Malta
in the teeth of all assaults from 1886
to 1898. The Order of st. Stephen
was founded in 1861. 1t had its prin
cipal house at Pisa and kept certain
number of galleys equipped to fight
naval battle with the Turks and pro
tect the trade of the Mediterranean
It is interesting to note that our own
English Orders of the Garter or the
Bath were founded in imitation of the
ancient religious orders of knights.
Against Turk.
The one supreme fact of the present
Balkan war is that it is an attempt on
the part of small Christian powers to
liberate Christian peoples from the
tyranny and murderous persecution OF
the Turk. For the most part those
peoples are not Catholic, but belong
L.. eo.,