The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-12-20
written for The Catholic Bulletin
by Rev. o. r. BaIducci)


Mayor of Rome, harangued small
crowd of crack-brained anti-clericals
and hurled insults at the Pope and the
Church. Bitterly affected by such an
impudent provocation, Catholics all
over the world, but especially in Ger
many and America, raised their voices
in protest against him and asked how
Italy could allow such a fanatic Sec
tartan to be the chief executive of the
Eternal City and permit him to bias
pheme, as he did, in it's sacred name.
Somebody, forgetting in his zeal that
in democratic countries rulers have a
very limited power, went so far as to
demand from King Victor Emmanuel
III, an official reputation and con-
dign punishment of Mr.. Nathan. AS
Mr.. Nathan was not dismissed by
the political authorities of the country
for this inexcusable blunder many
people in Europe and America, be-
ieved that he had the tacit support of
the Italian government and that his
sentiments were shared by the great
majority of the people. Then large
part of the international press, echo
ing the voice of millions of Catholics
outraged by Mayor Nathan, took a
strong tone of reprobation, not only
against him and his companions, but
against Italy and the Italians. In
spite, however, of the Indifference
with which the inhabitants of the
sunny peninsula seem sometimes to
witness the assaults made by irrespon-
sible persons upon the Pope and re-
ligion, it is a fact that all the Italians,
except, of course, the frenzied extrem-
lists, sincerely and deeply regretted the
insolent words of Mr. Nathan. The
great majority of the Italians are still
profoundly religious and they remain
faithful to the Pope as their spiritual
head The most influential of them
answered Mr.. Nathan, as he deserved,
in the press and-in,y publ c-meetings,
and gave expression to the indigna-
ton of the Christian world. The
Italian Catholics, be it said to their
honor, did their utmost, while keeping
within the law, to make the Jews and
the Masons understand once for all
that they wanted the venerable sue
cessor of st. Peter absolutely re-
spected in the center of the universal
Church. But if the Italian Catholics
reproved Mr.. Nathan in the name of
their faith, as it was their duty, the
Italian liberals condemned him with
equal vehemence in the name of toll
erance, of education, of political tact,
and above all, in the name of the dig
nifty of Italy. "Il Giornale d'Italia" OF
Rome, I'll Corriere della Sera" of
Milan, LA Stampa" of Turin, LA
Malone of Florence, and all the great
liberal newspapers of Italy immediate
ly disavowed Nathan's stupid and ma
licious harangue. They ridiculed his
speech for it's ideas, it's tone, and its
grammatical mistakes. When the
Italian liberals realized the bad i'm
preston caused by that speech beyond
the frontiers of their own country,
they asked all the foreigners to re-
member that a mayor does not repre-
sent the opinion of great nation like
Italy.
Protests by Liberal Leaders.
The protest of the Catholic and lib
eral press was followed by words of
condemnation uttered by some of the
most eminent public men of Italy.
Let me quote only what was said by
two of them, General Pelloux and
Senator Paul Molmenti, both men of
international reputation.
General Pelloux wrote long letter
to the Minister of the Interior, Honor
able Luigi Luzzatti, in which he asked
what means could be employed, with
out violating liberty, to prevent the
recurrence of similar scandals He
said: Il am one of those soldiers who
took Rome on the goth of September
1870. When we entered Rome we
promised the Catholic world to respect
scrupulously the independence and
the dignity of the Pontiff. We should
never let anybody think that the
Italian government forgets it's most
solemn pacts."
Senator Paul Molmenti, another lib
eral, known among scholars as one OF
the most illustrious historians and
brilliant critics of art of our time, in
memorable address in the Italian
Senate, expressed the sentiments OF
his colleagues, when he pointed out
that Mr.. Nathan, elected Mayor of
Rome by the mysterious underhand
work Of the secret societies, was a
foreigner and was not entitled to as
sumo dictatorial airs, much less to
speak and act in the name of Italy.
Among other things he said: Con
slider how lenient we Italians are
towards foreigners! We accord them
our nationality, we give them all the
rights of citizenship, we even confer
on them high positions in public life.
How do they pay us back for this
liberality? BY trying to make them
selves the masters of our country,
spelling our monuments, compromising
our reputation abroad, as does Mr..
Nathan, a foreigner, who is ignorant
not only of our history but even of
our language" Some critics went
even farther and called Mr.. Nathan.
IAN English jew" man of dubious
blood and mysterious origin, who