The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-02-20
Broke up Meeting When Hot Water
Touched Them at the
Special Church
Services.
MAN FINED FOR ACT.
Pope Issues Old Time lnterdlct
Against Village Which Turned
Against Arch
bishop.

[By Henry Wood, Rome correspondent
OF the United Press.]
ROME, Feb. 20.-Domenico lombard
mas just been fined $50 for having at
tempted to wash the feet of the twelve
apostles with boiling water. Lombardi
is the sacristan Of the little church at
Castiglioncello. His fall from grace
took place on Holy Thursday last
year but 1t was only this week that
the court heard the case against him
and passed sentence.
On the occasion of the last celebra-
ton of Holy Thursday in the little
village, lombard assisted the parish
priest. Following custom more than
a century old, twelve of the most ven
cradle men of the community we're Sc
| lected to take the part of the twelve
.apostles. They were given seats in
| semi-circle at the foot Of the altar
for the carrying out Of the rite of the
washing of the feet. The congregation
included practically every inhabitant
of the village.
AS the ceremony opened, the parish
priest advanced intoning the psalms
of the service. After him came Lom-
bardi carrying the bucket of water
which was to serve for the actual
washing. The first OF the apostles on
whom the rite was performed was
John. The congregation noticed that
as he submitted to the ceremony, his
face took on a deadly pallor. They
attributed 1t however, merely to the
religious emotion aroused by the func-
ton in which he played 80 conspicu-
J GUS a part and to his own we'll known
deeply religious nature.
After John came Mark, Matthew,
and Luke. AS each of these submit
ted to the ceremony their faces, too,
became strikingly pallid Such dis
play of deep religious feeling was most
unusual and was not without percep
tible effect on the entire audience. In
fact, the deep fervor was quickly com
. municated to the latter and the cere
mony proceeded amlist a breathless
silence with every eye, many dimmed
by tears, riveted on the twelve ageo
men and the two officiating prelates.
For moment the congregation was
not duly disturbed. Coming from
i Judas such sacriligious outburst
was not to be regarded as an unac-
, countable thing. In fact, it seemed
) quite natural that his participation in
, such a ceremony should have on him
+ something of a disastrous effect.
. Two carabinieri who were in the
t congregation, quickly made their way
A to the raltars and with celebrity most
unusual in italian police circles, solved
at once the riddle. lombard had
made use of bucket of scalding wa
ter, which, while not too hard for his
toil-hardened hands was entirely toe
hot for the tender feet of the apostles
AS result Of recent demonstra
ton against Monsignor Giuseppe Ridol
fl, archbishop of Otranto, Pope Plus
has just placed the little village Of Gal
atina under interoict. The punishment
is one that WAS quite frequent in The
Middle Ages but to which the modern
popes have veyS seldom resortea
Under the terms Of the interdict, al
religious functions in the village have
been prohibited. These include TIL.
celebrating of the mass, the ringing
of the church bells, the public admin
istration Of the sacrament and ever
religious funeral services.
The only exceptions made are fol
the functions of baptism of babe.
and of the private celebration of mar
riages The latter however, canno
take place in the churches with thu
elaborate ceremony which usually &C
companies them in Italy. 1t is expect
ed that the interdict will remain il
force for at least several months.
Rome has just found a new use 70
some of its remains of antiquities othe
than the delectation Of tourists an,
the Fleeing of the latter by natiy,
guides. AS far as possible they ar
to be used as sites for the open al
schools which are being opened al
rrxr