The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-01-02
Venerable Brethren,
Health and the Apostolic eenedic.

Venerable Brethren,
Health and the Apostolic eenedic.
tion.
When by the inscrutable design of
Divine Providence, without any merit
on Our part, We were raised to the
Chair of the Blessed Prince of the
Apostles, considering as addressed to
Ourselves in the same way in which
Our Lord spoke to st. Peter the words,
Feed Ny Lambs. Feed My Sheep"
(St. John xxi. 15-17, We Immediately
turned Our eyes, with the deepest
feeling of charity, to the flock en-
trusted to Our care-an immense
flock, in truth, because under one as
pect or another it embraces all men.
For all for whom Jesus Christ of.
fered His Blood as price were freed
by Him from the slavery of sin; no
one is excluded from the benefits of
this Redemption. Wherefore the Di-
vine Pastor states that whilst a part
the fold of His Church, He will low
ingly compel the others to come in:
And other sheep have which are
not of this Fold; them also l must
bring and they shall hear My Voice"
(St. John X, 16). We shall not conceal
from you, venerable brethren, that the
first sentiment We experienced in Our
soul, and which was assuredly excited
there by the Divine goodness, was a
certain incredible impulse of zeal and
love for the salvation of all men; and
in accepting the Pontificate We formed
the same desire that Jesus Christ ex-
pressed when He was about to be
crucified: "Holy Father, keep them in
Thy Name whom Thou hast given Me-
| est. John xvii, 1D.
A Sad Spectacle.
Now when from the height of this
Apostolic dignity We can, as II at one
glance. contemplate the course of hu
! man events, and When We see before
Us the miserable condition of civil
society We are affected with acute
sorrow. And how could We, as the
common Father of all men, not be
sorely troubled at the sight of Eu
rope, and, indeed, of the whole world
1.-The most terrible and most painful
spectacle perhaps that has ever beer
presented in the course of history:
Those days which Christ predicted
seem in fact to have come: "Yor
shall hear Of wars and rumors Of
war For nation shall rise against
nation and kingdom against kingdom
Matt. xiv, go. The fearful appari
tion of war is prominent everywhere
and nothing else engages mems atten
tion. Great and tiourishing nations
are on the battlefelds. Can we won
der that as they are well supplied will
those horrible means of destruction
which the military art has invented
they fight against one another will
awful butchery? There is no limi
to the ruin and slaughter; every da.
the earth Is drenched with fresh bloot
and is covered with the wounded ant
the dead. And who would say tina
such men, armed one against the 9th
er, come from the same progenitor
that they are all possessed of thu
same nature and that all belong tt
the same human society? Who would
take them to be brothers, the sons o
one Father Who is in Heaven? Willis
on every side furious battles are be
ing fought with vast forces, nations
families, and individuals are oppressed
by sorrow; day by day the number
OF widows and orphans increases i'm
mensely. Commerce languishes owing
to the interruption of communications;
the fields are empty; the arts are
neglected.; the rich are in poverty
the poor in squalor, and all are in
grief
Appeal to Rulers and Governments
Moved by such grave evils, at the
very first step as it were, of the Sow
ereign Pontificate, We considered II
our duty to recall the last words OF
Our predecessor, a Pontiff of illustri
GUS and holy memory, and to com.
mence Our Apostolic Ministry by re-
peating them; and so We warmly. be-
seech rulern and .Goternmehts TO CON
slider the. teass: and thu blood already
shed and to hasten to restore TO. the
pepglo the tredious blessings OF peace.
May the mefcifal' God grant that, as
on the appearance of the Divine Re.
deemer upon the earth, so at the be.
ginning Of Our duty as His Vicar, the
angels voices may proclaim peace
on earth to men of good will" Luke
II. 14, and We pray that they may
listen who have in their hands the
destinies of States. Assuredly there
are other ways and other methods by
which Justice can be done to injured
rights. Let the belligerents, laying
down their arms, have recourse to
these, animated by good faith and in.
tentiOn. 1t is through love of them
and of all nations and not from any