Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-01-15
PLEA OF POPE
IS FOR Union
OF CHURCHES
Letter Expressing His Views
Sent to Protestant Confer
ence at Garden City, N. 7.

conference OF faith and order heard a
plea for universal peace on January 4.
A letter from Cardinal Peter Gasparri,
papal secretary Of state, pledging the
pope's support to the movement was
received with applause.
The letter from Cardinal Gasparri
follows:
The Vatican
Your project Of an international
convention OF all who believe in Jesus
Christ as God and Savior to accom-
plish the speedy fulfilment of the
final prayer of the Lord that all may
be one, ! have, in obedience to your
request, submitted to the most blessed
father.
Il need not here describe the affec-
ton with which saw the august pom
tiff kindled for you. For you well
know that the plans OF the Roman pom
tiffs, their cares and their labors have
always been specially directed to the
end that the principles which Jesus
Christ ordained and santified with his
divine blood should be most zealously
guarded and maintained whole, pure
and ever Astounding in love, and that
II should both let its light shine and
open wide its door for all who rejoice
in the name of man and who desire
TO gain holiness upon earth and eter-
nal happiness in heaven.
Pleased With Project.
The august pontiff therefore was
pleased with your project of examin.
ing In a sincere spirit and without
prejudice the essential form of the
church, or the inner essence of the
church, and he earnestly hopes that
under the spell of its native beauty
you may settle all disputes and work
with prosperous issue to the end that
the mystical body of Christ be no
longer suffered to be rent and torn
but that by harmony and cooperation
OF mems minds and likewise by the
concord of their wills, unity of faith
and communion may at last prevail
throughout the world of men.
Thanking you, then, that you have
thought well to request the aid and
support of the Roman pontiff in expe-
diting your worthy project, his holi.
ness expresses his earnest desire that
the end may answer your expectation,
and he asks the same of Christ Jesus
with fervent prayers all the more be.
cause, with the voice of Christ him.
self sounding before and bidding him,
he knows that himself, as the one to
whom all men have been given over
to be fed, is the source and cause of
the unity of the church."
To request for permission to
give this letter some publicity his
eminence replied in part:
The august pontiff therefore kindly
permits that copies of my letters,
which though faithful, are yet but
a faint portrait of the pontifical love,
shall be sent to all to whose welfare
and peace you believe they will con.
tribute.
IT Is a pleasure to repeat the en-. |
oouragement that the aid and earn. |
est prayers of the Roman pontiff will |
never be lacking to any one who, hav.
ing freed himself from prejudiced opin. |
Ion, with a true and sincere will /
strives. with all his strength that the /
unity OF faith and fellowship instituted /
by Christ and built upon Peter may
be restored, and that all who are en-
rolled in the name of Christian may
hetake themselves to the bosom of the |
one most loving church and may be /
: joined and associated as members with
Christ the head"
Creates Big Stir.
Church dignitaries of 20 Protestant
denominations attending the confer. /
ence heard the Yatican's plea for uni.
versal peace. The letter telling of the
pontiff's interest in church unity ere
ated tremendous stir.
The letter was received in silence. i
1t was utterly unexpected. But a mo
ment later the ministers applauded yo
ciferously.
The Right Rev. c. p. Anderson, Pro-
testant Episcopal bishop of Chicago
he said:
flict, the world asks, Has Christianity |
failed? 1t is a fair question as to |
whether a united church might not
have preserved the. peace of the
world.
I'VE look out upon the church today ]
and tinstead of an interior indestructi. |
BILE and united we find it externally I
rent and torn asunder, largely disin |
tegrated and incapable of molding the
nations conscience.
Killing Power Of Church.
IIsolation, separation and disinte.
grafton are dispelling the power of the
church of Jesus Christ. A bewflder-
ed world and divided church are
crying, How long. oh Lord, how long
until peace be established between ma.
lions and unity made amongst the
churches
in face of the religious conditions
today is there any Christian who will
care or dare to stand aloof from a
movement so thoroughly filled with
mutual trust and conscience and SC
charged with loyalty to Jesus Christ
and his church,"