The Penn's Grove record., 1917-08-24
FRIDAY, AUGUST "a, 1917
The Pope Proposes Peace

who is the spiritual head OF the Roman
Catholic Church and the would-be tenn
poral ruler of the universe. He prays
that material force be substituted by
moral force and that there be a reciprocal
movement for the Elimination of arma-
ment: that France be evacuated, Belgium
restored and the colonies be restored to
Germany.
The allied nations who are fighting for
democracy do not take kindly to the
Pope's proposal for peace. because mes
sages published in the daily papers de-
clare it was made with the foreknowledge
Of Austrian and German disp1omats.
The latest reports are that Austria is
under IA heavy strain from the italian
forces and the German lines in France
are being pushed back while American
air planes are damaging German lines in
Belgium.
The Pope has wonderful influences all
over the world and a plea from such a
source has great influence on the follow
ers of the Pope.
1t is hoped the message of the Pope
wifi have most influence where the war
started. There is where peace should be-
gin.
We VIII give a few historical facts
which few papers give and few readers
know.
The shark that started the war flame
was the assassination of Ferdinand. the
Crown Prince of Austria, while in Servia.
Austria is the strongest Roman Catholic
country in Europe. 1t has been only a
few years since Protestants were allowed
to hold their religious services in private
houses and be allowed a legal right to be
married. other than by a Catholic priest.
1t was the diplomatic agreement thru
Austrian influence to have the Catholic
religion taught in the schools of Servia
that aroused the Serbians against Austria
and fed to the assassination of Ferdinand.
The Servians are Slavs and mostly be-
long to the Greek Catholic church. whose
head was the Car of Russia. Hence.
Russia too modified to defend Servia. of
the same race and religion.
WHY ITALY FIGHTS.
Many years ago Austria took two pro-
vinces on the Adriatic Sea from Italy.
They are inhabited largely by Italians.
For many years liberal ideas grew UNI
der the leadership of General Garibaldi.
and resulted in overthrowing the temper
al power of the Pope in Italy and putting
King Victor Emmanuel as ruler.
This same Crown Prince Ferdinand.
who was shot by the Servians, often
boosted both in private and in public that
he would invade Italy with a powerful
army, taxi Rome and return it to the
Catholic Church, and thus re-establish the
ancient temporal power of the popes.
(See foot note).
Germany, the home of Martin Luther,
was once called a radical Protestant coun-
try. The Jesuits orders, the political
pr~opagandists of the Pope were expelled.
In 1870 the Vatican Council promulgated
the dogma of the infailibility of the Pope.
and brought conflict with those in power
IN the German government. But the
Catholic party organized and elected
members to the German legislative con-
gress so they held the balance of power
and had those laws repealed.
In last Sundays Philadelphia Ledger.
Mr.. Gerard, former Ambassador to Ger
many. said Ever since the Kulturkampf
began in Germany, the Centrum Catholic
party has held the balance of power nj
Germany, acting sometimes with the Con-
Servatives (who are the mainstay of the
divine right of Kings) and sometimes
with the Social Democrats" who favor a
Republic. But they are first and last for
the measures which favor the infallibility
of the Pope.
FRANCE AND THE POPE.
Within the past twenty years the Ca
tholic religious orders have been driven
from France. because they plotted against
the Republic. They nave come to Amer
lea, where influences are being made mani
fest. At intervals during the past 1000
Years there have been tribal wars between
Germany and France.
In 1870, the war between France and
Germany. France met a crushing defeat.
had to pay a billion dollars indemnity
and give up the French provinces of AL
SAGE and Lorraine. Kaiser Wilhelm ex-
pected to have as easy victory over the
French Republicans as his father did. If
Germany brushes France the rule of De
mocracy will be put out in Europe. The
of Germany ruled by the Catholic
vote will prevail in France. The
Catholic orders forbidden win be restored.
The central idea we wish to convey is
that if the Pope desires peace. has the
temporal and spiritual power he claims
IN Europe why can he not, why does he
not, start to get peace in Austria, where
he has the most powerful following to his
church? If he wants peace why does he
not the priests and other Cath
oics who hold legislative power, also the
balance of power in the Reichstag and
Bundesrat to vote with the Social Demo-
Gratis for peace and a Republic; vote to
have the army withdrawn from France
and Belgium?
The divine right of kings and the divine
right of Popes had the same origin from
the time that the church and state were
united. Much good was done by the
union in past centuries in destroying pa
gan worship, the separation was won in
bloody battles and the same ideas
are in deadly conflict today.
WHAT OF AMERICAN.
The Catholic orders expelled from
France have been received by no political
opposition in America. Roman Catholics
in peace and friendship with their
neighbors. The ideas of De-