The Irish standard., 1917-09-22
The Pope and THE
PEACE CONFERENCE

Rumors Current in Certain Interna-
tional and Political Circles in Eu-
rope Make the Question Pertinent
One for cathoIics-The Influences
Which Barred Pontiff From The
Hague Conference Two Decades Ago
Will They be Effective Now If In
voked?-The Position of the United
States IN Such an Attempt-What
the Pope Has Done for Peace-The
Most Important Figure in the World
Today in Relation to Subject.
The world stands amazed at the
effect of Americas Intervention in the
war on the Irish question. 1t has
paralyzed even many Of the die-hard.
But there is another matter on which
the people of America will be heard,
and it is, in its way, quite as serious
to the winning Of peace as the Irish
question. There are eighteen million
Catholics in the United States, led by
eminent and capable men, both in the
ecclesiastical and civil spheres, and
they are asking pertinent questions
about the conditions under which
their President and his administration
agreed to combine with the entente
powers. They have been satisfied in
regard to Ireland, but in regard to the
position of the ruler whose every word
is weighed in every country of the
world, no pronouncement has yet been
made, though rumor has been busy.
Owing to an agreement between
England and Italy, the Pope was ex-
cluded from the first peace congress
at The Hague eighteen years ago. In
the English Catholic Review, Rome, of
January is, 1916, we find the following
passage:
"Has the Pope already been ex-
cluded from any future peace con-
gress? Three weeks ago we received
private information on this matter.
We hesitated to publish it. Today a
Roman agency, the Correspondents,
received from Zurich (Switzerland)
the following dispatch: The daily
paper Zuricher Neuste ,Nachrichten
says It is certain from we'll authen
ticated information that in the Lon
don agreement-(signed by the Judeo
Masonic clique governing France, the
royal governments of England and
Italy, and the now defunct autocratfc
regime of Russia)-there is a clause
which excludes any modification in the
law of guarantees. And can add
says the correspondent (of the Roman
agency, that there is also a clause
which excludes the Intervention of the
Pope, no matter for what reason, in a
future peace conference
"The agreement here referred to has
become known as the London pact
According to it's terms, the Pope's par
ticipation in any future peace confer
ence is excluded. The United Statet
cannot become q party to such an
agreement without disregarding all
claims of justice and outraging Cath
olic sentiment. With that country'f
entry into war, and with other small
neutrals wavering, the Pope is today
the only International power of conse
quence left to direct the mind of q
war-swept world to thoughts of peace
while his past record of beneficent
Intervention gives him right to make
his voice heard in the councils of the
nations.
I'm February, 1915, Europe, observ
ed Peace Sunday at the Pope's re
quest; in this country the occasion
was observed on March 21st. In July
he issued an appeal to the heads OF
the belligerent nations, implorine
them to discontinue the awful carnage
Through his Intervention thousands Of
wounded soldiers and exchanged civil
fans have passed through Holland and
Switzerland, homeward bound. Prison
ers Of war from both groups of bel
ligerents have been sent to Swiss hos
pitfalls to recuperate. The Pope was
further instrumental in establishing
bureaus In Rome, Vienna, Fribourg
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