Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-08-27
PEACE PROPOSAL
OF THE POPE
Generally Misunderstood and Mis-
represented
THE ONLY SPECIFIC PROPOSAL
OF Benedict XIV Must Be Accepted Or
5 Europe and u. S. Will Settle Down
To Contiguous Warfare
THE ONLY SPECIFIC PROPOSAL
lContributed.)

jingoists and anti-Catholics will, OF
course. make copy of what the igno-
rant and the hostile so readily dis
Germ as pro-German in the Pope's
peace proposals. such persons will
avail themselves gladly of the oppor-
tunity to play upon the blind passions
of national revenge. and racial hatred,
and religious prejudice. They VIII
seize with avidity upon the least ex-
cuse to calumniate the Pope and as
sociate the Papacy with the powers OF
darkness. But such a hue and cry
will only serve to bring more and
more into public prominence the great
power and weight of the Pope's mes
sage. which. under careful scrutiny,
proves to be the most diplomatic and
at the same time the most Christ-like
utterance bearing upon world prob
lens since the war began.
To understand and appreciate the
Popes peace proposals it is neces-
sary TO understand the Office of the
Pope and his relations TO the people
of the earth
The Pope is the visible head OF
church that is not an earth-born,
worldly sect, but a mystic body built
by Christ TO teach, sanctify and gov
ern all men of every nation, kindred,
tribe and tongue. This Church does
not confine herself TO one territory or
one race, the whole world is her field.
Like Christ, she address all mankind
in the same ringing tones: Il am the
Way, the Turth and the Lifei No man
can come to the Father save through
Mel" She exists as Christ died, TO
save all men, Through Christ she
lays claim to all, whether they are
officially known as Catholic, Protest
ants. Jew or infidel. The Protestant,
the Jew and the infdel may vehement
ly repudiate being spiritually monopo-
lized by the Catholic Church, but that
is her attitude toward them. They are
all her charges as she is the Bride OF
Christ and He is the Saviour of the
world She is responsible to God for
them. they are hers TO save and TO re-
claim; the good and the sincere,
wherever they be. are united with her
soul and share in her suffrages. Her
spiritual aims are universal, like the
aims of God, and her mind is omni-
present, like the mind of God She
is peculiar to no race, she belongs to
no nation, no country is her particu-
lar apostolate, she is partial to none;
the world is her sphere. The Catho-
lie Church is the Kingdom of God on
EARTH" the daughter of righteousness,
wed to the Prince of Peace, with the
same mind and voice and heart and
soul as her Divine Spouse.
The visible head of this kingdom of
God on earth is the Pope, and he is
the successor to st. Peter, the Prince
of the Apostles, and is the Vicar OF
Christ, the representative of God on
earth. Notwithstanding non-Catholic
reputation of the fact.
As he is the visible Head of the
Catholic Church, the-Pope must have
the same mind as she has, and bear
the same attitude toward the world.
The Papacy must have the character
of the Church He is a man of no
COOhNtN. ne OCAOhoS " ~ @es~~s
espouses no nation The world is his
country.
AS he is the Vicar of Christ, the
representative of God on earth, so are
all men his children on earth, to be
spiritually governed by him and di-
rected in matters of faith and morals,
in which, by the power of the Holy
Ghost and the mercy and wisdom of
God he is preserved infallible, for the
sake of the authority and indefecti-
bility of the Gospel, but only in such
matters.
The Pope then is the universal
father of all on EARTH he is partial
to no tribe or kindred or tongue; all
are equally his children in God. He
must give mankind the self-sacrifcing
pastoral care of the Vicar of Christ
he must exercise toward all the in
finite love and patience and wisdom
and forbearance of the representative
of God; whenever he is brought into
dealings with the peoples of the earth
this spirit must characterize his
actions
We are not discussing the phenome-
non of sinful Popes, nor are we
specializing upon the mystery of a
Judas in the sacred Apostleship. we
are. merely presenting for study the
constitution of the Papacy that We
may understand and appreciate Pope
Benedict's peace proposals.
Having now gained clear concep-
ton of the office of the Pope and his
relationship TO the world, discussion of
his proposition will be more to the
point.
Benedict XV's message was charac
teristic of the universal fatherhood of
a Pope, of the diplomacy of neutral
sovereign, and the meek and gentle
magnanimity of Christ, who never re-
viled his executors. only prayed for
them, Father. forgive them for they
know not what they do" At the
sacrifice of his personal feelings for
Catholic Belgium His Holiness made
no point of denouncing Lutheran Ger
many. He addressed the belligerents
collectively, showing partiality to
none. making no effort to gain the ia
vor of any of the powers involved
There was golden opportunity be-
fore him to win the approval of the
majority of the governments in this
war had he expressed himself as af-
fairs would seem to suggest. and
h