New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-29
Chain of Prayer
Is DisavoWed
No New Appeal Is Con
templated by Holy
Father, Cardinal
Declares

ROME, Tuesday, Nov. 27.-The Papal
Secretary Of State, Cardinal Gasparri,
answering the numerous criticisms re-
garding the Vatican's peace attitude,
issued 10 the press to-day the follow
ing statement:
"The Holy Father is not preparing
any new appeal looking toward peace.
His earnest desire, many times mani
tested, for a Just, Christian and
durable peace, is unchanged, and can
not change. Who can crave anything
else and call himself Christian?
"To say that His Holiness favors, or
has favored, or will favor an unjust, un-
Christian and undurable peace is not
only false, but also absurd. Any propa-
ganda for such peace. alleged to be
conducted at the Vatican's inspiration,
especially in certain nations, is the
product of pure righteousness. A chain
of prayer has always been reprobated
by the Holy See, and bishops and
priests in the United States of Amer
lea and elsewhere are warned against
them, particularly those having any
such propaganda behind them.
Such Prayers Superstitious
"Also, American Catholics and others
are cautioned that such prayers are
species of superstition.
"The Catholic Church has always
regarded patriotism as Christian
duty and a Christian virtue, and still
so teaches. The fact that the Italian
parliament has had warm eulogy for
the clergy should be sufficient to refute
the calumnies which irresponsible per-
sons have circulated and are circulat-
ing in the foreign world. Malicious
insinuations propagaJed in America
and the tendency TO attribute in great
part to the Italian clergy responsibility
for the recent situation must be de-
nounced In Italy no fair-minded per-
son is attributing the situation to the
clergy.
when the disruptIve propaganda be-
gan to affect the morale of the Italian
army, the clergy in general and also the
army chaplains, following the instruc-
tions and The example of the chaplain
in chief. labored to counteract 1t and
elevate the morale of the troops. More
than once the army chaplains informed
the chaplain in chief, who informed the
supreme civil authorities, Of the dis
ruptive movement that was creeping in
and all that long before the publica-
tion of the Papal note.
Causes of Reverses Shown
"The true causes of the recent ltal-
ian reverses are perfectly well under
stood in Italy, and the shoulders on
which rest the responsibility for the
reyerses are we'll known-a RESPONSE
bility which certainly does not apply
to Catholics, the clergy and, least of
all, the august person of the Sovereign
Pontiff.
"In one case the Holy See ordered
the suppression of a newspaper con-
tanning imprudent observations.
Finally, is it necessary to repeat
that the Pontifical appeal, which some
have. ignorantly criticised, was ad-
dressed to the chiefs of the govern
ments for consideration in the official
chanceleries? The governmental au-
thorities first gave it TO the press and
the public. The Holy See published
and commented on it in the 'Osserva-
tore Romano the Vatican's official
organ, only when the false interpreta-
tions of others, whether innocent or
wilful, necessitated such action"