The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-01
Continued from page IL
Confessor in Constantinople

|
| on their knees around their priest
| who blessed and encouraged them.
| All prepared for the worst. The mob
entered and furiously sought the OBJ.
ject of their rage; they found him alb
sorbed in prayer, surrounded by his
| devout flock, but undeterred by the
touching spectacle, the fanatics began
| their torture.
First they tore the beard from his
face; then they plucked his hair from
his head-he wore it long-with such
violence that the skin came with it.
Dragging him into the street the
butchers amused themselves by kick
! ing his body and leaping over 1T.
Then they poured oil upon him with
the intention of burning him alive in
the street, but the shrieks of the
women who were present at this bar
| barous scene, saved him from this tor.
ture. Next they decided to cast him
into the sea, and dragged the swoon-
| ing man to the bank, but deciding he
had not yet suffered enough they
flung him upon a boat and proceeded
further to maltreat him.
At this .juncture, drawn by the
| shouts and cries, a group of young
men appeared on the scene. Moved
to pity they rushed through the crowd
and flung themselves before the tor
tured missionary. Then drawing re-
| y01y 10 700 For
themselves to nearby skiff in which
they placed him and succeeded in get
ting him safely to another town
where the Armenian Catholic priest
resided.
The latter placed the poor sufferer
in bed and tended him carefully for
several months, after which he re-
gained health and strength. Pope
Plus x wrote to him these consoling
words: 81 firmly believe that the
blood you have shed for the faith will
produce an abundant harvest
One year later Father Papadopoulos
was made Bishop of the Greek Catho-
lies at Constantinople, the number of
whom is yearly increasing.
1t was thought by the Bishop that
the chapel provided for the newly
found flock in his house would suffice
for some time, but it soon became in
adequate, especially after the first
public procession presided over by His
Grace. This procession was a great
a historic event-being the first pro-
cession of the Greek rite in the
streets of Constantinople for ten
centuries or since the outbreak of the
schism. The event took place on the
Easter Sunday of 1912, and to mark
it's importance the Papal Delegate him.
self was present. e
A mission field enriched by the
blood of it's founder who yet lives to
become it's first bishop can surely be
said to possess the especial protection
of Divine Providence and to be des-
tined for great things. Several posts
have already been established in out
lying towns and villages, and still
others will be unless financial diff
culties prevent. The great heart of
Mgr Papadopoulos wishes to embrace
: all the country, but what can he do
: with lack of both soldiers and arms
Situation is Critical.
East has been critical for long time.
Many of the missions confided to the
Assumptionists have been closed be
cause there were no native apostles
of the Greek Rite to replace the
European priests of the same rite
called home to the war or expelled by
the Turks.
In my own mission I succeeded in
building school almost with my own
hands. This was necessary for more
reasons than one, as the Turks have
impressed into military service all the
workmen of proper age.
Going still further they have seized
furniture in the houses, leaving women
and children to perish of want and
misery.
The harassed missionary gives all
he can procure to these suffering
creatures, but so inadequate are his
means that often he sees them faint
: ing on the ground before his door
!. Unhappy people and also most unhap
: ply missionary.
The history of the Church shows
that all the works of God are tested
r by trials at the outset; the work in
TRUSTED to Mgr. Papadopoulos must il
t turn submit to this law. But through
:. the clouds already ray of bright ligh
} may be seen, which seems to desig
$ nate the end of the time of trial and
e the beginning of the realization of The
d hopes on which this work was estab
r lished
), When the great Pope Leo XIII con
r ceived the idea of establishing Greel
g Catholic community in the centre o
s the schism, Constantinople, his inten
/ ton was to prepare the ground fol
$ the ablishment of the Greel
e Catholic Hierarchy in that historica
q city. Unfortunately he died besor'
# being able to execute his plan, bu
d the seed he had already planted
could not but produce some fruit
-