The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-02-24
Pope REMAINS
STRICTLY NEUTRAL

Authoritative Information from Rome
Says That Position Of Holy Father
Has Not Changed Toward Any
Nation.
Rome, Feb. 15-The "Osservatore
Romano" contains the following:
"Some French papers have printed
statement said to have been given
by the Nuncio at Vienna, Mgr. Valfre,
di Bonzo, to the Viennese press to
the effect that the emperor had asked
him to obtain the Pope's Intervention
in favor of peace, publishing also the
affirmative reply which the Holy
Father was supposed to have given to
such request. We are authorized to
state that the notice has no founda-
ton whatever"
French papers are not the only ones
which were misled; the Italian papers
had the piece of news in question,
taking it from the Swiss press, which
claimed to have it from Germany, and
the Catholic press here was as much
misled as the other papers. Presum-
ably the mistake arose from the fact
that Austria communicated its note
to the Holy See as well as to other
powers. The Holy Father has not
had similar official communication of
the rest Of the peace notes, though,
of course, he has learned of them au-
thoritatively through his representa-
tives abroad.
1t is not always easy to control the
news from Germany, coming as it
must go through Switzerland and be-
ing subject to several censorships en-
route. Here, for instance, is an ex-
tract recently received, a sort of
pronouncement of the Catholics of Ba-
varia. 1t appears to be authentic, and
it is quoted here because it is not
the first time that such sentiments
have been expressed about the action
Of the Holy See, emanating from one
or another part of Europe-and the
answer is always simple and always
the same.
IF our devotion towards the Pope,
the representative of Christ" says the
Bavarian Catholics, twas not anchored
on our faith and our conscience, we
might begin to think that at Rome
German Catholics are not looked on
with great sympathy. Our faith and
devotion will support any and every
trial, for with us the Catholic religion
is not a question of sentiment of ma
tionality. All the same, it may not
be out of place to remind those re-
sponsible that it would be great mis-
take to think that we are going to let
ourselves be looked on as negligible
quantity and hold our peace forever"
VOPS oItIStsy NSUIraI.
The answer is that the Pope is Just
as neutral now as he has always been,
nor is his ecclesiastical direction of
the affairs of the Holy See influenced
in one way or another by the war. It
is perfectly true that recent acts have
shown a marked degree of good will
towards France; the expressions
which Cardinal Gasparri used in the
Journal" interview were unmistak.
able, and they were followed by the
elevation Of three French cardinals
and exceedingly kind utterances on
several occasions during the recent
consistory-but the elevation of
French archbishops to the purple was
ecclesiastical and not political.
Whatever the Holy Fathers own
ideas may be, whatever course of &C.
ton he may take in the direction of
the Catholic world in the probably
very much altered state of things
which will arise after the war, he is
as neutral now as he was when he
was raised TO the throne of Peter over
TWO years ago; nor will his attitude
be altered by comment now any more
than it was altered by the bitter re.
proaches of part of the press on the
side of the Allies which could not
appreciate the reasons of that neu.
tral1ty and would have had him act
IN the way they, not he, thought
proper
AND as regards the action, or in
action, of the Pope in the matter of
the recent peace proposals. Time and
again by letter and telegram your
correspondent has indicated what it
mas been possible to say of the Holy
Fathers policy as regards peace, iudg.
ing from his own utterances and from
the views of such as are close enough