Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-06-11
protestation to Rome.

The bishop of LIege, Mopseigneur
Rutten, sent protests not only to Com
mandant Bayer, but renewed the
same protest on August II TO Gener-
al Won koleWe, who mad then been APP
pointed military governor OF Liege.
No answer was received to any of
these protests.
Identical protests, but amplified
and energetically accentuated, says
the bishop, were renewed in an in
terview with the goVernor-general in
Belgium, field marshal the Baron Won
der Goltz Pacha, then lodged in the
Episcopal palace with his staff, on
August 10th.
Il priest accredited by His Emil
nence, Cardinal Piff1e, Prince Arch.
bishop of Vienna, made an inquiry in
Belgium in the name of the Priest
erverein' of Vienna, the results OF
which were published in the Tijd of
Amsterdam and in the Politiken OF
Copenhagen. The verdict was over
whelmingly against the German mill
tary authorities. So far as is known,
this report was never published IN
Germany or in America.
In their response to the French
Catholics, the German Catholics,
speaking of the violation of nuns, say
that when the German governor gem
eral in Belgium addressed himself on
the subject to the Belgian bishops,
the Archbishop of Malines, Cardinal
Mercier, caused it to be made known
that he could furnish no precise IN
formation as to any case whatever OF
the violation of nuns in his diocese.
Thereupon Cardinal Mercier pub
lished his correspondence with Baron
Won Kissing ON this delicate subject,
in which he said that the priests were
bound to respect secrets of the con-
fessional, and physicians those of
their profession; that he would not
submit any nun to an interrogatory,
and that no good could come from
discussion of the subject. But when
his words we're mislnterpreteo, ne
wrote:
81 wrote indeed to the governor
general that l could furnish no pre-
else information, because my con-
science forbade me to deliver to any
tribunal whatever the information
alas! too precise-which 1 possess.
Assaults on nuns have been com
mitted. | believe them, happily, to be
not numerous, but they occurred, to
nv knowledge, several times"
The cardinal thereupon published
in its entirety his correspondence with
the governor general.
The White Book is fully analysed
by the Grey Book of the Belgian gov
eminent ("Response au Livre Blanc
Allemand, etc 1897, and in a me-
MORE published in 1917 by the Bel
gian government ("LArmee ale
mande a Louvain en- aout 1914, ct lie
Livre Blanc Allemand de 10 mai
1859. This review is a very able
and conclusive examination and pre-
sentation of the whole subject.
Monseigneur Rutten, Bishop of
Liege. as early as August 16, 1914,
had written to Commandant Bayer,
German military governor of Liege:
81 appeal to your heart as a man
and a Christian and l beseech you TO
put stop to the executions and re-
prisals. Ihave been informed repeat
eddy that several villages have been
destroyed; that many notables,
among them priests, have been shot;
that others have been arrested, and
all have protested that they were in
nocent. AS l know the priests OF my
parish, l cannot believe that any one
of them was guilty of acts of cruelty
to German soldiers. l have visited
several hospitals, and have seen that
they are as we'll cared for as the Bel
gians. They themselves have testl-
fed to this. l do not wish to discuss
past events; 1 only ask of you in the
name of humanity and of God, to pre-
vent acts of reprisal against our
harmless population. These reprisals
can no longer have any useful object,
but will only push the population to
the depths of despair.
ct should be pleased to discuss the
matter with you, for | am confident
that it is your wish, as it is mine, to
lessen the hardships of war rather
than to increase them. At the last
minute | learn that the curate o.
R has been arrested and COP
Quoted to the. Chartreuse Ga fort). !
do not know what the accusation
against him Is, but do know that he
is incapable of committing a hostile
act toward your soldiers. He is a
good priest; gentle and charitable.
can vouch for him, and beg you TO
send him back to his parish.
(coutipued Next Issue)