The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-12-07

FATHER AGAINST VIOLATIONS
OF LAW.
Much Of the criticism directed
against the Pope on account of his
attitude towards the various bellig-
erents during the late war is based
on what is now known as the famous
"Latapie incident" The facts of the
incident are these, writes Mgr. Victor
Day, of Helena, Montana: Mr.. Louis
Latapie, representing La Liberte, d
French newspaper, was granted an in
tervieW with Pope Benedict XIV in
June, 1915. Shortly afterwards he pub
liShed his impressions Of the audience,
conveying the idea that the Pope
found little to criticize in the conduct
of Germany and much to complain of
in the policy of England. Naturally
these revelations, according to the
Anglican author of mo Small STIR"
had "a wild success and the ghost of
Mr.. Louis Latapie has not yet ceased
to squeak and gibber in the seances
of the 'no-popery' energumens. The
sequel to his performance has some
this: Three weeks after the publiCa-
tion Of Mr. Lapatie's statements, the
Pope, replying to an inquiry from the
Archbishop of Paris, said: I'VE refuse
all authority to the interview. Mr..
Latapie has in his article reproduced
neither our thought nor our words,
and he published it without any revi-
sion or authorization on our part,
despite the promise he made" This
effectively disposed of Mr.. Latapie. 1t
automatically removes all foundation
for criticism of the Pope.
What are the real facts about the
relations of the Pope with the chief
belligerents in the war? The war
broke out on July %, 1914. Plus X,
who then occupied the papal chair,
had sent a special ambassador to
Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria, to
urge him to arbitrate with Serbia and
mot stain his gray hairs with blood. "
The emperor refused to receive the
ambassador until after war had been
declared. The heart of Plus X was
broken and he died on August 20.
Benedict XIV was elected his successor
on September and was crowned on
September g. BY this time Germany
had invaded Belgium and, over-run-
at the gates of Paris. Benedict, who,
during the conclave, had been advo-
eating not only evangelical preaching
but also meeting the war situation
with precise diplomatic action, within
a week after his election, in paternal
but strong words, called upon all those
who direct the destinies of the people,
fully and seriously to consider their
own responsibility. A little later, i'll
a direct letter to the belligerents, he
the Christmas holidays. Had it not
been for the unwillingness Of some,
the truce might have been granted
and the war ended. On January %,
1915, he openly condemned the inva-
sion of Belgium and authorized Car
dinal Gasparri, the papal secretary Of
state, to- address the following state
ment to Mr.. van den Heuvel the Bel
gian minister at the Vatican: THE
violation of the neutrality of Belgium
carried out by Germany, on the ad-
mission Of her own chancellor, Won
Bethman-Hollwcg, contrary to interna-
tional law, was certainly one of those
injustices which the Holy Father in
his consistorial allocution Of January
% strongly reprobates." 1t was this
statement that drew from the Ham
burger Fremdenblatt, a leading paper
of Germany, the plant: The one
belligerent power against which the
Vatican has officially spoken is Ger
many" Here it may be said that the
Vatican was the only neutral power
in the world, which protested against
the invasion of Belgium. Even
America, up to the time of its own
entrance into the war, uttered no Off
cial condemnation of this action, so
fiagrantly violatiye of international
lava thing which ELECTED from
Colonel Roosevelt a bitter complaint
against the president of the United
States. To Mr. Laudet, director of the
"Revue Hebdomadare' of Paris, a few
weeks after the publication of the
Latapie statements the Pope said: Il
condemn strongly the martyrdom OF
the poor Belgian priests and SO many
other horrors on which light has been
cast" In reply to the Pope's protest
against the Belgian deportations,
Count Won Hertling states that Ger
many is disposed to refrain from
further forced deportations from Bel
gium to Germany, and to permit the
return of those who have been un
justly deported" No wonder Cardinal
Mercier, on his return from Rome
should write a pastoral letter to his
people, dated April %, 1915, in which
he thus enthusiastically refers to the
Popes efforts on behalf of Belgium:
''As for our Holy Father, Pope Bene
dict XIV, what could he do for the Bel
gians that he has not done? His very
first pontifical blessing was for US,
and he charged me to bring it to you
in his name. On two occasions he was
good enough to send generous dona.
tions to Belgium, in spite of the pov
oyfvy of bic TecoIIrcas In his fatheTly