The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-06-01
THE PAPAL BLESSING "URBI EFT
ORB" AND WHAT FOLLOWED
ITS SUSPENSIoN-DESCRlPTIoN
OF A UNIQUE CEREMONY IN
THE ETERNAL CITY.
(By VIM. F. Markoe.)

The following paper was read by
the writer at the last meeting OF the
Holy Name Society in st. Paul:
Just 48 years ago on Easter Sum-
day, the great spectacular ceremony
known as "The Papal Blessing of the
City and the World was performed
for the last time in Rome. Those
were the good old days of the
Temporal Power" when the Pope
was both king and pontiff and the pill
grim in Rome regarded the very
gendarmes he met in the streets
with a feeling Of confidence and rev.
erence, for they all wore the keys
of Peter" and the papal tiara on their
helmets, just as of old the soldiers
of Constantine wore the cross OF
Christ on their shields.
AS Plus TX, the good 'Pio Mono"
was the first pope in history to sur
pass "the years of Peter in Rome"
so he was the last one to perform
the ancient ceremony of blessing the
city and the world on Easter Sunday
in that memorable year of our Lord
1870 1t was my privilege to see it in
1S69-the last time but one-when !
had the good fortune to witness it
from an excellent coign of vantage
on the roof of one of the beautiful
marble colonnades that encircle the
immense piazza in front Of st. Peters,
like the arms of a loving mother
ctr ~ tn llra hnr nhi11~nn
The blessing used to be given from
the lofty ''loggia,' or balcony in front
of the basilica, some two hundred feet
from the ground. A huge awning
was stretched above it to protect the
participants from the rays of the sun.
Roman Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday dawned bright and
beautiful that year and many tourists
claimed to have seen the sun dane
ing in accordance with popular tradi-
ton, in honor of the resurrection of
the God of nature. At any rate, all
Rome was in gala attire, and St.
Peters was the center of attraction.
From an early hour detachments of
lulduGIy anu CdHdIy, SuIu1Adlo
coaches drawn by coal black horses in
shining harness and scarlet trappings,
with coachmen and footmen in scarlet
liveries, and a heterogeneous mass of
humanity could be seen Fastening
from all directions to view unique
ceremony that could be seen nowhere
| else in the world From my elevated
position the sight was truly inspiring
| Thousands of French and Italian
troops were up in long lines across
| the piazza and behind them were
packed a countless multitude of pill.
grims, tourists, sightseers and specta-
| tors gathered from the four quarters
| of the globe At a given signal a
| brilliant procession began filing out
! onto the balcony, bishops, abbots,
cardinals, Swiss Guards and Noble
| Guards, the diplomatic corps and
members of the Roman nobility, rang
| ed themselves on either side of the
spacious balcony, and finally Plus TX,
clad in snowy white garments, and
seated in his ''sedia gestatoria," or
|
of twelve men in scarlet liveries, was
placed in the center of the group with
the ''fiambelli," or great white fans of
ostrich feathers waving on either side
of him.
Two cardinals then advanced to the
railing and read announcements of the
blessing in Latin and Italian, then let
the papers drop from their hands.
| AS they f1oated slowly down like
white winged messengers from heaven
| to earth, they caused a near-riot
among the spectators below each of
whom was eager to secure one, to be
| treasured as a lifelong souvenir of
the suspicious occasion. One was
torn to shreds by score of strug-
| Cling hands, the other was seized by
a long outstretched hand that reached
far above the heads of the crowd and
clutched it in an iron grasp.
! Cosmopolitan Audience.
Then the pontiff rose to his feet,
looking in his flowing white robes the
very picture of majesty and benevo-
lence. The effect ON the crowds be-
low was magical. Like a vast corn
field swept by the wind, that immense
multitude of human beings fell upon
it's knees. Then the venerable pom
tiff stretching forth his arms and
turning slowly to the North, the
South, the. East and the West, sang
in that clear, powerful voice for
which he was noted, the "Benedictio
Urbi ct Orbi' Every word, every
| syllable could be distinctly heard. AS
| the final "Amen" died away on the
still air, the silence became positively
oppressive. You could hear your
heart beat. The intense suspense
lasted for several seconds, then came
the magic transformation scene.
| Twenty massed military bands struck
up the papal hymn, a battery of artil-
] lery Numbered salute from the Cas-
/ tie of San Angelo, all the church, bells
of Rome began pealing and Ginning,
and finally, that vast multitude,
moved, apparently, by an irresistible
impulse, rose to its feet and gave
/ / o+ Cd 10