The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-09-10
Cardinal Mercier Arrives in New
York and is rendered Cordial
Reception by City Officials
and Churchmen.
WAS FIRST IN FIRM
STAND AGAINST GERMANS
As Leader of Two and a Half
Million Catholics His Fierce
Resistance Did Great Part in
Staying German Avalanche.

New York, Sept. 9.-Cardinai Mer-
cier. primate Of Belgium. arrived today
from Brest on the transport Northern
Pacific. He was met down the bay
by the mayors committee of welcome
and church officials.
Belgium's beloved spiritual prince.
guardian of the welfare of 2,500,000
Roman Catholics in the little king
dom whose first fierce resistance
stayed the German avalanche, Cardi-
nal Desideratus Mercier, was born on
November %. 1851. in Braine d'Allend.
a village only few miles from
famous Waterloo.
Typical of the heroism of King AL
bert's countrymen, this physically
frail, but intellectually powerful pre-
late of the church. stirred the whole
world to admiration of his courage
when, on the first war Christmas, in
1914, with Germans everywhere in Bel
gium. he issued his famous pastoral
letter. denouncing the invader and
urging his people to resist in these
words:
Germany has violated her oath.
We can neither number our dead nor
compute the measure OF our ruins.
Occupied provinces are not con-
,quered provinces. The authority of the
invader is no lawful authority. There
fore, in soul and in conscience you
owe it neither respect, attachment or
obedience
Later, in protesting against the de-
portation of the Belgians for forced
labor, he threatened Germany with
the reprobation of the civilized
world, the judgment of history and
the chastisement of God"
Fifteen thousand copies of the Car
dinal's letter were seized and destroy
ed. the printer was arrested and fined
and the brave priest was kept a pris-
oner in his palace by order of General
Won Bissing until a retraction of the
pastoral had been signed" The Car
dinal not only refused to retract his
statements, but became even more
defiant
He was given his liberty, finally,
and continued to use his voice and
pen against the mailed fist in crys-
tallizing world opinion against the
central powers. All during the war,
however, he was subjected to petty
prosecutions and his secretary and
other aides were thrown in Jail. He
went through the bombardments of
Antwerp and Malines and braved the
perils of the common soldier.
Cardinal Mercier was created and
proclaimed a member of the Sacred
College on April Is, 1907. Before that
he was professor in the University of
Louvain, which was repeatedly pill
LACED and desecrated in the war; The
prelate's distinguished service for
Belgium throughout the war has been
told in frequent news dispatches. Less
is publicly known of his early career
as a churchman.
The Cardinal studied at st Rom
bouts college. Malines. and the dio-
cesan seminary in the same place. He
was ordained to the priesthood April
4, 1874 entered the seminary at Nal
ines in 1877 as a professor of philos-
ophy after taking a course in theology
at the University of Louvaine and
five years later was called to the
university as professor of Thomistic
or liberal philosophy. In 1856 Pope Leo
XIII appointed him a domestic pre-
late, with the title of Monsignor.
He comes of distinguished religious
family, other members of which have
won honors in the church. One uncle.
the BIT Rev. Adrian Croquet, born in
1878, was a pioneer missionary among
the Indians for thirty-eight years in
the Canadian northwest. He died inl
Belgium in 1902 and it is the Cardinals
wish to visit the scene of his uncle's
labors.
Cardinal Mercier's visit to the Uni
ted States is largely the result of inn
portunities from all sections of thel
country. As President Wilson is absent
from Washington the Cardinal will pay
his first respects to Cardinal Gibbons
in Baltimore and visit the White
House later in his tour. According toi
present plans the noted Belgian pre-
lates itinerary will include, besides
the cities mentioned. Philadelphia, |
Pittsburg. Scranton. Albany. Boston.
Providence. Hartford, Springfield, De-
troit. Cincinnati. St. Louis and Chi |