The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-02-15
Idealism of Great War.


and high spiritual purposes she main
tanned throughout the great struggle.
/ America entered the war, not for ag-
| greSsion or conquest, but to Vindi-
cate the rights of her own citizens
and to obtain for all the nations of
the world, small and great alike, the
right of self-determination. Casting
aside all selfishness, she threw all her
manpower and all her resources into
the great contest. Renouncing all re-
wards and indemnities she rose to
the full stature of her national ira
ditions. Her position clarified the
war aims of her associates and her
| President became the spokesman and
| interpreter of the Allies.
When the history of this war is
written three figures will stand to-
gether with Marshal Foch as best ex-
pressing the idealism that shines
through it's dark pages of horror.
Mercier.
The first is that of Cardinal Mer-
cier-the voice of martyred Belgium.
1t was a wonderful dispensation of
| Providence that in 1906 called Desire
Joseph Mercier from the chair of
Thomistic philosophy in the Univer-
sity of Louvain to the Primatial See
of Malines. The popular mind asso-
ciated him with speculation rather
| than with action, with the quiet duties
| of the professor rather than with the
government of a great diocese. The
| eight years that preceded 1914 showed
| that no mistake had been made in his
selection for the first place in the
| episcopate of Belgium. But it took
| the world war to bring into full play
those qualities that have made him
| the idol of his country and the great
est modern eXemplar of moral hero
ism. Sound principles and infiexible
courage were needed now more than
ever, not only to defend the right of
Belgiums throne and altar ana sus
| tain the passive resistance of her
| clergy and people against the cruel
encroachment of her oppressor, but
also to support the cause of justice
and international law throughout the
world and close the mouths of the
violators of the treaties of nations.
In the absence of her king who was
| fighting gallantly at the head of his
little army, Catholic Belgium natur-
| ally looked to her spiritual chief. She
was not disappointed. In luminous
pastoral letters he laid down the phi
| losophical and theological principles
| that at once vindicated the attitude of
| his invaded country and dissipated the
| specious arguments of the invader.
| With the courage of martyr he stood
in the midst of the arena while all
the world looked on, and making
| open profession of faith and patriot
ism confounded the wisdom of his
enemies and defied their power
| Neither promises nor threats could
move him from the clear line of duty,
and his bold and clever protests more
than once foiled the designs of the oc-
cupying power. Cardinal Mercier by
his learning and his bravery won a
glorious moral victory for little Bel
gium and contributed more than any
other man to discredit the cause of
the Central powers and to strengthen
that Of the Allies.
Benedict XIV.
Next to Cardinal Mercier stands
the pathetic figure of Pope Benedict
XIV. More difficult his role, because,
having his spiritual children among
all the belligerents, he can take sides
with none. He must be absolutely inn
partial He must be content with
condemning the war itself, endeavOr-
ing to mitigate it's horrors and re-
minding the ruling powers of their
obligations to use every means of
bringing about just and lasting
peace. The record of his efforts and
achievements would fill volumes, and
| the liberated nations of the world
will yet bless him for the potent in
| fiuence he eXerted in behalf of "peace
with justice" to all mankind. His re-
! rlinder that "nationalities do not die"
and that 'just national aspirations
must be respected" his denunciations
! CT the invasion of Belgium and of the
deportation of it's inhabitants; his
| protests against aerial bombardments
| of open cities; against the lombard
nlent of the Cathedral of Rheims,
against the submarine warfare and
against the cold-blooded and repeated
massacre of the Armenians made the
cars of the guilty tingle and drew
forth the admiration of all who love
justice and hate iniquity. His hui
name efforts throughout the war are
known and praised by the whole
world. He secured the exchange of
prisoners unfit for military service,
the internment in Switzerland of
thousands of invalided and wounded
prisoners, freedom of prisoners from
Sunday work, internment in neutral
countries, after Is months captivity,
of the fathers of at least three chill
Gren. He established bureau of in
formation for the purpose of locating
missing families, and thus succeeded
il bringing joy TO thousands of sor-
rowing families. He generously Law
ished the offerings of the faithful
throughout the world upon the most
unfortunate victims of the war. The
prayers for peace that at his bid.
/ ding went up every day from every