The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-01-21
A CARIBBEAN MERCER
WRITER DISCUSSES ARCHBISHOP
OF SANTo DoMlNGo--HoPEs OF
NATIVES FOR INDEPENDENCE
LATIN AMERICA FEARS UNITED
sTATEs-WHo COMES NEXT?

Writing in The Nation of January
II, Ernest Gruening speaks glowingly
of the Archbishop of Santo Domingo.
He says in part:
"The handsomest man in Santo Do
mingo,' they call him; and even the
grave illness which racked his splen-
did frame and snow-whitened his
aureole of hair left the spirit and
courage shining undimmed in his
brown eyes deep-set in the kindliest,
most lovable face. The most beloved
man in Santo Domingo 1t was as
easy to understand his right to this
second title; not even the affection
for their self-sacrificing and valiant
President DR.. Carvajal, exceeds the
Dominicans' love and reverence for
their Archbishop. ...
The Sunday after the arrival of the
Senatorial Commission, TIE Deum
for Monsignor Nouel's recovery was
celebrated in the historic cathedral
which shelters Columbus tomb and
bridges the longest time span in our
hemisphere. When the oldest May.
| flower Pilgrim was as yet unborn,
Santo Domingo flourished. 1t is for
this culture and this civilization that
| Archbishop Nouel has been the ire.
pressible protagonist. Silence him
| they could not, this Cardinal MERCER
| of the Caribbean. s.. e..
He was still feeble and l feared to
| encroach on his sorely needed
strength. So QUESTIONABLE was sub.
mitted, but even it's unequivocal re-
sponses he amplified with a. gentle
humor mellowing the unquenchable
| fire which five years of martial law
could not dim. For the Archbishop
too, has borne a heavy cross. And
leven he did not escape personal
molestation. --...
Archbishop Nouel is a. notable his
torian. In 1918, he had sent to Seville
for original documents to amplify a
second edition of his Dominican his
tory. The Occupation found in the
| package documents relating tC
| Charles V, Emperor of Germany
| German documents! They were con
fiscated and destroyed and the Arch
bishop himself put under new sus
picion, which eliminated in the refusal
to deliver to him the Directory of Mass
es for the coming year Printed in Lat
in and sent from Rome to the Arch
bishop, it must be some form Of g
German code book-so reasoned the
intelligent military authorities run
ming the dominican branch for making
the world safe for democracy.
Santo Domingo will recover its
freedom despite withdrawing com
missions, militarism, financial impe
rialism, and persistent propaganda dc
signed to show that all on that islant
l-Dominicans and Haitians-love the
foreign invader, the only exceptions
being a handful of political agitators
and malcontents. To those believing
this it follows that Archbishop Noue
is political agitator and malcontent
He is-God bless him! He is malcon
tent with alien tyranny and oppres
sion. He is an agitator for the spiri
of &c in America, for liberty, for jus
| llCS, lUI IllC ulNlllc llSHL vi pCOplC'
to control their own destinies.
The following question was put u
him: What, from your knowledge
of the state of opinion in the Latin
American world, has been the effec
of the American Occupation on thu
feeling of the other Latin-Americal
republics toward the United States
He answered: When l was in Rom
last year I had occasion to meet arch
bishops and bishops from all parts o
South and Central America, and tn
opinion was unanimous that the DC
cupation was unjustified; and, more
over, they freely expressed their opir
ion that their countries should &c
ready, as nobody knew whose turf
: would tome next.