The New York herald., 1922-05-30
Herald Correspondent Is
Told Priests Are There for
Famine Relief Only.
WON'T TRY TO INTERFERE
Plus XI. Appears in Robust
Health With Many Years
Before Him.

Special Cable 10 THE New York IIEsaLp.
Copyright, 1899, 5y THE New YORK HERALD.
| New York Herald Bureau,
Rome. May go.
The attitude of the Vatican toward
Russia has been explained in an in-
| terview accorded to THE New York
HERALD correspondent who went from
Genoa to Rome the day after the
Genoa conference closed. Owing to
the Eucharistic Congress and the
great number of Bishops and Abbots
at present in the Eternal City the cor
! respondent was told that private
audience with the Holy Father was
impossible but he was received in
audience with others on the day after
he reached Rome.
The correspondent found the new
Pope to be strongly built man of
medium height and apparently robust
health with many years of life before
him. No Pope within living memory
has conveyed such an impression of
physical strength, fitness and youth
fulness. His training as an Alpine
mountaineer is evident in his firm
step and the athletic bearing with
which he moved about the spacious
audience hall attended by two Cardin-
ais, his actions and remarks showing
mental and physical alertness.
His Holiness spoke only in Italian, but
he also speaks French perfectly. In the
English language. however, he is not so
proficient. combining himself to one or
two phrases, such as "good-by."
Pope Has Pity for Russia.
The next day the correspondent called
at the residence OF Father Ledochowski,
the Black Pope, as the head of the
Jesuits is called. He was received by
Father Michel d'Eerbigny, youthful
looking French Jesuit, who is the right
hand man TO the General of the Jesuits
and an authority on Russia. OF which he
has made special study. Father
dHerblgny had seen the Pope several
days before and had explained the des-
perate situation of the Russian people
whereupon the Pope was overcome with
pity.
Father d'Herbigny explained that the
Vatican has not the slightest intention
of utilizing the present plight of the
Orthodox Church to advance the inter-
est of the Roman Catholic Church in
Russia at its expense.
Half a dozen priests, including Jesuits
and Silesians, are now in Russia with
the papal famine relief organization, but
they are under strict orders 10 refrain
from religious propaganda and not to
attempt to get in touch with Patriarch
Tikhon or any of the other leaders of
the Russian church. Their work is
purely humanitarian and when II is COM
pleted they will return to Rome
Meanwhile the Vatican IL making no
attempt, directly or Indirectly. TO
weaken the authority of the Orthodox
Church's hierarchy rather it desires to
see that the church Is strengthened.
Rome regards the Orthodox Church as
schismatic. not as heretical. and there
fore considers the Russian priests and
bishops as possessing all the spiritual
powers of the Catholic priesthood. The
Protestant clergy, on the contrary are
regarded by the Vatican as composed
only OF laymen without ecclesiastical
or spiritual powers.
Close to Rome.
The Russian Church thus is extremely
close to Rome wherefrofn II is divided
practically only by the fact that the
Russians do not acknowledge Papal
supremacy. This division had been
maintained by the Cars for political
and not religious motives. the Cars
being anxious to combine in their own
persons the political and religious head
ship OF Russia.
"Propaganda is no new thing" said
Father d'Herbigny. 1T was not com
menced in the great war. 1t was used
with infinitely greater skill after the
Reformation. especially by Queen Eliza
beth's great adviser. Lord Burleigh. who
IN England played his cards so we'll that
a deep stain OF unreasoning prejudice
stll remains in English and American
literature and popular thought after
most of the political reasons on which
il was based have long ago disappeared.
"Lenine was only following Lord Bur
leigh's lead when he started his violent
propaganda against the western social
system. The great object OF those prop
agandists is TO set up bitter unrea-
sonng prejudice in the popular mind
and once this is done II will be difficult
to eradicate"
Father dHerbigny's personal opinion
is that Bolshevism will last many years
and may develop into n system of state
capitalism with Industrial servitude for
the masses. This system may yet be
supported by foreign capitalism which is
as international or rather anti-national
and as materialistic and soulless as Boil
shevism Itself i'm which case we may
find the tremendous forces of world
capital ranged on Lenines side and
paying his Red army to keep the Rus
sian workers down and the dividends of
| foreign Investments high.
This may seem far fetched he said.
'but history records many stranger
volto faces