Evening star., 1927-04-03
POPE BEGINS WORK
AT G:3 O'CLOCK
Follows Close Routine Be-
cause of Numerous Du-
ties of Office.
Correspondence OF The Star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.

Correspondence OF The Star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.
ROME. April 2.--Ambrogio Donnie
no Achille Ratti. Pope Plus XI, 206th
successor of St. Peter as head of the
Catholic Church. supports burden
of duties which fill his waking hours
from $40 in the morning until his
last meal Of the day is served at J
pm. The number and variety of ms
duties would wear out many OF tie
big executives of industry, but de-
spite the fact that he will celebrate
his SEVENTEEN birthday on May 50,
Pope Plus moves through the func-
tions of each "a hours with certainty
and ease which seem to increase
rather than diminish, year by year.
February witnessed the fifth ami
versary Of Pope Plus elevation to the
Papal dignity. During these years
the program of his day has been al
most uniform.
At $40 or am he rings for his
private body servant, Cavaliere Nal
vestiti, who has served him as valet
for many years despite the burden of
a name which means badly dressed"
MAlvestiti came with the Pope from
Milan.
The Pope's first act in the day is
to say mass in his private chapel
which is on the same floor as his bed
room. A long standing Vatican ira
dition ordains that the Pope's private
chapel shall always be the room
where his predecessor died.
Plus is assisted during this first re-
ligious act of the day by his private
chaplains. Mgrs. Fastoni Testoni.
Filippo and Piermattei. After saying
his own mass Plus attends a second
hNt af fa ha N.
lains.
After this, the Pope returns to his
private apartment and takes break
fast, the usual light Italian breakfast
of cafe au lait, bread and butter.
What is known as the "ante-cham
ber service" now begins. That is, the
the little Vatican military and court
personnel goes to it's appointed places
for the day. Though the pontifical
armed forces are little more than a
symbol of a garrison, strict military
etiquette obtains.
In the Sala Clementina, the Swiss
guard in the costumes designed by
Michelangelo take up their posts
in charge of a sergeant. In the throne
room, an officer of the Swiss guard
stands at attention together with an
officer of the Palatine guard, drawn
from Rome's middle class.
By the door Of the private library,
where Pope Plus receives Cardinal
Gasparri. the secretary OF state Is
picket of the "Guardia Mobile" com
posed of members of Roman princely
families.
1t is 9 o'clock. and Pope Plus is
closeted alone with his secretary OF
state, who lays before him the most
urgent questions of the day. This
consultation of Pope Plus with his
foreign minister is one of the most
important moments in the pontncai
day.
Meanwhile the Vatican staff is at
work preparing and arranging for the
official audiences of the morning
These audiences are of various kinds |
First come those already prearrangeo |
for the cardinal projects and secre
taries of the various congregations
These latter are Offices or depart
nnents of the papal world charged |
with various functions.
At this time of the day, the asses
sors of the consistoria1 congregations
are also received, as well as the mag
riorfiorno of the sacred palaces, Mgr.
de gaYnper. whose Office corresponds
To that of the home Office or ministry |
of the interior.
After the official audiences. follow |
the private audiences granted by tht
Pope either in private or general
form. Kings and queens. presidents /
of republics and ambassadors of for
eiyn powers accredited to the Holy |
See are now received.
Last of all come the group audi |
ences. These groups range from or
4 persons to 80 or 40, and in the case
of uilgrimages to many more. Nearly |
aYiy one may take part in group |
audience, provided he is vouched for |
by the rector of the college of his ma
tionality in Rome. These audiences
ere not confined to Catholics, though |
people anxious to see the Pope" out
of mere curiosity are strictly dis
couraged.
For these audiences, evening dress
is obligatory for men. while women |
are expected to wear black dresses |
with high necks and long sleeves. A
black lace mantilla on the head is |
also part Of the costume de rigeur.
Women who fall to observe the |
Vatican etiquette in this matter, on |
which Plus xI insists strongly, are /
gently turned away. Many cases of |
women being refused admittance to a |
papal audience on account of their /
having arrived in low.necked or short |
sleeved dresses have occurred during |
the last year or two.
The audiences end at about las, |
and at 2 O'Clock Plus sits down to his |
modest luncheon cooked for him by |
the German Servite lay friars. The |
Pope likes the cooking of his home |
town." Milan. He is great coffee