Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-21
AMERICANS SENT
THANKS OF POPE
Pontiff'S First Communique
in U. S. as Sovereign
Is Issued.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Pope Plus XII has just issued his first
official message to the people of the
United States in his newly achieved
capacity of an independent sovereign.
1t comes through the apostolic delegate
in Washington, Archbishop Pietro
Fumasoni- Biondi, acting on behalf of
Cardinal Gasparri, secretary of state of
the papal state Of the Vatican City.
The communique reads as follows:
His excellency, the Most Rev. Pietro
Fumasoni-Biondi, apostolic delegate in
the United States, today issued the fol-
lowing statement to the press:
"'The vast number of congratulatory
messages from individuals in the United
States received by the holy father on
the restoration of his independent SOW
holiness to answer them individually
as he would wish.
His eminence, Cardinal GaSparri,
secretary of state, has authorized me to
extend the gratitude of the holy father
to all who sent such messages, and in
the name of the supreme pontiff to
communicate to them the apostolic
benediction.'
Precedent Established.
It is believed to be the first occasion
on record that the apostolic delegate
has ever stepped out of his purely &C.
clesiastical role in this country. No one
can recall that the Pope's representa-
tive in Washington has made a public
statement of any kind since a year or
tua hn fnnE napncinf1 IN nvT1l0 in
that L'Osservatore Romano, the famous
Rome daily newspaper, is not an Of
fetal Vatican organ, though frequently
used for Vatican announcements.
This writer has been exploring the
possible conditions under which the
Holy See, as an independent state,
might seek diplomatic relations with the
United States, or under which this
country might find such relations de-
sirable. It appears that Haiti Is the
bridge that might lead to relations. The
island republic has had a concordat
with the Vatican for hundred years
1t was negotiated by Bishop England of
South Carolina, famous Roman Cath
Ollie prelate, not many years after the
Haitians attained their independence
from France early in the nineteenth
century AS Haiti since 1916 by treaty
has submitted to supervision of its
government by American advisers" all
of the politico-religious relations be-
tween the country and the Vatican are
more or less subject to American con-
troll. This applies in particular to GER
tain financial questions in connection
with the maintenance of both churches
and schools.
AS recently as the middle of last year
the Roman Catholic authorities at Haiti
sent bishop to Washington to negotiate
With the State Department for the
creation OF two dioceses. Under Haitian
law these dioceses could not be estab-
nshed before some financial formalities
were settled. One provision of the
American Haitian treaty binds Haiti not
to increase its public debt without the
consent of the United States. The
American authorities arranged that the
financial adviser" at Port au Prince
should acquiesce in the expenditure re-
quired to bring the two desired dioceses
into existence.
The American advisers at Port au
Prince are also a. P-actica; control ns
the islands educational system. The
ancient Haitian Vatican agreement re-
quireS Haiti to give Catholic religious
instruction in all primary schools. This
American supervision of affairs, al
though other denominations which have
wanted children given religious instruc-
ton Of their own sort are afforded every
opportunity for that purpose. The
Episcopalians are understood to be a
strong element in Haiti and there are
other Protestant sects which are hav-
ing their respective religious doctrines
taught In the public schools.
1t would also seem possible that the
existence of millions of Roman Catho-
lie Filipinos might some day suggest
the usefulness of Vatican diplomat in
Washington. At present Roman Cath
olic affairs in the Philippines are very
satisfactorily handled by the church au-
thorities in the islands in dealings with
the vice governor general, an American
official. But in the emergency of
conflict, the time might come when di-
rect negotiation between the State De-
partment and papal legation at Wash
ington would facilitate adjustments.
Several of the Central American re-
publlcs are believed to have concordats
with the Holy See. If the United States
should ever come into relationship with
any of them, such as now prevails with
Haiti, the Roman Catholic issue would
become equally important Haitian
American matters of a purely religious
character in the past have been at
tended to in Washington through the
unofficial medium of the National Cath
Ole Welfare Conference.
(Copyright. 1922