Evening star., 1932-03-06
Vatican to Seek Peace


the Vatican Basiica. the crowds lucky
enough to be there and catch the signl
showed great enthusiasm.
When all the Roman Catholic hier-
archy Of the world is assembled In
Rome-bishops archbishops, abbots
patriarchs, heads of religious orders
cardinals, etc.-their sessions and pro-
cessions will attract great attention
They will loom very large indeed both
in the eyes and the ears of mankind
That this ecumenical council formed
one of the topics of conversation be-
tween the Fascist chief and the heac
of the Roman Catholic Church is re-
garded as certain. Mussolini will dc
all in his power to make the ecumeni,
cal council the most memorable event
in the long annals of the city and oi
the church Of Rome. With the utmost
freedom of movement and unlimited
space at it's disposal there will be ample
opportunities for any number of ses-
sionS and for the full display of the
elaborate and impressive order of cere-
monies provided by the ritual of the
church The committee appointed by
the Pope some time ago to report on
Accommodations in Rome and its vi
cinity for the housing and feeding OF
delegates. visitors and tourists, has
submitted its findings to the effect
that there was room for all. This. be
it remembered, was done before the
conclusion of the Lateran treaty. Now
with every obstacle removed, with the
municipal authorities eager to place
mittee and its subordinate agents, the
biggest crowd ever collected on the
banks Of the Tiber easily could be
taken care of. If of all the different
orders of the Roman Catholic hier-
archy only the bishops and archbish-
ops were to attend, it would mean the
presence Of lib prelates, not count
ing any of the titular bishops, patri-
archS, heads Of religious orders, car
dinals and other dignitaries. 1t is
difficult to estimate even approximately
the number of people who might be
drawn to Rome whether officially or
out of devotion or curiosity. 1t is GER
tain. however, that the number would
exceed by large margin any pre-
vious record achieved in the history
of the eternal city. from the days of
Romulus to the Fascist march on Rome.
American Power Seen.
Numerically, the American delegates
will be surpassed by many of the
Roman Catholic countries. Any one
who has within the past few years at
tended any international gathering in
Europe at which Americans were pres
ent whether as mere observers or as
active participants, knows that Euro
peanS on such occasions still entertain
great hopes in real or fancied Amer
!can ability to find a way. This con-
tinues to be true in spite of the vastly
exaggerated reports about the trans
atlantic depression.
IF Americans will only try" is the
wish and the hope Of the man in the
street. The unanimous reports of our
determined policy of isolation make bad
reading for the average European citi-
zen. Europe is anxious to have us aid
in the solution of her problems, not
only by means Of loans, but by what
they believe our superior "savoir faire" :"
Even the atmosphere in the Vatican
has been favorable to the growth of
this notion. Hence, it is by no means
unlikely that the American hierarchy
of the Roman church might play big
part in the coming council in spite OF
the paucity OF its numbers. 1t may play
a greater part than that it enacted at
the old Vatican council. where it made
its influence felt in degree altogether
out of proportion with its numbers
1t cannot be said Just how far the
Pope and the dictator will travel along
the same road Their objects are not
identical, but the failure of the Geneva
Conference, which both seem to have
discounted some time ago, will help the
objects of both. 1t will. as the Fascists
hope. enable Mussolini to wrest the
leadership in European politics from the
French diplomats and generals. 1t will,
as the Vatican hopes. transfer the CEN
ter of gravity in the realm of impon-
derables from the city by the great
Swiss lake to the left shore of the yel-
low Tiber.