Imperial Valley press., 1939-02-10
Pope Dies With
Peace on Lips;
Much Still Undone'
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/ progressively worse.
The pope entered his death agony
It ) am, today.
A few minutes before the pope S
mad been able to enunciate his
last protest against death, that
ne had so much work to do.
Monsignor Alfonso Camille de
Romans, sacrist of Vatican City,
arrived at $40 am. and admins
tered extreme JUNCTION.
Confession Administered
Cardinal Lauri. the pope's private
confeSsor, had been called. But
the minutes passed and it was evil
dent the end was near. With the
amazing fortitude which was the
inheritance of years as mountain
chm Der i'll his youth, the pope
rallied again. and murmured
peace.
The pope kept murmuring in
Latin. praying in his last agony
Cardinals. physicians, nurses, pre-
lates and members of the house
mold, along with the pope's nephew,
we're now in the bedroom, all watch
ing the venerable man to whom
no mortal now could give aid.
As they watched, his right hand,
lying Just on the edge of the
,overlet. moved feebly. Those in
the bedroom gazed fascinated as
MS hand rose trembling, an inch,
then two inches from the covers
and make, slowly and weakly, the
sign of the cross, imparting the
last apostolic benediction of his
nearly II year reign as the 26lst
head Of the Roman Catholic church.
Thirty seconds later his head in
clined gently toward the right side
OF his pillow. His face relaxed and
ne died.
Crowned i'm 1922
Thus passed Achille Ratti, born
at Desio, Italy, May 81, 1857, made
archbishop of Milan and cardinal
June l6, 1921; elected Pope Feb.
5. 1922, as successor to Benedict
XIV; crowned Feb. u, 1922, who
became His Holiness the Pope, Bish-
op of Rome and Vicar of Jesus
Christ, Successor of st. Peter, Prince
of the Apostoles. Supreme Pontiff
of the Universal Church, Patriarch
of the West, Primate of Italy, Arch
Bishop and Metropolitan of the
Roman Province, Sovereign of Vat
lean City.
Pope Plus was the first pope to
broadcast his blessing by radio,
to speak for talking pictures, to ride
in the Vatican gardens in motor
car-American make, incidentally
He granted the first papal inter-
view to a newspaper correspondent,
to Thomas 3. Morgan, then chief
Of the United Press bureau at
Rome. He permitted the Swiss guard
protectors of the pope, to form a
football club. He approved mass
in st. Peters to the first modern
music ever heard there.
Was Modern Ruler
He modernized the Vatican, in
stalled telephones and a broad
casting system. He gave the bless
ing "Urbus Et Orbis" from bal
cony of st. Peters the day he was
elected but before he was crowned.
He restored the popes to sover-
eighty with the Lateran treaty.
First of the popes for a hundred
years to do so, he left the Vatican
during the summer and established
himself at Castel Gandolfo
And all the time, as he became
older and more feeble, he drove
himself harder and harder, up to
the day of his death when he was
completing a speech which he said
he proposed to make tomorrow
His last big engagement of inter-
national significance was his meet
ing with Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain in mid-January, when
he had thorough discussion Of
world problems with the British
prime minister.