Evening star., 1939-03-02

during his visit to America in
Sacred Heart Convent. There the
foreign children among the pupils
were drawn up to receive the repre-
sentative of the holy father.
The ceremony of greeting the
cardinal was to take place in q
drawing room at the head Of the
stairs on the second floor of the
convent. Minutes passed after the
cardinal entered the front door, and
he still did not appear on the Sec
ond floor. The children became
restless and some of the nuns looked
apprehensive.
The children and the nuns did not
know that the cardinal was waiting
down stairs for refreshment after
his arduous day. When he entered
the convent he asked for wine and
cakes. The cakes were readily avail
able, but the mother superior had
ordered the wine put far away. 1t
took many minutes to find the key
to the closet where the wine was
kept. When the cardinal had drunk
few ounces, he mounted the steps
and spoke to the children.
Taken to GEORGETOWN.
The Brady limousine next took
the cardinal to Georgetown Uni
versity.
At Georgetown University, where
Cardinal Pacelli received an honorary
degree of doctor and canon and
civil laws from the Very Rev. Arthur
A. OLeary, s. j., president, his
simplicity and democratic manner
won the hearts of the student body.
When he concluded a brief response
to the academic honor, he turned
with bright smile to face the
hundreds of students who crowded
CASTOR Hall. Il declare a holiday"
he exclaimed.
The students displayed their ad-
miration by giving him a rousing
school cheer: "Hoya, Hoya,> Saxa;
Hoya, Hoya, Georgetown. Cardinal
Pacelli." 1t pleased him immensely.
The academic convbcation was at
tended by the apostolic delegate and
many of the high church dignitaries
in Washington. Cardinal Pacelli left
souvenirs in the form of auto
graphed photographs and was shown
about the university.
Lunched With Roosevelt.
Although the cardinal insisted
that his journey was a vacation u
it was never regarded in that light in
the United States. Two days after
the 1886 election, which returned Mr..
Roosevelt to the White House for
another four years, the cardinal
lunched with the President at Hyde
Park.
1t was a time when the President
had recently been the object of bitter
personal attacks from Father Cough
lin, the Michigan radio priest
Since then Father Coughlin has
been the object of high churchly
expressions of displeasure with hi.
activities. Father Coughlin, it has
generally been considered, however
was not the only interest Cardinal
Pacelli had in American politics.
1t was less than a year later that
the President in Chicago made his
famous quarantine the aggressor'
speech against the totalitarian
powers, who are unfriendly to the
point Of view which Plus XII de-
veloped and which Plus XII may be
expected to carry still further-a
papacy vigorous in international af-
fairs, opposed to authoritarian atti-
tudes.
Talked With Mundelein.
The Presidents Chicago speech
was delivered a few hours after Mr.
Roosevelt talked with Cardinal
Mundelein of Chicago. Last autumn
Cardinal Mundelein visited Presi-
dent Roosevelt here, and then
Journeyed to the Vatican. This tie
is regarded as another indication
OF closeness between the papacy anc
the United States.
Born Of Noble Family.
The new Pope was born of noble
family March 2, 1876. in Rome. Hi.
family for generations had been in.
timately connected with the Vatican
and the whole career of Pacelli ir
the priesthood has kept him Close
to the operations of the holy see.
Soon after his ordination in 1901
he was assigned to duty in the office
OF the papal secretary of state BY
Pope Leo XIII. He was under
secretary Of state for Plus K anC
Benedict XIV. In April, 1917, at the
height of the World War, Pope
Benedict sent him to Munich a.
papal nuncio to Bavaria.
Paceln was the Intermediary be.
tween Benedict and the Kaiser ir
June, 1917, carrying to the German
chief a letter from the Pope urging
the Kaiser to do all in his power
to get an early peace, even If Ger.
many had to make sacrifices In as.
pirations.
The new Pope is physically brave
In 1919 a group Of pistol-carryinf
spartacists entered the nuciatufe II
Munich. The purple-robed nuncit
faced the armed men, pointed ou
to them quietly that they were in.
vading foreign territory and invitet
them to leave at once They lookee
at his stern, unbending figure ant
departed.
| Sent to Berlin.
A year later Pacelli was sent t,
Berlin as nuncio to the German Re
public. He was the first diploma
accredited to the first postwar Ger
man government. His tact, learning
and skill at negotiation made hin
a favorite Of other diplomats. H,
flew all over the country. !
The fact that In the 1905 h,
! made himself extremely popula'