Evening star., 1940-05-02
Pope BIames War
On 'Covetousness,
Thirst for Power
Two Are Cononized
The First Made Saints,
By Plus XII
Ry the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
VATICAN CITY, May 2.-Pope
Plus XII blamed excessive human
covetousness and thirst for power"
for the war raging in Europe in
speaking briefly at st. Peters to-
day at the canonization Of two
saints.
Men. blinded by these passions,
have "repudiated the laws of God"
in loosing the horrors of war, he
said.
In approving canonization of the
two saints, the Pope appealed to
them to intercede with God on be-
half Of mankind for the restoration
Of unity, concord and "the counsels
Of peace"
A French nun and an humble Ital-
ian girl were the first persons to be
canonized by Pope Plus XII. The
sainted women were Marie Euphrasia
Pelletier, who founded the Sisters of
the Good Shepherd, and Gemma
Gemma Galgani, who was noted for
her reported stigmata, or marks cor
responding to the wounds that
Christ received when crucif1ed.
Five Others to Be Sainted.
The lamentations preceded a Sc
ries Of Qualifications, preliminary
steps toward sainthood, for five other
persons which will take place dur
ing the next two months. Among
the Qualifications will be that May
IL of another French nun, Mother
Philippine Rose Duchesne. She in
troduced the Society of the Sacred
Heart in the United States and died
at st. Charles, Mo.
The great church of st. Peters
sparkled with the brilliance of thou
sands Of electric candles for today's
ceremony. Twelve thousand lights
glistened in 600 chandeliers hung
in the naves, while other thousands
shone from ITO immense candelabra.
Thousands Of nuns, priests and
laymen crowded the basilica to see
the Pope enter on the sedia gesta-
toris, or portable throne. Six silver
trumpets heralded the approach of
the pontifical procession, in which
marched cardinals, bishops and uni
formed officers OF the papal guards.
Gives Apostolic Blessing.
Seated on a throne near the CEN
trail altar. the Pope was approached
by q cardinal and two other priests
who thrice petitioned him to declare
the blessed pair saints.
On the third request the Pope
rose, put on this three-tiered crown
and pronounced in Latin the words
that created st. Marie Euphrasia
and st. Gemma. After mass the
Pope bestowed his apostolic blessing
on the congregation, the trumpets
sounded and he was borne to his
apartments.
Marie Euphrasia Pelletier was
born in 1895 at Noirmoutier, France
and Joined the order of Our Lady
of the Charity of the Refuge" at 18
Some years later she was superior
Of the house at Tours, then founded
a chapter at Anglers and petitioned
the Pope to make it the mother
house of the whole world.
She was accused of disobedience
ambition and innovations, and al
though upheld by the Pope was
forced to found a new order, the
Sisters of the Good Shepherd
which spread throughout the world
and was introduced In the United
States in 1843. She died in 1868.
Gemma Galgani, the daughter oi
pharmacist, was born in Lucca
Italy, in 1873, and was reported to
have had heavenly visions as q child.
Her biographers relate that the stig-
mata appeared in her side, hands
and forehead in 1899. She died in
1908. and has been known since then
as the Virgin Of Lucca.
Both women were beatif1ed by
Pope Plus XII in 1888 on the basis OF
healings attributed to their inter-
ceSSion.