Evening star., 1942-03-12
Pope's Anniversary
Marked by High Mass
AT National Shrine
Mser. Ready Warns Of
TotuIitorion Force;
Diplomats Present

The liberty and institutions OF the
United States are threatened by the
same rampant totalitarian military
forces" which harass the Catholic
Church abroad. Msgr Michael j.
Ready said today in a sermon de-
livered at services marking the third
anniversary of the coronation of
Pope Plus XII.
The high mass honoring the Pope
was held at the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception at
Catholic University and was at
tended by high diplomatic and
church officials, led by his excel
1ency, the Most Rev. Amleto Gio-
vanni Cicognani, the apostolic dele
gate to the United States.
Msgr Ready said that while the
church Is not the creature of men.
men can impede and even for a time
destroy the mission of the church.
Systems Injure Church.
"They can set up schools and uni
versities to teach men there are no
spiritual values in life" he said,
They can establish political sys-
tens that regard men as the Gre
ature of the states. They can uSurp
the just power of governments and
persecute and harass and imprison
the church for insisting on her right
to teach Christ's truth and ChriSt's
grace.
They can muster armies and set
q pattern of international treachery
and outlawry by which to engulf the
peoples of the earth in the blood and
sweat and tears of war. They can
dethrone Christ and then shout as
the pagans of the past. There is no
other God but Caesar
I'VE have our own national sins
to confess and to repent, but thank
God our Nation as a nation still
guards inviolate the rights OF the
church to carry on with full liberty
her own mission of salvation.
The church in the United States
rejoices in her freedom and cher
ishes the opportunity to build up
in this republic the kingdom OF
God among men"
Many Diplomats present.
Seven Ambassadors and dozens of
other diplomatic representatives,
brown frocked monks, surpliced
seminarians and nuns and priests
from local churches and religious
orders filled the seats about the
throne of the apostolic delegate
At the conclusion of the ceremony
Archbishop Cicognani received men,
bers of the clergy and the diplo-
matte corps in the Office of the
director of the Shrine
Preceding the Apostolic Delegate
in the procession to the church were
the Most Rev. Michael J. Curley,
Archbishop of Baltimore and Wash
ington; the Most Rev. Hugh c.
Boyle, Bishop of Pittsburgh; the
Most Rev. Peter L. Ireton. Co.
adjutor Bishop of Richmond; the
Most Rev. Joseph M. Corrigan, rec
tor of Catholic University; the Most
Rev J. M. Mcnamara. Auxiliary
Bishop of Baltimore and Wash
ington.
The ceremonies started at 1890
am. Officers of the mass were as
follows: Celebrant, Right Rev. Msgr.
Egidio Vagnozzi, counselor of the
apostolic delegation; preacher, Msgr.
Ready. who is general secre-
tary of the National Catholic We'll
fare Conference; master of cere-
monies, the Rev. DR.. William j.
Lallou, associate professor of sacred
liturgy; assistant master of cere-
monies, the Rev. Walter J. Schmitz,
S. S.: deacon, the Rev. Louis A. Eltz,
subdeacon, the Rev. DR.. Edward T.
Cope, S. S.; attendants to Arch
bishop Cicognani, the Right Rev.
Msgr. Edward B. Jordan, dean OF
the Catholic Sisters College; the
Rev. DR.. Aloysius x. Zeigler, head
of the department of history, and
the Rev. DR.. Frank P. Cassidy, as
sistant professor of education.