Evening star., 1949-12-26
Pope Leads 10000
Through ST. Peters S
In Holy Year Rites
ky the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
VATICAN CITY, Dec. 90
Pope Plus XII. continuing his
strenuous four-day program that
heralded and began the Catholic
Church's 1850 jubilee, today re-
ceived 10000 seminarists and led
them in a visit to Saint Peters
BaSilica.
Meanwhile, in Italy, as through
out the world, Catholic organiza-
tions put into action the Pope's
expressed hope that "all men" be
brought to the Catholic church
during its Holy Year "of the great
return and the great pardon"
In Italy. where leaders of the
worlds second largest Communist
Party are striving to minimize
Holy Year, Catholic Action plan
ned to intensity its efforts to con-
vert those fallen away from the
: church -- including Communists
and atheists.
The Pope's Holy Year bull to
Catholics throughout the world
asked that broad petition be made
(to GoO that "all those who are
still outside the Catholic Church"
may be brought into it.
= Drive to Be Intensified.
Vittorino Veronese, president of
Italy's Catholic Action, whose
supreme head is the Pope, said
today that his organizations con-
slant goal of making conversions
would be intensified during Holy
Year.
The crusade, he said. will be
an individual apostolate-one Of
person to person."
, Each one of our members" he
said, will strive to clarity. to
elucidate and to bring back to
the church those who have fallen
away, those who are confused"
The organizations tactics thus
will to a large measure duplicate
its 1948 italian elections efforts
when it opposed it's more than
four million members on a man
to-man. parish-by-parish cam
paign against the Communist
dominated popular 'front.' which at
that time went down to defeat.
Evidence of Bitterness.
There was still evidence, how
ever. of bitterness between hot
heads of the opposed forces OF the
ichurch and communism.
Early today stones were hurled
through newspaper show windows
of Communist Unita and pro-
Communist Rinascita and Avanti.
Italy's small, recently organized
Nationalist Party urged that lead
ers of all political parties make
holy year truce" to avoid Incl
dents and disorders.
At Saint Peters great square,
thousands of Romans gathered
under a brilliant sun. They were
held back, however, from the bas-
ilica during the hour in which the
Pope made his visit. Admittance
at this time was limited to SEM
inarists and pilgrims from other
countries and other parts Of Italy.
The basilica was crowded when the
Pontiff, wearing white-ermined
red velvet cape and mozetta Ca
short cape and hood. was brought
in his portable chair from his Vat
icant apartment, down the royal
staircase and to the holy door.
Here he was met by the BASIL
fca's archpriest, Federico Cardinal
Tedeschini.. 49,.
Leads Way Through Poor.
The pontiff descended from his
chair and threw the hood from his
head, on which he wore a white
skull cap. He then entered the
holy door on foot and walked up
the central aisle of the basilica.
Then the long line of seminarists,
some of them wearing colorful
robes, fell in behind him and be-
gan filing through the holy door.
At the altar of the sacrament,
where the eucharist was exposed,
the Pope knelt and prayed briefly.
Then he rose and proceeded to
the great altar of the confession,
where he again prayed. The Pope
then passed to the Veronica Pog-
gia, near the confession altar,
where were exposed a piece Of the
cross upon which Christ was
crucified, the spear that the Ro-
man soldier thrust through
Christ's side and the veil of
Veronica with the imprint of
Christ's face. Here the Pope
kneeled, removed his skull cap
and prayed.
The Pope then returned to the
altar of the confession, from
where he gave his apostolic bene-
diction.
Then, again in his portable
chair, he was carried down the
center aisle amid cheers of viva
IL papa" to the Chapel of the
Pieta, where is Michelangelo's
famous statue of the Virgin Mary
and the dead Christ. Here the
Pope descended from his chair
and entered the private elevator
that takes him to his apartment.
The pontif, who has been busily
engaged during the past four
days. was expected to rest for the
remainder Of today.