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Show POPE FOR PEACE. Leo Enlists the PTayers of the Church For Peace in South Africa Leo pleads- for peace. Hi? words may not have immediate effect, his appeal may not stop the barbarous shedding of human blood, but the protest of the prophet of the Vatican will not ascend to heaven in vain. The Pope today is the champion ef morality as truly as when in olden time) he interposed between be-tween the armed princes and nations which ' acknowledged his-spiritual authority. au-thority. Every blow directed at the temporal possession of the Holy Father has, by the compensation of Providence, I strengthened his dominion in the sphere of faith and morality. It would be rash-I rash-I ness to attempt to predict what influ-: influ-: ence the papacy may have in daye to come, ae twenty years ago it would have been accounted folly to predict that Leo would attain the high place which the world now gladly accords to him. It will be remembered that the Pope "exerted to the utmost his power to avert the war between Spain and the United States, and later that he did what'he could to prevent the outbreaking out-breaking of hostilities in South Africa. On the occasion of the annual celebration celebra-tion of the anniversary of the Pope's birthvdav. the cardinals presented the usual address, and in the course of his reply he uttered theee beautiful sentiments: senti-ments: "For the rest," said His Holiness, "it will not appear foreign to the nature of today's celebration to invite vou, as we do, to join with us in the holy union of prayer for ,a purpose altogether alto-gether conformed to the dictates of that evangelic love which knows neither nei-ther distance of olace nor difference of race. Let us all unitedly supplicate the Lord that He deign to look -with pity oii the .bloody duel which has been 0tir1- . -e rt- wnnfh" nr rh sijl eif Af rica, and that He permit it not to continue con-tinue further. They are all 7T.is sons and our brothers who are suffering in the difficult trial of the anxieties and engagements of war. May the blessed God look upon them with a fatherly eye, extinguish their wrath and lead their hearts to sentiments of reciprocal moderation and concord, so that they may come as soon as possible to a loyal and solid friendship consecrated by the mutual ktes of peace and of justice." It is said that the failure of the recent re-cent American overtures for a peaceful peace-ful solution of the South African trouble trou-ble made a painful impression at the Vatican, where they were regarded as about the only hope of avoding further fur-ther bloodshed. Pope Leo, greatly disappointed on learning of the failure, is reported to have exclaimed, "America is the only power that has the courage to do its dutv." The semi-official Vatican organ, the Voc eDella Verita, commenting upon the failure, saj-s: I "The manner in which the British ! government received the offer of T'res-I T'res-I ident McKinley cannot but produce an j impression of execration. Even those who do not share in the hatred of England Eng-land must admit that the policy followed fol-lowed by England's present ministers may load to most serious, even disastrous disas-trous results." Father Louis Shoch. Prefect Apos tolic in the Transvaal, has telegraphed to the Pope asking him to exert all his influence to prevent the threatened destruction de-struction of Johannesburg. That city is a stronghold of Catholicism in South Africa. It contains the Catholic hospital, hos-pital, orphan asylum and four s-chools. The Pope was greatly moved by this message. He is anxious to do all he can to bring about the cessation of hostilities, or to soften the asperities of grim warfare, and therefore he pours out his soul in earnest prayers and preaches to men the gospel of the brotherhood of man. |