| Show I WANT TO OPEN Of 31 PETER Controversy started in Rome HM Has Caused Serious Consideration tion of Subject MANY FAVOR hIllory o 01 lImo Iho lu in SOllie gp Special Correspondence OtIE S Sept pl the Iho hIghest cIrcles or of the tho vatican grave con R IA II being given hen to the suggestion that the tomb or of Sl Peter should be to IK It IC the remaIns or of the groat apostle anti first or of the aro the there ln enough the project origin tiled In ha the tho scoffs or of an anti amI irreverent sceptic Writing un under er th the flame Illimo ot of he nn an opeil hotter to Pope lius X ridiculIng the claims put forth on behalf or of Iho he church to the pO I lon or of the tho holy relics anti nud taXing daring hIm to submit the tho c claIms to actual Proof challenge was 18 seriously taken laken lip iii by b two to well known Proto Prof and Atthe At the lent last of archaeology 1 it resolution w was In favor lavoI of tomb Thus Thul a has hall bC been al started rl ll which hall baa been pursued with rigor lie church ChUNh I Is on the n On this one Immiti It Is urged god that It ht would be an annel act nel of sacrilege anti nothing could justify On the hand It h F con contended that the church Iman hM nothIng to 10 ear Investigation that sho no now 1111 bini 1 a glorious op to vindicate hI hem claIms to 10 or of th the most relics Iii hI and thu Iho It Is III main the tho church will lose loso more mora than slit Ahl will gala by tho he j that hu has tHO d Will the pope yIeld lii hl That I in the Ihn question everyone I in asking but It Is OTIS one the tho ipe answer and lit at present alt all tint can call be saId Mill is I that ho has not hot t 11 gisen Ill In any decisIon ono one wAy or 01 orthe t the h other AS TO Sl PETERS nI ll 1 tIme the huts far adduced goes to VI V that St SI Peters remains really lie In their gorgeous setting selling In St Peter Thor There Is In suit sut NOOr extant to satisfy nil all ox It the that St Pt Ps tn ten wan tinder r Nero In III the emetic or of nt at the lite loot foot ot of tho th vati Rt call hili In the lie ye year ar GI 11 or Ih there N bouts Ih the edifice 4 built tl to his hI memory itow stands 11 Its himself d to 10 stiffer the Mm m death as hit hIs Lord white while hium hilI friends were fO for tor the macIc that h he wall not hOt nUil made a living torch at as tum who dIed 1 with wIt him were VOl hI his own In dalh thus perhaps b by rI relatives certain certainly I ly b friends H was the or of his t years Ja later lu tt ht I is was lId Ibid in inthe the vry r pot OWl over whIch hI his tomb now neiT slad hI hIs body for or 20 soars Time The at that date data brok out ant and th the 1 to hIde hId Ih the vener Oner remaIns In sortie ca on the tho SliT WitT which are tUA still dill In existence called ad but long they era In their old rust rol rolIng rusting Ing rota It Is asserted t I time ncr been ban moed since n In the Iho vatican ot of the tho sIxth and seventh centuries state that the tho tomb ot of tho great the th r I ti t ot of lh s center ot of th official popes many ot of whose remains worn found the tho tL at Pitt was wall opened Tho Tha form pC It the ht a apostles I i ha na changed d several times time hut but the noor nevor Indeed both the tl and HOW lIew churches ot e f St Peter worn bulls built round lIto Iho tomb and lit ut Present It le I not II n the exact center of at atthe the I t tI I WHEN TOMB WAB Nm l In th the year the line tomb wren that the tho J Constantino and anel his hla i mother E lI might cIl view St SL l rhY war warthen o then In u n coffin cortIn over I which was n a large gold III Ing pounds the gift ot of the tho emp emper emperor r or and hili hie mother Thero II is also abo sup supposed SU posed to be gold plate Int jos eh and other objects In the tomb Ol l It by ardor ot of Com Constar tall I tine an Imposing waa raised K nn arch or of which WB cues decorated F n a Constantine j presented by St 51 Peter to t for tor forthe the purpose ot of dedicating tho basilica basilicato tu to him mosaic according to the tho thoDe theDe De ot of published In 1638 was then in ox ax After ler this there were only two oc 00 In hr which the tomb could have havo havet t been Interfered with In SU during the ot of the thA Saracens and In 1637 during the tho suck ot of Rome hy by hythe bythe the constable ot of Bourbon when thin or of St P was waD at but bul the Iho tact that VIII IW the tho corrin surmounted by Its gold old cross In 1596 I Is 18 almost certain proof NoOr that the bod body lM not stolen a as to 10 both Saracen and Bourbon soldiers the and cross would have been much more precious than the tho duet dURt ot of n Clement VIII dirt not open the collin That he saw lIaw It nt all wae due to orl accident The Tho present wa was In course or of con conj conI j I and orders orden had huel bern given Iven not to touch the lite shrine ot of the tho ther r was In the vaults under H the altar of 01 basilica but butIn butIn In 1594 the pavement of the crypt col exposing the sacred tooth tomb Art After r In but not It Itt t the tho hops popo had It walled up ordering that the precious duet t should he be left mum cram trod rill It Iti i has hall not since Ince been sern or even cen searched for until bout about eight years ago OKO when Mgr A H Burnell ot of Ox lord forI author ot of St SI Peter In home Itom wn was given permission lon to enter the tho memorial under tinder the present In the and over the thu tomb JI means mean or of sounding he h 10 the walled up tomb estimating that It Il was wall about 15 feet teet below j Marne is III no now one or of the warmest sup I ot of the project for tor exploring the potters It underground l Is 1 a vast store i house its 11 yet l unexplored the Iho churches I ot nit the Eternal City are also a rich III hr almost forgotten treasures ot of value For or Instance sug sugI I le began hegan to circulate some time i Iono one knew through what ngen agen t Iy that the tho Sancta of the Hol Holy at St John should n the Interest or of history and art ho he explored This little chapel is hI nt the top of 01 the Holy Stairs and le II on only I open I a year 1111 when mesa Is III sold and moreover no III woman in III allowed to 10 III root foot inside so 80 Its sanctity is III Busy nu y wIth other more Inore pressing and ancl matters the church author load hue taken stock of the tho therein so 80 that they were gradually forgotten Latterly the thO desire de sire to wan so great that the popes ope sanction was that ot of Cardinal their custodian and tM result proved pHell snore more than r worth the trouble taken i MUCH TIU t Father Orl ar entered tho chapel cl and Its 1111 contents Since Sinca tILe the time ot of the eighths century much of tilo papal hn has been kept here In the altar under II a very f ancient Irn of or Christ and It is I from this that the chapel derives list lis ot of the most ol found lound was n A cypress wood box over 11 ten cen I tunes I os 08 It was for Lea nI several sliver con containing crosses of at tha time ot of hlll I n a sliver silver case with the head henr henrot ot of St Sl and several golf mid sli sliver ver nr crosses to 1111 say nothing or of price priceless less sluts for tor the enwrapping of relics nil In ht a elate of at 1 m AD OF 01 S1 81 JOHN Another precious relic roHe In hilt but tint as well authenticated nil as this the body boly ot of St Peter Peler is 13 the tho head or of St John Joha thu tho Baptist Between eight and nino yenta ago some Mme Greek monks from the tho Iconoclast arrived in Rome Borne with but one object III ht their the bead hend It is III alleged of I Ht St John the thu Baptist t This was d depos po lied It III the tho monastery monaster of San Sail Silvestro oho church or of which was therefore railed Han Silvestro In III Capita It 18 Interesting to 10 as H ft Is III the tho 1111 only Anglo church In the Eternal The rhe cen tunes rolled by until 1870 when with thAt date eama the tho siege or of Ronne by bythe the Italians Terror reigned In III the city and Puts 1118 IX tearful fearful for tor the tho sacred treasure ot of the tho church hureh ordered the Iho precious head to be removed to the tho Vatican but Pius X returned It to San PETRIFIED TJI Il IlIn I In It Is III a block of fled matter with traces ot of ee eyes i noso and Inti eMI cre The lower Is en In gold In 11 miracle is claimed for It 1 bishop wishing to have 1 a part Ht ur It 81 n n a relic In to Ittu H L bit off ocr one OliO or of th the ears but ins Willi immediately h Ills covered as 18 the wound began to bleed so 10 sot t profusely that It had to bo be stopped with cotton wool which still adheres unit can to thIs day Ilay be plainly seen In the course ot of centuries saintly men have 1110 gradually come to he be venerated although the they have never lIver boon boell By nn an Irony ot of dr clr these spurious ore ure often otten more venerated than the grew sonic orne ones and b by on Ignorant lace laco any on them Is III regarded nil na un nn attack on religion so o that Plus XI declared declare or of ridding t the e church ot of all such Interlopers has hns II not Jt been an 1111 easy matter In the south ot of Italy In tact tut It has w ID tar far heen u a priest seeks Hecks to deprive them ot of this thO object ot of their veneration thc they refuse to bellow that he Is merel out the or 01 tiers der ot of hla superiors They his hll adieu to seine per onal grudge against theIr favorite saint Thoy rise In III his hll defense defy the prIest to touch louch his hili image even In some orne Instances ell to enter the tho church and ore liTe capable or of turning n a whole village upside down until oho tho per have hao to Interfere This gets Into the tho va papers and the cause of 01 religion in III certainly not furthered thereby AGITATION Even In more educated Home Itself n a great publiC agitation arose only last year over the Suppression ot of Saint Ell Es lIe He was popularly popular credited with being particularly prone to extend his hla aid to o those who had tailed to obtain any benefits from their prayers and votive to tints saints or of undisputed I I About Ills hll image gold and silver hearts hearl and the richest ot of offerings he became the fashionable saint Ills Image wan Vall es to be seen soen In a church In Piazza Colonna and was wall the gift or of a pious Ind lady I It stood nt at the right of at the N high altar and wan WILli much sought out Suddenly It as found to have hlo disappeared disappeared and Agitated InquirIes elicited ell the tho astonishing Information that E Es petillo was no saint Rt at ho he was wall wallIn In to tact fact nn an Impostor That raised n a delicate question as 8 to what view was to ho bo taken of at the miracles which ao ac according cording to the testimony or of several to 10 persons he had wrought In their behalf however Plus X stood firm and St at exists no III more |
