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Show HOLY FATHER TO ITALIANS. Urged to Electoral Action, But Priests Must Not Mix In. A very important encyclical to the Catholics of Italy, defining the status of Catholics in the somewhat anomalous anomal-ous political life of that country but characteristically devoting more attention atten-tion to the strengthening of the spiritual spirit-ual life of the .people, has been issued in Italian by the holy father and has found its way into this country in a translation. It is addressed to the bishops bish-ops of Italy and is on all accounts the most interesting local pronouncement yet made by Pope Pius X. His holiness begins by intimating that it gives him much pleasure to address ad-dress words of consolation and encouragement encour-agement to the faithful in Italy all the more so because he had previously found himself compelled to condemn undisciplined tendencies which threatened threat-ened to seriously damage the Catholic cause. The pope then defines Catholic action as the effort to renew all things in Christ, to-promote Christian culture, and to fight anti-Christian civilization by all legitimate means. Thus understood. Catholic action is, he says, peculiarly the affair of the Catholic laity. This help the church has at all times accepted from her children, chil-dren, but In different forms, according to the needs of the times. Not everything every-thing that. was useful in other times "is useful and opportune today. The church has clearly shown during long centuries, and in all cases, a wonderful capacity for adapting itself to changing circumstances. His holiness then sets forth the conditions con-ditions which must be fulfilled in order that Catholic action may really be effective. ef-fective. Above all things men expect from a Catholic character and manly virtue. Next the works to which Catholics Cath-olics devote themselves must correspond corre-spond with the requirements of society 1 today, must be so adapted to promote the moral and material Interests of the people and the proleteriat that they will be readily understood, and welcomed, whilst at the same time the zeal of the leader3 is stimulated through the excellent excel-lent fruits to be secured. The difficult problems of modern life demand prompt and sure social solution solu-tion and Catholics must find out what the solution is and make it operative I with the aid of an energetic, tactful, intelligent, well-organized propaganda directly calculated to meet opposition. Tlie most earnest demand of Leo XIII in the encyclical "Rerum Norvarum" was the practical solution of the social question on the ground of Christian principles. For this object there must be perfect unity amongst Catholics. Here the pope recommends the German Catholic Volksverein. or Peonle's association, asso-ciation, and the Unione delle Opere Economiche. Catholic action must be made effective by all those practical means which the advance of sociology, experience and the conditions of social and public life suggest. The civil rights which the present constitution of the state give to all. Catholics as well as others, must be preserved. Those rights are of different kinds; they even raise the question of takiner a direct jhare in the political life of the country by menns of representation in parliament. Weighty reasons dissuade his holiness from abandoning the rules laid down by his predecessors. Pius IX and Leo XIII. of blessed memory, by which the participation of Catholics in the parliamentary par-liamentary elections is forbidden in Italy. But other equally weightv reasons rea-sons concerned with! the highest interests inter-ests of society, which must be safeguarded safe-guarded t any cost, may bring it about that in special cases the rules referred to will be dispensed with, especially when Catholics are 'convinced that filch a dispensation is absolutely necessary for the salvation of souls and the highest high-est interests of the church. His holiness hen advises the Catho--i.ljcs to prepare themselves .for public 1 life and form electoral associations and other organizations having for their ; aim the welfare of the people. He rec-, rec-, ommends the holding of meetings, and j declares that in the work that is to bo done, whilst due freedom is to be allowed, al-lowed, the advice and leadership of the bishops isjiecessary. As to the priests, they must be above parties, and must be careful not to compromise their person per-son and dignity. They are,' therefore, to take no part in the political and social so-cial organizations except after mature it-flection and with the assistance of , their bishops. j |