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Show THE POPE AND FRANCE. My "Very Dear Sen The grave events which are taking place in France and whie'h menace the supreme interests of religion just now engross our constant attention. Despite all our efforts to extricate ex-tricate the Church of France from the evils that now seem inevitable, they have rancourously persisted per-sisted in the work of annihilating the sacred and glorius traditions of your noble and well beloved country. At the proper time and place we shall set forth our views and give to the clergy and faithful of France instructions called forth by a regrettable situation which is none of our work, and for which wc are in no way responsible, as all honest and well informed persons recognize. Meanwhile, we feel profoundly the need there is for ourselves and for you to ask light and succor from God, who alone can give it, in order that we may be able to face fearlessly the cver-in-creasing difficulties of the near future. If the Lord in His infinite mercy invites us to have recourse to HiriNkt'our personal trials, there is much greater reason for our asking Him to aid us in national exigencies at times tho most mo-.mcntous mo-.mcntous when reljjoaiijjcl.tlie fatherland are imperilled. im-perilled. Our cause, after all,' is the cause of God, and the words our Lord addressed to the faithful when they prostrated themselves before Him in the time of Josaphat and applicable to the Catholics Catho-lics of France: "Fear yet not, and be not dismayed at this multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's"' (II Pahalipomenon, xx, 15). Our desire is, very dear son, that in all the dioceses dio-ceses of France public prayers be prescribed to secure se-cure for your country the benefit of the Divine Mercy and a special protection for the Church in view of the perils that menace her at this present moment. -We know, however, that God hears especially es-pecially tho prayers of souls that have been purified puri-fied by repentance, for it is written, "Praise is not seemly in the. mouth of asinner." (Eccl. xv, 9). It is, therefore, desirable that the faithful in these times should approach the sacraments more fre-uently fre-uently and that their prayers- be rendered more efficacious by tho practice of penance. Hoping that this invitation to prayer will bo accepted eagerly by all the faithful of France, and that God will eleigu to grant the arelent desires we entertain for the true happiness of your beloved country, we send you, very dear son, the apostolic benediction as a pledge of our affection.' PIUS X. At the Vatican, Oct. 4, 1905. 1 |