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Show f$OMP liin PfilfFO pflfilt Ml h 1 u RSmLv iUlyfL if LILuUITILjU BELGIAN PRIMATE Cardinal Mercier Given Triumphant Tri-umphant Reception in Capital Cap-ital Sees No Sign of Early Peace. Rome, Jan. 14, 7:20 p, m. Cardinal Mercier, primate of Belgium, arrived in Rome today and was received at the station by the Belgian ministers accredited to the Vatican by Sir Henry Howard, British minister to the vati-cau, vati-cau, Monslgnor Desanpro, papal master mas-ter of the chamber, and a large number num-ber of residents of the Belgian col- lony. A large crowd of Italians also 1 greeted the cardinal. I In the municipal court, Prince Co-lonna, Co-lonna, mayor of Rome and several members of the council, welcomed the ai rival of Cardinal Mercier in Rome and greeted him as "the man representing repre-senting tho tragic and heroic history of civic virtue of unshakable faith " The speakers also expressed sympathy sym-pathy with Belgium, "momentarily crushed" and admiration for the Belgian Bel-gian arm j', the Belgian people and fcr King Albert and tho Belgian queen. "What I have done was simply my duly," Cardinal Mercier told the Associated As-sociated Press correspondent tonight while the people of Rome, comprising all classes, received him in a triumphant trium-phant manner such as the cardinal of no other nation has enjoyed on entering en-tering Rome since the fall of temporal tempor-al power. Cardinal Mercier Is specially smiling smil-ing and pleasant in manner. He intends in-tends to remain in Rome for a fortnight fort-night but does not wish to be inter-lewed, inter-lewed, or make statements of any kind to the press, not because ho gave any official promise In this regard re-gard to the German authorities, but because he cousiders that he is bound In honor to keep silent In spite of this, he spoke in high praise of the American generosity in helping tho destitute Belgians and of the immense debt of gratitude felt by his 'people toward America, adding "the Belgians feel very much their humiliating position, posi-tion, but they need to accept charity." char-ity." The situation of the unfortunate nation, the cardinal explained, is not as terrible now as immediately after its occupation. When asked for his opinion on the probable end of the war, Cardinal Morcler raised his arms and lifting his eyes to Heaven he exclaimed: "Long yet, perhaps this time next winter." |
