Ogden Daily Standard | 1918-12-07 | Page 3 | Pope Exhorts Prayers for Early Peace

POPE EXHORTS PRAYERS FOR . EARLY PEACE HOME, Wednesday. Dec. i. The encyclical en-cyclical letter addressed by Pope Benedict to the Catholic episcopate throughout the world exhorting It to I offer public prayers for the guidance (by Providence of the approaching I peace conference, bears the date of December 1. A brief synopsis of this ' encyclical was received from Rome yesterday). It reads: 1 "That which the entire world so long sighed for, that which Christianity implored im-plored with fervent prayers and that we, interpreting the common grief, urged with paternal heart for the good of all, has in a moment come to pass as the last booming of the guns is silenced. si-lenced. Peace has not solemnly ended the war, but an armistice meanwhile, has suspended the slaughter and devastation de-vastation by land, sea and air, happily 'opening the way for peace." ' The pope attributes the end of the war "to Him who governs all events, who, moved to pity by the persevering prayers of the good, conceded at least, tnat humanity might recover finally from so many griefs." 1 The pontiff rejoices at the impressing impress-ing demonstration of piety that has occurred oc-curred throughout the Catholic world and continues: "There remains now to implore the Almighty that the great gift granted us have its crowning, (that the delegates dele-gates of the various nations to meet in solemn congress give the world a Just and lasting peace. Such grave and complex decisions will have to be I taken as no human assembly ever took j before. Therefore, words are wanting to express how greatly the delegates need to be divinely enlightened so as to be able to accomplish their mission. mis-sion. "Their decisions in the highest degree de-gree will affect the interest and good 'of all humanity. Thus. Catholics who favor order and progress must invoke the divine assistance upon those participating par-ticipating in the peace conference. We j desire this duty to be recalled to all ! Catholics." ; The pontiff ends by urging the epis-; epis-; copacy of the world to implore the Al-j Al-j mighty by means of public prayers in each parish to shed his light upon the congress and enable it to secure a (peace founded upon the Christian prin-' prin-' ciple of justice. I 00 !