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Show sBlT Roosevelt Declined a Common Courtesy to the Pope Cincinnati, April 6. In a cablegram cable-gram to the'Clnelnnati Times-Star today, to-day, Cardiual Merry Del Vol. through Thomas Kennedy, rector of the American Amer-ican college la Rome, gives the following fol-lowing version 'of the Roi-swvelt-Vatl-can incident: ; "When all is said and done, it was a question of common courtesy. - Tho Holy Sec did not Impose on Mr. House-volt, House-volt, as has been wrongly asserted, tho condition of not approaching Methodists Meth-odists or other uon-Ca.aolir religious bodies In Rome. There are several non-Cathlollc centers in the city which now behave in a bitterly hostile hos-tile and offensive manner toward the Pope and toward everything that His Holiness and all Catholics hold most dear. "The Methodist center in Via XX Settembro systematically joins hand with the worst and anti-clerical and nntl-Pa-pal elements in Rome, and they do so notoriously and In the most aggressive ag-gressive and insulting manner. Mr. Roosevelt Himself has had a mild and limited sample of their attitude in th-? declaration just published by them and which he has felt bound to disavow. "The Holy See, after the unfortnn-?tc unfortnn-?tc affair, had every reason to fear that Mr. Roosevelt, in perreel good faith and unwillingly, mlrht be lod into showing oppn sympathy and friendship for this hostile center of aggression against the Catholic church Iri the heait of the Catholic world. Consequently when Mr. Roosevelt Roose-velt applied indirectly and confidentially confiden-tially for an audience with His Holiness, Holi-ness, the Pope, tho wish was courteously cour-teously expressed that ho would avoid being dragged into the objectionable objec-tionable position of appearing publicly public-ly to support the offensive campaign against the Pope. "Mr. Roosevelt replied, refusing all conditions or agreements and the house allowed the possibility of hH nccomplisldng what would bo offensive to His Holluess. "This was amply confirmed by his own secretary, Mr. O'Longhlin. who. when asked whether ou any formal plan or expressed condition, Mr. Roosevelt would, as a matter of fact, not go to the Methodist center In Via XX Settembre admitted ho could give no assurance as Mr Roosevelt In his opinion was Just the man to do It. "In view of this attitude the audience audi-ence became lmossible. "It Is simply a question of common courtcjiy and surely common courtesy is not Incompatible with the rights aDd freedom of an American citizen." |