1939-02-16 — Page 12

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 16, 1989

Hong Kong Requiem Mass

For Late

Late Pope

FATHER BYRNE DELIVERS ORATION

THE CATHOLIC CATHE-sume the bitter hatred which the years DRAL WAS CROWDED THIS of struggle, unhappily known as the Great War instead of the Calamitous

The mind oli MORNING FOR THE SOLEMN War, had engendered.

in PONTIFICAL REQUIEM MASS Pius XI was never for a moment FOR THE REPOSE OF THE doubt. Turning to the colleagues who SOUL OF HIS HOLINESS THE had elected him, he said: "I wish that pledge of that peace for which human- LATE POPE PIUS XI, SOLEMN- my first blessing should go out, as a ISED BY THE REV. BISHOP H.ity is longing, not only to Rome and to VALTORTA, ASSISTED BY Italy, but to the whole Church and the Since THE CLERGY OF THE COM-entire world. I shall give it from the

outside balcony of St. Peter's." 1870 the door of the outside balcony MUNITY.

Pius XI threw i were, had been closed.

cen-wide open and with a magnificent ges- cata-ture of love flung his arms wide open to the crowd below, to embrace them, and, oh, if only he could, the vast sor- world in a unity of peace rowing through a unity of love: "a great door and evident was opened to him:" he adversaries. never closed it, not even to the many LOFTY PEAK

a

erected in black Pope's colours,

FATHER BYRNE'S ORATION Father Byrne, who delivered the oration, took as his text: "For a great door and evident is opened unto me: and many adversaries."

The

"the

Pius XI

Seldom are the public allowed to see the inner workings of the big armoured division of the United States Trucking Company which protects the vast pay rolls_and_gold_bullion shipments in the State of New York from bandits. With armoured cars, sawn off shot guns, gas and machine guns and revolvers, these guardians leave nothing to chance. Big firms find it best to allow the special corps to collect the wages of their employees from the bank. This pic. ture shows, for the first time, 'how it is done. Despite precautions A few years ago at Brooklyn the guards sometimes get held up. gangsters opened up with machine guns and killed several guards. With gun in hand a guard with a pay roll arrives at his destina- tion while his companions stand by in case of attempted robbery.

standard ever

He

Moral stan-

deflected

•

SUDDEN DEATH OF BELGIAN EX-PREMIER

Brussels, To-day.

M. Henri Jaspar, former Belgian Premier died suddenly yesterday

He was 68 years of age. afternoon, following an operation..

The pillars of the church draped in black, while in the tre aisle near the altar, falque had been and white, the with the mitre on top.

Among those who attended were H.E. the Governor, Sir Geoffry Northcote, H.E. Admiral Sir Percy

From the lofty peak where, in sym- and Lady Noble, H.E. Major Gen- eral Grasett, the Hon. Mr. N. L.pathy with all, he scanned the efforts Smith, members of the Consular of all, he saw old kingdoms fall; he saw new political units emerge, all un- their ladies, the Hon.certain in their emergence; he saw Body and Mr.

Leo D'Almada, Major A. N. nations strive, nobly at first, to league! and Mr. Q. A. A. Macfadyen, Mr. together for mutual support, and then door of their opportunity. The great man, for he was a great man, by what- Kindly

measure we wish to of the old hatred was dead. H. C. MacNamara, Mr, W. B. angrily turn on one another, for none but firmly he told the world that the Finnigan, and many others.

evil lies beneath the surface and its greatness: intellectual standard? physicians had failed to diagnose the was a scholar among, scholars. Virile "The empire of Christ Standard, of courage and determina- tion? He never drew back when he real cause: over all nations was rejected. right which the Church has from Christ had once set out to climb a mountain, whether the steep ways where perpe- On February 6, 1922, he said, a cold Himself to teach mankind, make laws, tual cold chills one's endurance, or the and stormy day, the white smoke isto govern peoples in all that pertain still steeper ways of duty when strong sued slowly from the famous Vatican to their eternal salvation, that right forces be marshalled against the man

so the seeds of dis-

of upright conscience. chimney. Cardinal Ratti had been was denied.

dard, which refuses to be elected Pope. Cardinal Gasparri than cord were sown far and wide

the men measure everything by their own from the right because expediency or whom none could know better

the comfort and advantage, ..society self-interest or comfort points another lights and shadows-how deep

was man shadows of the Papal throne, quietly is shaken to its foundations and on

Ratti, Pope Pius XI, remarked: "We have accompanied Car the way to ruin." (Encyclical on the way? By all these standards Achilles

The King of Belgians paid a We, who stand on the amongst men, dinal Ratti through fourteen stations Kingship of Christ).

reparation, low levels,

world and the universal Men speak of national of the Cross, and now we are leaving him alone on Calvary." And the man the Pope reminds them of the large tributes to his greatness bring home visit to his bedside yesterday. Reparation, without to us how much lower is the level on Only last Saturday, M. Jaspar had to mount this Calvary was 65 years of need, Universal

his own

reaction which none of the world's ills will be which we stand, looking up to the lofty been entrusted by the King with nge. What was Whether the words of my text came to definitely repaired. There is a triple figure on his lofty height, we might forming a new Government after the Spaak his mind or not, there can be no doubt apostasy to be repaired: the apostacy think that his life was, in every way, the resignation of that from the moment of his election of nations; the apostacy of society, and complete: that the door of opportunity Cabinet. On Monday, he intimated

could be opened no wider. He would to the very day of his death the spirit the apostacy of individuals.

be the last to allow us to think so. We that he felt unequal to the task of those words was the spirit of Pius.

BREAK FROM TRADITION

draw close to the bedside of the dying of coping with the present difficult XI, and during the seventeen years of

"We have seen", he writes,

Among his last recorded

situation. his Pontificate he never drew back from the open door, nor hesitated be- rights of God and man trampled un- Pontiff.

der foot, churches razed to the ground, words, his final utterance was "I have still some things to do." Recall Car- fore the adversaries.

of men and women Thirty-three years previously, as Al-religious orders

ana ing him alone on Calvary. Often in pine climber, he gives us in his own driven from their houses, imprisoned, dinal Gasparri's words: We are leav- and thought had he lingered there, and me- words a glimpse of this courage: "I starved, attacked with insults

In society one diated on the words of triumph which was impossible to take a step in any hatred, children made to deny

could have been uttered by One alone, 01 direction. Anyone sitting down foun blaspheme Christ." his feet dangling in space; we had, finds a break from the "tradition however, every facility for stamping their forefathers which makes for the Who walked on earth: "It is finish- them, provided we were careful not to uplifting of the Christian life, for the ed." Jesus so spoke: the best of His lose our balance,” The year following observance of the family ties and du-disciples, at the end of the chapter, his election to the papal throne, on thties, and for the protection of the sanc-must rest his head trustingly on the It is for occasion of the tenth centenary of Sttity of marriage." And to "all these heart of the Master to pray that He Bernard's birth, in a special Apostoli evils must be added the cowardice and may repair what was amiss, and com-

there is "The very sight of indolence of individuals who, like the plete the incompleteness. Letter, he wrote: the mountains where he laboured, and sleeping or fleeing disciples, are weak this reason that, all over the world, in where traces remain, still deeply im-in faith and abandon Christ while He every Catholic cathedral

day, to pray God for the soul of the pressed, of his holy life, so that one is oppressed with anguish and beset solemn Requiem service like ours to- Requiem aeternam may be said still to breathe, there his by the allies of Satan.

A world-wide campaign was needed: Pope personally; very spirit, used readily to fill me with admiration and indeed affection for the Pope realised this. He concluded dona ei Domine; and over his grave to Concordats with the Powers in whose pray that his great labours for peace, such heroic virtue.”.

Missions were established; with China unity, harmony, for a purified world for example, to which he sent an Apos through the purification of national TRYING PROBLEMS We can well imagine the Alpinist tolic Delegate. Perhaps it was to life, of social life, and of individual looking back to the cold night, so cold wards China especially that his mis-life may triumph in a world which was particularly only realises their full magnitude and that the coffee was frozen hard, when sionary sympathy

would manifest. In his personal message to their selflessness when the voice of the a step in the wrong direction have fatal consequences, and compar- China he pays tribute to the old cul- Pope, is silent and the Pope is gone. ing with the mountain ledge the much ture of "this noble people": the im loftier peak on which he now found mensity of their numbers, the cultural himself, realising that a step in the qualities which welded them together wrong direction would be frought with in a unique stability whilst other civi-

The last of these masses will be and immense, consequences, not only for lizations crumbled, excite his specia!

celebrated the millions whose interest. And he emphasised his in- himself, but for

on February 20 eyes turned to him as to their Father,terest by his personal consecration of

London, To-day. until this date flags in Rome and- their Guide their Shepherd; and not six Chinese bishops, at the tomb of St. only for those but for the vastor mil-Peter in 1926.

Agreement is stated to have the Vatican City will remain at lions who, acknowledging no link of

"A great door is opened unto me and been, Faschmittee that the con-

by the Evian Con- halfmast.

The college of Cardinals which sonship, yet could not help turning their eyes curiously to see how the evident. Today, dear Brethren, weference new occupant of the Sea of Peter would pause, in the midst of our work, to

be continued by the will receive the Diplomatic Corps face the most trying problems present reflect on the closing of this door, for versations with the German du- held. its fifth meeting yesterday ad to any modern Pope, perhaps pre-the door of opportunity must close thorities

Not only was for every human life. The door is assistant director, Robert Pell, of accredited to the Holy See to-day sonted to any. Pope.

Trans- for presentation of condolences.· Christondom divided but it was blee- very different in size for individual the U.S. Government.

Trans-Ocean, ding, sick at heart, and vainly seeking lives, and there are few even who open for some little spark of love to con- to the full, however, small it be, the Ocean.

A GREAT MAN".

I

EVIAN COMMITTEE DECISION

་ བད་

a

Between 1926 and 1932, M. Jaspar Governments, apart from holding was head of four different Belgian ministerial posts in other Belgian Cabinets. Trans-Ocean.

REQUIEM MASS

AT ST. PETER'S

Vatican City, To-day.

late of the The chamberlains

a requiem mass in the Crypt of St. Pope attended yesterday morning Peter's where Pius XI, was laid to rest on Tuesday.

At the high altar of the Basilica, "Novemdiales" the fourth of the nine requiem celebrated between the death of masses known as the Pope and the election of his successor, was sung by the Titular Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, Monsignor Rossi..