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ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



determination of the Church to counteract the 

 march of Socialism and anarchy by leading m 

 the effort to uplift the masses who through de- 

 grading and exhaustive toil have neither the 

 means, the opportunity, nor the inclination to 

 assist themselves. 



Besides this, the year was marked by an in- 

 tensified zeal in missionary work. Cardinal 

 Lavigerie's crusaders were materially augmented 

 in Africa ; the Jesuits were specially active in 

 the remote northern countries ; the members of 

 the Lyons Propaganda Society penetrated every 

 corner of Madagascar, Japan, Borneo, New 

 Guinea, China, and India. The Franciscans 

 were given charge of the holy places in the 

 East, and a fresh effort was inaugurated to bring 

 the schismatic churches of the Orient into com- 

 munication with Rome. 



The relations of the governments of Germany, 

 Austria, France, England, and even Russia with 

 the Vatican showed improvement on the whole. 

 The Italian Government continued to regard 

 Rome and the treasures of the Church as its 

 private property, and Marquis Rudini, Premier 

 Crispi's successor, served notice on the Pope that 

 while he proposed to maintain the "law of 

 guarantees," he would brook no interference of 

 the Vatican with the absolute authority of King 

 Humbert in matters either of Church or state. 

 The municipal elections in Rome, which are the 

 only ones in which Catholics are allowed to par- 

 ticipate by the Pope, showed a respectable Catho- 

 lic return in the city council. 



The Vatican. The first official document 

 signed by His Holiness at the opening of the 

 year was one blessing the project of Archbishop 

 Salvatore to honor Columbus in his native 

 Genoa. It emphasizes the Christian character of 

 the discoverer. The letter is as follows : 

 To our Venerable Brother Salvatore^ Archbishop of 



Genoa : Health and Apostolic benediction : 



It is pleasing to us to learn from your letter of the 

 4th of January that you are laboring with diligent 

 zeal to prepare for the coming year at Genoa solemn 

 secular festivities in celebration of the memorable 

 voyage of which Christopher Columbus succeeded, 

 four centuries ago, in discovering previously un- 

 known regions on the other side of the globe. 



Assuredly it is above all fitting that the honor 

 which many are eager to render to this immortal 

 genius in otner places, should be paid to him in the 

 city in which he was born, and to which he is a dis- 

 tinguished ornament and honor. We therefore 

 highly approve of your design of establishing a coun- 

 cil of chosen citizens to see to the carrying out of this 

 intention, and we have read with great satisfaction 

 the pastoral letter which you have, with that view, 

 addressed to the clergy and laity of the diocese over 

 which you preside. But your prudence and piety are 

 principally manifested in your earnest anxiety that 

 the celebration and rejoicings should be of a charac- 

 ter in keeping with Columbus's undertaking, his dis- 

 position, and the spirit by which he was animated. 

 For it is attested by the most undoubted historical 

 monuments that he entered his arduous undertaking 

 in order that the light of the Gospel might be shown on 

 those distant shores, and he became in some measure 

 a minister of Christ, who said to his disciples, "Go 

 throughout the world and preach the Gospel to every 

 creature." Hence injury would be done to the mem- 

 ory and the name of this excellent man by any one" 

 who would only recognize the worldly aspect of his 

 undertaking, and who would tender to Columbus 

 merely the honors to be awarded to those who take 

 no thought of the Catholic faith, and in their great 



deeds sock to gain alone praise for ability and con- 

 stancy. 



The religious feeling and wisdom by which the 

 people of your Liguria and the other Italians are dis- 

 tinguished being well known to us, we doubt not 

 that it will be understood by many that you have 

 provided in the best way for honoring the memory of 

 such a remarkable man, and that they will spon- 

 taneously and heartily support and aid the council of 

 worthy citizens established by you. 



We sincerely trust that through this celebration, and 

 through the effect of the example set by Columbus, 

 the zeal of many will be stimulated, so that each shall 

 do all that is in his power to extend the kingdom of 

 Christ on earth. 



Meanwhile, for the aforesaid design wo implore the 

 divine assistance, and to this end we affectionately 

 impart the apostolic benediction to you, venerable 

 brother, and to the clergy and people confided to your 

 care. 



Given at St. Peter's, Home, on the 10th January, 

 1891, and the thirteenth year of our pontificate. 



LEO XIII, Pope. 



The Temporal Power. On the 3d of March 

 the Pope addressed a long letter to the hierarchy 

 of Austria, in which he advised annual reunions 

 among the bishops, annual congresses of laymen 

 to discuss social, scientific, and moral principles, 

 the encouragement of the Catholic press, active 

 effort to solve the labor problem amicably, and 

 the higher education of the clergy. He specially 

 referred to the necessity for the temporal power 

 in these words: 



In the unfortunate times with which we are afflict- 

 ed, we desire that all efforts and care should from the 

 start tend to reunite, by approaches growing nearer 

 every day, the lines of the Christian family with the 

 hierarchical order : in such fashion that the faithful 

 may be united to their bishops in all good will and 

 submission, and, above all, that they guard _ with 

 ardor and bravely profess one faith, one obedience, 

 and one filial piety under the Bishop of the Univer- 

 sal Church. 



Now ; since to wish that the Eoman Pontiff may 

 be subject to no human power, and that he may bo 

 fully and perfectly free, is a sacred obligation which 

 concerns the Catholics of all nations, and not one 

 alone, the bishops should consult upon the matter 

 and apply themselves to arouse and excite the solici- 

 tude ot the faithful in this very just cause, with the 

 view of hastening a happy result. 



The Pope and Slavery. Pope Leo on his 

 eighty-first birthday, March 2, in answer to the 

 congratulations of his cardinals, spoke at length 

 upon the trials of his pontificate, which lie 

 likened to that of Gregory the Great. He drew 

 special attention to the African slave trade, and 

 said that if the Lord spared him to celebrate his 

 episcopal jubilee in 1893, he would devote the 

 offerings of the Christian world to him on that 

 occasion to the abolition of slavery and Chris- 

 tianization of Africa. 



St. Peter's shaken. The Vatican was 

 shaken by an explosion of 260 tons of gun- 

 powder in a magazine on the outskirts of Rome, 

 April 24. All the windows of the Pope's 

 library were shattered, and many precious relics 

 were destroyed. St. Paul's Church and monas- 

 tery suffered specially. The tercentenary cele- 

 bration of the death of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 

 June 21, was worldwide, and a special feature 

 of it was a pilgrimage to Rome by the young 

 Catholics of Italy. 



The Labor Encyclical. Pope Leo. under 

 date of May 15, issued what will probably pass 



