whatever, that we utter these words. Let them not allow these words of a friend and a father to be uttered in vain.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven for the very purpose of restoring amongst men the Kingdom of peace, which the envy of the devil had destroyed, and it was His will that it should rest on no other foundation than that of brotherly love. These are His own oft-repeated words: “A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another" (John xiv, 34); 'This is my commandment that you love one another" (John xv, 12); These things I command you, that you love one another " (John xv, 17); as though His one office and purpose was to bring men to mutual love.' He used every kind of argument to bring about that effect. He bids us all look up to heaven: For one is your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. xxiii, 9); He teaches all men, without distinction of nationality or of language, or of ideas, to pray in the words: "Our Father, who art in heaven" (Matt. vi, 9); nay, more, He tells us that our Heavenly Father in distributing the blessings of nature makes no distinction of our deserts: Who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust" (Matt. v, 45). He bids us be brothers one to another, and calls us His brethren : All you are brethren" (Matt. xxiii, 8); "that He might be the first-born amongst many brethren" (Rom. viii, 29). In order the more to stimulate us to brotherly love, even towards those whom our natural pride despises, it is His will that we should recognize the dignity of His own very self in the meanest of men:

66

As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me " (Matt. xxv, 40). At the close of His life did He not most earnestly beg of His Father, that as many as should believe in Him should all be one in the bond of charity? As thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee" (John xvii, 21). And finally,

as He was hanging from the cross, He poured out His blood over us all, whence being as it were compacted and fitly joined together in one body, we should love one another, with a love like that which one member bears to another in the same body. .

We implore with our most earnest prayers the end of this most disastrous War for the sake of human society and for the sake of the Church; for human society, so that when peace shall have been concluded, it may go forward in every form of true progress; for the Church of Jesus Christ, that freed at length from all impediments it may go forth and bring comfort and salvation even to the most remote parts of the earth.

It remains for Us, . . . since in God's hands are the wills of Princes and of those who are able to put an end to the suffering and destruction, of which We have spoken, to raise Our voice in supplication to God, and in the name of the whole human race, to cry out : Grant, O Lord, peace, in our day."

APPENDIX D

BENEDICT XV AND THE EUROPEAN

WAR

THE death of Pope Pius X at the outbreak of the war and the election of his successor, whose first words as supreme Pontiff spoke of his desire for peace, turned the minds of many non-Catholics with sympathy and expectation to the traditional Peacemaker of Europe.

In this country the Rev. R. J. Campbell's suggestion that the Pope should be invited to summon a conference of Christian bodies for the promotion of peace met with much favour. So eminent an authority on international law as Sir Thomas Barclay, in an address to the Sociological Society in March 1915 pointed out that

The world needs some great moral force to guide and uphold it amid the ambitions of sovereigns and statesmen, to protect men against their own cruel and rapacious instincts and to set a higher tone of human sympathy and fraternity among men generally.1

and instanced the Vatican as possessing the kind of independence and moral authority required. In the early days of the war, too, when people were lamenting over their shattered dreams of international peace, a non-Catholic paper asked the question why the Peace Palace was not at the Vatican instead of 1 Manchester Guardian, March 24, 1915.

at The Hague, and pointed out the advantages of having an arbitrator whose decision would claim. respect throughout the world, who was free from all suspicion of personal interest and who had spiritual children in all parts of the globe.

The British Government recognized the unique opportunities of the Pope's position and, rising above sectarian narrow-mindedness, it sent Sir Henry Howard to the Vatican to facilitate the discussion of such subjects as might concern the interests of both.

In France, too, despite the opposition of an antiChristian Government, statesmen who are far from being "clerical" in sympathies, have strongly advocated the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Holy See in view of the war. Thus M. Hanotaux, a former Foreign Minister, spoke his mind very frankly on the subject in an article to the Figaro, and subsequently on his return from Rome where he had studied the political situation especially from this point of view, he declared himself confirmed in his opinion that it was for France's best interests to resume at least conversations" with the Holy Father and to send a temporary representative to the Vatican.

Nor has the Holy Father failed to respond to the hopes placed in his high moral influence. His humane action in urging an armistice on Christmas day, though unsuccessful, was appreciated by all lovers of peace.

His appeal for the release of military prisoners of war unfit for further service was more successful, the rulers of all the belligerent nations assenting to his proposal, the first to do so being King George V.

Later on the Pope made a similar appeal on behalf of civil prisoners of war-women and children, and men over forty-five years of age. The Tablet for April 17 announced the success of this attempt:

We owe the release of the medically unfit civilians who, as British subjects, were detained in Germany, entirely to the intervention of the Holy Father, who was kept informed of the abortive negotiations between the two Governments by Sir Henry Howard. Just when it seemed that the German Government would refuse all concessions, the diplomacy of the Vatican was successful.1

The labours of the Pope on behalf of humanity have, of course, met with criticism. Some have protested on the ground that he has done too much. Others have expressed their disappointment that he has not done more. To the latter may be recommended a careful perusal of the following extract from the Lenten Pastoral Letter (1915) of the Bishop of Northampton: 2

As the apostle of peace, the radius of the Pope's useful action is strictly circumscribed. It is evident that a successful peacemaker must be above all suspicion of partisanship. His expressions of sympathy with the victims of war must not lend themselves to the purposes of journalists on the look-out for " copy." To be effective, his plea on behalf of sacred shrines and persons, and the civil population generally, must not go behind the motives of necessity rightly or wrongly avowed by the invader. Benevolent proposals must be confined to such as are of equal advantage to all belligerents. Any other course of action would alienate at least one of the parties, and would, by compromising the impartiality of the Holy See, cancel all its pacific influence. The enemy of mankind will deem his evil work only half done unless he succeeds in dividing the Catholic Church as well as Christian civilization. To that fell purpose we do not hesitate to ascribe, not merely the attacks on the attitude of the Holy See emanating from notoriously hostile quarters, but a certain restlessness and dissatisfaction manifested in some Catholic circles. Why does not the Pope say plainly which side is right and which is wrong? Why, at all events,

1 See Sir Henry Howard's note to Sir Edward Grey, informing him of this success, and Sir Edward's note thanking the Pope on behalf of His Majesty's Government for his successful intervention. Germany subsequently withdrew

her consent.

2 Since this was written Cardinal Bourne has also spoken on this subject. See The Tablet, June 5, 1915.