The Pope on Macedonia - Interview with Pius X 1904

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THE POPE ON MACEDONIA. INTERVIEW WITH PIUS X. 

'GOOD WORK. FOR THE FREE PRESS.'



Mr. George Lynch supplies to Mr. Stead's new organ, The Daily Paper, a report of an interesting audience he had last month with Pope Pius X. !


The Papal Reception


'My object in seeking the interview,' he writes, 'was to bring before the attention of the head of the Catholic Church the present woful condition of' the Macedonian Christians. I was introduced by the head of the Irish College. As we entered the Pope's apartment all the pomp and ceremony of the court seemed to be left behind. -The small room 'we entered was a plain one. There was a writing table on which was a crucifix and an inkstand. His Holiness had risen, and was standing beside and behind the table. I knelt and kissed his hand, and immediately he bid me rise, drew a chair close to his own, and motioned us to be seated as he faced his own chair round towards us. His reception was as simple as if he were still a plain parish priest. A marvellous charm and attractiveness, however, emanated as a halo from his presence, which held and fascinated one from the moment of entering that little room. A tuft of rather dishevelled grey hair from beneath the white skullcap strayed across his forehead, a forehead wrinkled alons it's lower half by many lines, from underneath which his deep-set. wonderful dark eyes gleamed cut. Expressive eyes they are that gaze out benignly, lovinglv, and then will suddenly' look with a keen, searching earnestness into the back of yours like the steel-touch of crossing swords.


'Come Over and Help Us.' 


I at once addressed His Holiness on the subject of my mission. For months past I told him, I had been journeying to and fro as an ambassador of the press among the martyred Christians of Macedonia. I repealed to the august successor of the Apostles the plaintive cry which the man of Macedonia uttered so long ago. 'Come on over and help us.' And I supplemented and supported my appeal by showing the Pope the collection of photographs which I had taken illustrating the miseries of the refugees, especially- of the great crowd of pitiful folk which had taken refuge in the Monastery of Rila. His Holiness was intensely interested and most sympathetic, and I was delighted to tell him how greatful the unfortunate victims of Turkish savagery had been when His Holiness personal gift of 4,000 fancs had reached them - the first of all the gifts they had received from the outside world. The Pope askŠµd me many question as he turned over the photographs, making sympathetic comments. I told him that I had been there when he had sent his gift, and that it had made a singular impression. Taking up one of the photographs, which showed a great number of those people camping in a mountain gorge. His Holiness said to me, 'Are these people a11 Christians?' He was probably prompted to ask, because the few men among the crowd of women and children were wearing the fez, which is universally worn by the Macedonian men. I answered, ''Yes, father.'


'Our Brothers.'


Mgr. Murphy interjected, "They are Christians, holy father— but Schismatics." The Pope replied to him, "But they are all our brothers." and, turning to me; with that deep searching look of his, he repeated it, "They are all our brothers." 

I told him what efforts some newspapers had made on behalf of these unfortunate Macedonians. "Good work,'' he said: "that is good work for free press- of a great country." Emboldened, perhaps, not a little by his outspoken and simple cordiality, so that I had quite lost the feeling that I was talking to pontiff, and felt more as if I were conversing with a plain irish priest, whose heart we glowing with love for his parishioners, and whose deepest desire was to help and serve them. I said to him, "Would not you, holy father, use your influence with the Powers on behalf of these people?" and I pointed out the proved insincerity of the Turks with regard to carrying cut any sort of reforms, and the lack of earnestness among the Christian Powers in insisting on their being enforced. "Perhaps I have done more, my son, than yon know of," he replied. "I do not wish to interfere in politics unless I know it will be effectual - effectual for doing good." And he wont on to tell me that only the other day, when it appeared as if there was a prospect of war and bloodshed in Colombia, he communicated with President Roosevelt, and received a most courteous and cordial reply from him.


A Letter from the Sultan


With regard to the Macedonians, only a few days ago he received a letter from the Sultan himself: 'una littera stupenda' was the Pope's expression, and then he went on to tell me that this extraordinary document was principally taken up with congratulating him on the efforts he had made in the cause of peace, from which it appeared to me that this wileyest of od diplomats was trying his hand at humbugging the Pope very much in the fame way that he has often succeeded in humbugging others. It was delightfullv evident, however, that the recipient of that 'littera stupenda' has not being taken in.

Source: The Register (Adelaide, SA),  Saturday 13 February 1904,  Page 9,  THE POPE ON MACEDONIA.

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