ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE "IMPERIAL BRITISH PEOPLE"
AST Thursday morning Pope . -ietti.a public consistory at the
Vatican for the solemn " peroration " of the cause ol the cationixation of Blessed John Fisher and Thomas More.
The Priutifiral I rairl 011d the Dfpluniati, I s u il• (if Mr Bunion (1114 tiOingilighed /1,i1? ir■ilesii rufony 10 Honor, Il err. pre,:eii.g.
At eleven o'clock the Hibly Father, carried in the st•dia tic,hiltorill, proceeded to the Hall of Benediction, follerwed by Cardinals Laurenti and Verde. As he passed he was greeted by hundreds of people on their knees to receive his blessing, while the choir of the Sistine chapel sang "Tu es Petrus."
In the hall, which wa, packcd, the• Pope listened tri the rector-A for the canonization Of tlic two martyr:, John Fisher and Thomas -More, -which was made by the. dean uf the consi,torial advoratcs, :Mgr. Augusto :Milani. 3,Igr. Antonio Mice', secretary of the office
of LetterPrinces, Ellen approached the throne and replied in Latin in the name of his Holiness.
" Deeply Moved in Spirit" lie stated that the $111)reme Pontiff was earnestly dc,irous that these blessed ones should be honoured with the palm of :aintliood, and that lil. pirit had been deeply moved by the recital of the 1-irtues of these martyrs and by the innumerable petitions received, not only from Great rfritain but from almost every nation.
"And why should not the imperial British people once again lie slicywn as a shining example of that Roman faith which feeds on unchanging truth aini founded on the chair of
Peter? '1,‘ hy should it not revi‘e the habits of its ancestors and emulate their deeds if, 111,11:CAI by till: licr, of in its inidsl, it turn itself again to the centre of Christianity whence, from Gregory the Great, it once st) freely acceoted the words and the worship of Christ:
English Prelates Return Thanks
After the reading of tlic reply the l'ope s,:dcinnly blessed all present and departed, while the choir saw.; " Super litabylonis."
INL.ir. Arthur Ilitisley, the new Archhi,hop of 'Westminster, accompanied by Godfrey, reetor of the English Colletse, and Fr. R. I,. Smith, i I t. vicerector, then e \pressed hk thanks to the I Pope for having acceded to the petitions ior the canonization of Ihe Lord Chancellor of England and the Bishop of Rochester.
Picture on page 3,