The Pope and the Jew

Title

Language

English

Year

1939

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

lead to dictatorship. I have no doubt the American democracy is in greater danger from the present horrible inequalities in educational opportunity than it ever will be from an attempt to remedy those inequalities by customary and constitutional means. -R o b e r t M. Hutehim, President, University of Chicago. SHORTLY after his coronation, Pius IX was riding toward the Ghetto in Rome, when his carriage was held up by the presence of a crowd of people in the street, surrounding a man who had fallen to the ~ound in a fit. ''What is it?" asked the Pope. "Only a Jew," answered a Christian standing by. "Is not a Jew a man and a brother?" said the Pope. "Make way for us!" And he stepped from his carriage. The crowd opened for the Pope to approach. The man lay gasping on the ground where no one would touch him. Pius !IX took him 'in his arms, bore him to his carriage, and ordered his coachman to drive to the Jew's home. When the man had recovered, the Pope left him with a present of money and his blessing. Not long after this, a deputation of Jews, old and bearded men, called at the Vatican. They requested to be admitted into the presence of Pope Pius IX, and bowing before him, they offered him an exquisite antique golden chalice, of great value, begging him to accept it as a token of their gratitude to him for his kindness to one of their race. The Pope was greatly touched by their deed, and said to them: "I accept your magnificent gift, my children, with pleasure and gratitude. Will you tell me how much it is worth?" "It weighs 550 Roman scudi," answered the chief of the deputation. The Pope stepped to the table and wrote on a piece of paper: "Good for 1,000 scudi, Pius IX.'' He handed the slip to the leader, saying: "Accept in your turn a small pledge of my J,ove for my poor Hebrew children. Divide it among the poor families of the Ghetto, in the name of Pio Nono." The men tried to decline the gift, offering to raise four times as much themselves for the poor, but the Pope would not accept a refusal. The money had to be spent in name for the poor. -The Catholic Telegraph. APRIL, 1939 3

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