The President at Mass

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Dec 15, 1910

The President at Mass

UNDER this head, the New York Weekly Witness of Nov. 30, 1910, speaks of the recent Thanksgiving mass held in Washington, which was attended by so many officials of the various governments:—

This official attendance at mass is much to be regretted. It is likely to be greatly misunderstood by the people and the governments of Catholic countries in both hemispheres, which are struggling to rid themselves of papal domination. Nominally, at least, several of these Latin-American nations recognize the Pope’s temporal power by maintaining the diplomatic representatives at Rome accredited to the Vatican. The Latin-American diplomats in Washington are probably Roman Catholics, in name at least, and their presence at a service of their own church was natural enough. But, whether the American people recognize the fact or not, the peoples of France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy know that the material and political greatness of this republic is due to the essentially Protestant principles upon which all her institutions are founded, and that the immense difference between North America and South America in progressiveness is due chiefly to the open Bible and our political system built upon it. Good ground will they have for amazement that, while they are struggling to reach the liberties possessed by this country, political expediency should cause the head of our government to do homage—in appearance at least—to the very despotism against which they are in rebellion.