Merciful God

With tears in their eyes, 250 Poles and Italians gathered at Rome's railroad station to welcome a husky, crop-haired churchman. He was Auguste Cardinal Hlond, Archbishop of Gniezno and Poznan, Primate of shattered Poland. Silesian-born, twelve years ago the youngest Cardinal (46) in the Church, he had served his ill-fated country well. He fought Fascism as well as Communism, sought to ease the lot of Polish workers, voluntarily renounced the taxes which had supported the Polish Church. Last May Cardinal Hlond and his hierarchy rallied Poland's faithful with a call to arms, to repulse the "neopaganism of our neighbor," Germany, as once they had fought the "Godless Communism" of another neighbor, Russia.

Last week Cardinal Hlond, on the Vatican radio, broadcast a message in Polish to his people. He exhorted them "to be calm and united, to work in harmony and to pursue an intense religious life." He concluded: "Such great suffering, so many sacrifices borne with fortitude for Christian freedom, cannot but find from a merciful God the compensation we all invoke--the resurrection of the land of our forefathers."

Two days later the Cardinal, the Polish Ambassador to the Vatican, and some 200 other Poles in Rome journeyed out to Castel Gandolfo. Pope Pius XII had summoned them to his summer palace for an audience. Cardinal Hlond took his place by the side of the gaunt Holy Father, who began sadly to speak in French of Poland's lot. The Pope's voice broke when he mentioned "this war, from which all of our efforts so persistently and ardently, but nevertheless futilely, sought to preserve Europe." Twice the Holy Father's dark, tired eyes flooded with tears, which he wiped away. His auditors sobbed aloud at such passages as this: "Poland has already been overrun by many disasters, but there also have been shining victories. . . . Poland is faithful to the Faith of Christ, and for that reason we are sure that you will never give up the sentiments so solidly anchored in your souls."

Pius XII gave the Poles his blessing, prayed: "May Christ, who wept over the death of Lazarus and over the ruin of His fatherland, gather and some day compensate you for the tears which you spill over your dead and over that Poland which does not want to die." The Pope stepped down from his dais, stood rapt as the Poles sang the hymn of their fathers, May God Protect Poland. Weeping, the 200 exiles filed out.

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