The Catholic News

Prince Voices Attachment of

Austrian Nation to the Faith.

PREVEXTS NATIONALISM FROM GOING TOO FAR.

(By NCWC News Service) Vienna.

Austria's attachment to the Catholic

Faith was expressed by Prince Starhemberg,

Vice-Chancellor, in an oration he

delivered during the celebrations held in

Vienna in honour of a famous prieststatesman,

Fr. Marco d'Aviano.

It was Fr. d'Aviano who, 250 years

ago, brought about the alliance between

the Hapsburg Emperor, Leopold I, the

King of Poland, and the Republic ol

Venice, which resulted in rescuing

Europe from Turkish domination. His

cause of Beatification was introduced

in 1703, but came to a standstill. On

the occasion of the present celebrations

a telegram was sent to thevHoly Father

imploring him to raise the prieststatesman

to the honours of the altar.

It was signed by President Miklas,

Cardinal Innitzer, Prince Starhemberg

and Fr. Valstagna, General of the

Capuchins.

Prince Starhemberg said:

"Just as did the days of Fr. Marco

d'Aviano, our times show that one of

the main sources of Austria's strength

is the Catholic Faith, and just as then

the warriors, set out to fight under the

sign of the Cross against the Crescent

for the liberty of Austria,—so we may

say without exaggeration that the great

congress of Catholics held here in Vienna

exactly a year ago was the real birthhour

of a new Austria.

"That congress was a protest of the

German Austrians against that materialistic

conception of nationalism which

it is now sought to force upon us by

brutal and reprehensible means.

"Catholicism is a source of force for

the Austrians because it is the Catholic

Faith which forms a proper nationalism

and saves us from pushing nationalism

to extremes, and because it is the

Catholic Faith which creates that

nationalism which is not confined to

itself, but conceives the definition

4 nation' as an element which must

serve the whole world.

"Therefore, we Austrians are on the

right national ground. We are of opinion

that it is willed by God that there should

be various peoples and nations, that the

members of a nation should be conscious

of being members of such nation, and

from this consciousness derive their

duties towards the nation.

"It is our opinion that it is an order

willed by God, that in case of need we

should go as far as to take up arms for

the preservation and the future development

of our nation.

"But it cannot be an order willed

by God that one nation shall grow

powerful at the expense of another,

w that one nation shall take the view

that all others are inferior and must

be suppressed.

"We think it to be the order willed

by God that means and ways should be

found to progress to future development

in agreement with other nations, states

and countries."

- Malaya Catholic Leader, January 5th, 1935 (1935.pdf pp7)