Hundreds of new priests join in No repeal

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Barcelona thanksgiving for the MORE than a million people stood silent in the streets and squares Titles Act THE Home Office has once again
of Barcelona on Whit-Sunday to honour Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament at Pontifical Mass and Benediction, and to hear the "Pentecostal" voice of the Holy Father calling them to an apostolic crusade for peace.
And then on Whit-Monday morning, when the world's newspapers were saying that the International Eucharistic Congress was over, there came the Great Thanksgiving.
Two days curlier 842 deacons had prostrated themselves before 17 altars in the arena of Montjuich Stadium to receive the priesthood at the hands of Archbishops and Bishops.
Now, with 'families and friends. they went to the altars of the Cathedral, the churches and the convent chapels to celebrate their second Masses and to unite themselves with the Papal Legate and the other Cardinals, hundreds of Archbishops and Bishops and thousands of priestpilgrims, in giving thanks to God for the success of the greatest Peace Congress Western Christendom has ever seen.
"The 35th International Eucharistic Congress," said the Pope in his broadcast to the silent multitude on Sunday night, "will pass into the golden book of great Eucharistic events for its perfect preparation and organisation, its extensive and appropriate choice of themes to be studied, and for the splendour and richness of the assemblies that adorned it."
But, above all. said His Holiness, it will remain a treasured memory for the remembrance of our persecuted brethren."
Refugees
Throughout the five days of magnificent ceremonies—starting early in the morning and going on till late at nigh t---these persecuted brethren were ceaselessly in the minds of everyone in Barcelona—a city where scores of priests and faithful laity sacrificed their lives for the Faith during the Civil War.
At every ceremony attended by the Cardinals there was an empty thronechair in their midst. It bore the arms of the Cardinal Primate of Hungary and laurel wreaths. And besides Cardinal Mindszenty everyone remembered Archbishop Beran, the hero of Czechoslovakia, who survived Nazi concentration camps only to be sent to a Communist jail.
Cardinal and Archbishop--both men from peasants' homes—were the "absentees of honour" in their own right and as symbols of the tens of thousands of known, but mostly unknown, victims of Red persecution.
The empty throne-chair, scarlet and gold, stood alone in the Square of Pope Pius XII beside the immense congress altar, when Cardinal Guevara, Archbishop of Lima, celebrated Mass for the Catholics of the countries behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains. In the great congregation under a blazing sun were some hundreds of refugees from lands under the Communists.
For persecutors
Again, 50,000 children with their parents and teachers gathered round that same altar to pray during Mass for the gift of peace for the world, to offer to Jesus a spiritual bouquet of countless Masses and prayers, and to ask Him to bless the people in the lands of persecution, not excepting "the homes of the children of Your persecutors."
Admiral Pascoval Cervera, father of 14 children, came forward to speak on behalf of all the large Catholic families of the world. He was followed by a small boy representing Catholic children everywhere to offer a special prayer.
Nobody was forgotten in prayers and personal service during the crowded days. One morning all traffic stopped and silence fell over the city as priests from 300 altars, accompanied by acolytes, passed through the streets with the Blessed Sacrament to administer Holy Communion to the sick and old people in their homes and in hospitals, Pontifical Mass was offered in the Basilica of Santa Maria de los Reyes to implore the Peace of Christ for all the families of the world; actors were given a special part to play, presenting on a stage before the Church of the Holy Family a sacramental drama written by a 17th-century Spanish dramatist; athletes gathered before the congress altar to pray for spiritual and physical strength; a special openair session, attended by tens of thousands, was held in the Maria Cristina Square in the centre of the city for employers and workers.
. Midnight Mass
Al this last meeting, with Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, presiding. three principal speakers were an employer, a waiter and a labourer.
Fast and West were united when prelates and priests of Oriental rites celebrated the Divine Liturgy—the Mass—in the presence of the Papal Legate and other Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and laity of the Latin rite.
Cardinal Gilroy, Archbishop of Sydney, who had travelled farther than any other pilgrim, was chosen to celebrate Midnight Mass at the con gress altar. This was the night of the men's vigil.
All Barcelona's churches had remained open long after darkness had fallen to enable the men to go to confession. Even so. it was found necessary to set up temporary confessional boxes in various parts of the City.
Eight hundred priests went with Cardinal Gilroy to the open-air sanctuary and many of these administered Holy Communion to the men. Three hundred took the Blessed Sacrament in cars to give Holy Communion to those on the outer fringes of the immense throng.
Thousands of men were still kneeling before the altar until well into the small hours of the following morning.
Earlier, women had crowded the churches at their own vigil before the Blessed Sacrament.
Whit-Sunday's congregation at the Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated at the congress altar hy the Papal Legate. Cardinal Tedesc.hini, was a Pentecostal multitude of Catholics of 40 nations. All the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops attending the congress, with 10.000 priests, were gathered in and around the sanctuary, and the square was packed with laity. The choir alone numbered 500.
General Franco and many members of his Cabinet were present, and in other reserved places were King Lin:thew) and the Archduke Otto of Hapsburg.
In the evening came a wonderful procession of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Sacred Host was borne in a carriage in one of Spain's greatest religious treasures. the famous Toledo monstrance made of the first gold to he brought to Spain from the New World. The Cardinal Legate knelt before it, and the carriage was VII3W11 to the Pius XII Square hy hundreds of the newly ordained priests.
In moonlight
Behind came all the Cardinals and other prelates hearing lighted candles, and then a seemingly endless procession of priests, religious and laity.
In the light of the moon the procession passed slowly to die brilliantly illuminated congress altar, and the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance was placed in the throne of the ancient Kings of Aragon. Cardinal Tedeschini gave Benediction.
Then, in a great silence-the people heard the voice of the Holy Father coming over the radio.
His holiness spoke in Spanish for 10 minutes. lie recalled the last International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest in 1938, at which he himself presided as Papal Legate, and the Church's constant exhortations to the nations to seek peace.
"Those words," said the Holy Father. "were not listened to. The whirlwind broke with thunderous destruction and slaughter. And today, once more. the anguished cry is the same from all lips--"Peace!"
Talk of peace is not enough, said the Pope.
"For some it is nothing more than an outward formality, words dictated by the tactics of the moment and contradicted constantly by their actions—actions so contrary to all they say.
"For the Catholic Church there is but one true and possible peace. the peace of Christ, Who is the Prince of Peace.
Example to all
"We wish to hold out the congress as an example to the whole world— so many nations, so many races, so many rites, one heart and one soul— so that, seeing it, the world may come to understand where lies the source of true peace in its individual, family, social and international aspects.
"We trust that you, inflamed wills this spirit, will go forth as flaming torches to set the universe ablaze with this holy fire.
"We are confident that so many prayers, so many sacrifices and desires will not he in vain.
"Gathering together all your voices, all the wishes of your hearts, all the anxieties of your souls, we wish to concentrate them all into one great cry of peace, which may be heard all over the world."