Cardinal Gilroy
pp. 129-130 · Read in the full issue
Ends Long Tour in Islands
CORDIALLY welcomed by people of many races in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, His Eminence Cardinal Gilroy, Archbishop of Sydney, left happy memories of his nonth’s Island tour when he •eturned to Australia on July 21.
The main purpose of Cardinal lilroy’s visit to Samoa was to ittend the 50th anniversary of the irdination of Bishop Joseph )arnand, retired Bishop of Samoa. |Bishop Darnand’s successor, Jishop John Baptist Dieter, who lad invited the Cardinal at attend he anniversary celebration, died Uddenly at Auckland when ferdinal Gilroy was travelling to lamoa, and the Roman Catholic ishopric of Samoa is now vacant. [Bishop Dieter’s body was flown I Samoa, and the funeral took lace on July 8 after an all-night igil at the Apia Cathedral, Mulivai, nd solemn requiem mass in the wrning. Thousands of mourners illowed the cortege to Moamoa. r[E retired bishop, the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Darnand, SM, I went to Samoa as a missionary i 1905, the year of his ordination, s Titular Bishop of Polemon and icar Apostolic of Samoa, he was Ipsecrated in 1920 and ad unistered his office for 34 years, iiring his term of office the umber of Catholics in Samoa icreased from 7,488 to 22,500, and prches and schools were opened i all parts of the Territory.
Cardinal Gilroy paid high ibutes to Bishop Dieter and ishop Darnand at a public jception in his honour at Apia, he reception was attended by atholics ard ncn-Cathollcs alike.
Earlier, the Cardinal had travelled in the Tofua from Suva to Tonga, arriving at Nukualofa on June 27.
He was met by Bishop Rodgers at the wharf, and drove through streets lined by hundreds of cheering children from the Catholic missions throughout Tonga.
Two extremely busy days were filled with visits, church ceremonies, Tongan feasts and other social gatherings.
ONE of the highlights of the visit to Fiji (July PIM, p. 89) was the Liturgical Reception at Suva on June 19, when the Sacred Heart Cathedral was filled to over flowing.
Guests at a laymen’s dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel included the Acting Governor (Mr. A. F. R.
Stoddart), senior Government.
officials and representatives of the Fiji Military Forces and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Speaking at the dinner, Cardinal Gilroy said that cordial relations, based on mutual respect, between
Cardinal at
Tonga
His Eminence Cardinal Gilroy, Archbishop of Sydney (on right) with His Lordship Bishop Rodgers at Nukualofa during the Cardinal's two days' visit to Tonga at the end of June. As in Fiji and Samoa, Cardinal Gilroy was cordially welcomed by Catholics and non - Catholics at Nukualofa.
During his visit he stayed at Bishop's House. —Photo by Hettig.
Church and State, were apparen Fiji.
The Church, he said, had obligation of providing for spiritual welfare of those to w] it ministered, while the State the obligation of providing for material welfare of the pec There was not the slightest res why there should be any con between the two.