Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/519



CONGRATULATIONS TO THE AMERICAN HIERARCHY.

Pope Leo's Letter Addressed to Cardinal Gibbons and the American Bishops, April 15, 1902.

Certainly We have reason to rejoice, and the Catholic world, on account of its reverence for the Apostolic See, has reason to rejoice at the extraordinary fact that We are to be reckoned as the third in the long line of Roman Pontiffs to whom it has been happily given to enter upon the twenty-fifth year of the Supreme Priesthood. But in this circle of congratulations, while the voices of all are welcome to Us, that of the Bishops and faithful of the United States of North America brings Us special joy, both on account of the conditions which give your country prominence over many others, and of the special love we entertain for you.

You have been pleased, beloved Son and Venerable Brothers, in your joint letter to Us to mention in detail what, prompted by love for you, We have done for your churches during the course of Our Pontificate. We, on the other hand, are glad to call to mind the many different ways in which you have ministered to Our consolation throughout this period. If We found pleasure in the state of things which prevailed among you when We first entered upon the charge of the Supreme Apostolate, now that We have advanced beyond twenty-four years in the same charge. We are constrained to confess that Our first pleasure has never been diminished,