APH 153Collection of photos by photographer J.G Mody of the November 1929 Papal Mission to Addis Abeba. 9 photos mounted, all captioned. Rare. M?
Price: $360.00
Note: (from the internet), The Papal Mission to the Sovereigns of Ethiopia, headed by Archbishop Marchetti Selvaggiani as Special Extraordinary Envoy, was tendered a cordial reception throughout its journey, culminating in the reception by the Sovereigns themselves at the Royal Court in Addis-Abeba on November 23. After an uneventful voyage from Marseilles to Gibuti, French Somaliland, where they arrived on November 17, the travellers were met on board the s.s. Azay-le-Rideau by Bishop Andrew Jarosseau, APH 153Vicar Apostolic of the Gallas, Ethiopia, and by a special envoy of the Sovereigns of Ethiopia, Belatten Gheta Wolda Mariam, a Catholic and Director-General of the Ministry of the Interior. On shore, representatives of the French Government of the colony paid their respects.
The following morning the party left by a special train placed at its disposal by the Sovereigns of Ethiopia for the three-days' journey to the capital, Addis-Abeba. The first of these three days was through desert land, scattered through which are Somali tribesmen leading a very primitive existence. A delegation of Ethiopians met the train at the border, led by the son of a section chief, a Catholic. The father claims the distinction of being baptized by Cardinal Massaia, who as a missionary thirty years in Ethiopia was one of the intrepid pioneers for the faith during the nineteenth century. This first group of welcomers on Ethiopian soil brought tiny cups of black coffee aboard the train, which were served to His Excellency and his suite. The first APH 153night was spent at Diro-Daoua, a growing commercial centre, where the envoy and party were offered a dinner by the Governor of the city, Baashahwarad Habtwold, a graduate of Ohio State University and one of the only two Ethiopians to have completed their education in the United States. The second day's journey was through bush-country, made interesting by frequent sighting of wild game and birds strange to Europeans. Herds of camels, sheep and goats were at pasture. The night was passed at Aouache, a primitive post where accommodations, though comfortable, are not those of Europe. On the afternoon of the third day the party arrived in Addis-Abeba, the capital of Ethiopia and a city of 110,000 inhabitants, the only great centre in the country. The Director of Foreign Affairs, Belatten Gheta Herouy, welcomed the party in the name of the Government, and after a brief reception by a large delegation of Catholics, the envoy and suite were conveyed in automobiles, accompanied by a platoon of Imperial Cavalry, to the residence of the Mayor, now in Europe, whose house was placed at the disposal of the Envoy during his stay. The official presentation of credentials took place on November 23. The Envoy proceeded to the Royal Palace in the King's car, which had been placed at his disposal, accompanied by the Ministers -of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs and a squadron of cavalry. The pre sentation itself was a colourful event,APH 153 amid a distinguished gathering of princes, generals, Government officials, and hundreds of troops with their officers bedecked with headdresses of lions' manes. At the moment of presenting the credentials the eleven-gun salute given to ambassadors boomed from the fort.
His Majesty the Negus expressed very cordial sentiments in reply to the address of the Envoy, and both Their Royal Highnesses, the Empress Zauditu and the Negus signified their extreme pleasure with the gifts of His Holiness, a mosaic of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and a medal of gold for the Empress and a portrait of the Pope in an exquisite gold and silver frame, a mosaic, and a gold medal for the Negus.
The reception of the Diplomatic Corps took place at the residence of the Envoy later in the day. Each of the six Ministers (from Italy, France, England, Germany, Belgium, and the United States) extended invitations to the Envoy to dine. The program for the remainder of the stay of the Papal Mission included a dinner tendered by His Majesty the Negus ; a visit to the tomb of King Menelik II, the great modern builder of Ethiopia; a dinner with the Minister of Foreign Affairs; and dinner with Her Majesty the Empress Zauditu, on Thursday, November 28. The party departed for Rome on the steamship Chambord, leaving Gibuti on December 2. Besides Archbishop Marchetti-Selvaggiani as Special Extraordinary Envoy, the Papal Mission included Mgr. Eugene Tisserant, of the Vatican Library, as Councillor, Father John Considine, M.M., Procurator General of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll), as secretary, and Father Paul Yupin, Professor of Chinese Literature in the Urban College, Rome, as attache.