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Date: |
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Description: | C.S.7 May 23 1917
TOUT POSSESSEUR DE CET EXEMPLAIRE POURRA S'EXPOSER A DES POURSUITES JUDICIAIRES
whole: the image covers the whole, with the hand-lettered title placed separately across the bottom. All are held within a
narrow hand-drawn black border.
image: a full-length depiction of Cardinal Mercier wearing eclessiastical dress and standing in front of a group of distressed Belgian
civilians. He casts a protective arm towards them and holds his crosier in his left hand.
text: D CHARLES FOUQUERAY 1916
LE CARDINAL MERCIER PROTÈGE LA BELGIQUE
LAPINA. IMP. PARIS.
[Cardinal Mercier Protecting Belgium.]
Cardinal Désiré Joseph Mercier (1851-1926) was the Roman Catholic primate of Belgium at the time of her invasion.
After the exile of King Albert I in 1914, the Cardinal became the focal point of Belgian resistance and a figurehead for the subjugated
population. He made a series of protests in the form of open letters to the German occupational authorities, which included demands for
food and complaints to von Bissing, the military governor, over the deportation of unemployed Belgian men to work in Germany. This was
effectively forced labour, and in practice random selection took employed men too. Mercier also condemned the burning of the university
library at Louvain, where he had once been a professor of theology. The library was rebuilt after the war with the help of funds raised by
the Cardinal during a tour of the United States.
The Cardinal’s letters were published in the press of both Allied and neutral countries, gaining international exposure for him and his
cause. His high profile, coupled with sympathy from German Catholics, prevented suppression of his activities by the German authorities and
Mercier eventually succeeded in bringing an end to the deportations. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | civilian suffering Costume and fashion WW1 French Home Front Religion FR.O Charities Désiré-Félicien-François-Joseph Mercier | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Fouqueray, Dominique Charles | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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