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EN IT ES

Blessed
Armida barelli

Blessed
Armida barelli

EN IT ES
EN IT ES

Blessed
Armida barelli

The great test

taken from Armida Barelli, The elder sister tells, Life and Thought, Milan, 1949, pages 369-371

Towards the end of May I went to Warsaw for the International Women's Youth Congress.
The day after my arrival I received a telegram from the Catholic University. "Come back immediately."
I thought: Some misfortune must have happened to my family or the Women's Youth or the Catholic University. I ran to the travel agency to get a seat on the plane, but the plane had already left. I then left on the evening train and arrived in Vienna in the morning. I stopped for a few hours to make Holy Communion at the cathedral of S. Stefano, and I heard the newsboys of the German newspapers shout: "The youth organizations of Catholic Action in Italy are dissolved!"
It seemed to me that my heart would stop suddenly. I entered the cathedral and ran in front of the Altar of the SS. Sacrament: «Jesus, the Female Youth is yours, if you make it participate in your death, you will also make it participate in your resurrection: I trust in You! ".
I took the first train in the morning and went on to Italy; in Brescia my private secretary met me and in a low voice informed me of what had happened. Arriving in Milan I already knew that the Secretariat was closed with the seal of the Police Headquarters, that the sisters of the National Center and the employees were praying in the University Chapel, that for the dexterity and skill of the Rector Father Gemelli the premises of the Superior Council were free; some employees of the Catholic University had gone there temporarily.
We hoped to release "Squilli" which was already ready for printing, adding a few lines to give directives to the Associations and reassure the members, but there was a ban on any and all activities concerning the GFCI
We printed our newspaper at the Popolo d'Italia printing house headed by Arnaldo Mussolini, the brother of the Head of the Government: we had been forced to do so by technical necessity with the consent of the Ecclesiastical Authority.
With the dissolution of the Female Youth, it was logical that the newspaper that gave the typography a great deal of work could no longer be printed.
Arnaldo Mussolini went to his brother in Rome: "Why did you ever suppress the Female Youth? An association that has never been involved in politics and whose newspapers we print! ". He added that if "Squilli" could not rise again he would have to lay off a large number of workers. He therefore asked that an exception be made for "Rings of Resurrection". And he got it.
The Prefect of Milan communicated the news to me and added: «You can publish the newspaper 'Squilli' as long as you remove the subtitle 'Organ of the Italian Catholic Women's Youth'».
I replied: "You have had orders from your master, I'm going to ask mine."
And that same evening I left for Rome, asked for an audience with the Holy Father and had it the next day.
I told the Holy Father Pius XI all my pain and that of the Women's Youth for the brutal act committed against us by Fascism. I was very keen to get a number of Rings out immediately to give directives and keep the 10.000 Associations spiritually united, but I told him under what conditions I was allowed to publish the newspaper.
"No, either it comes out as an Organ of the Italian Catholic Women's Youth or it doesn't come out."
"So? ".
«They will yield. They have to give up. They will give in! "
Oh! With what force did he say those words!
He also gave me the beautiful pictures of SS. Martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, to be given to each of my sisters of the Superior Council and added:
"Do I understand the meaning of these images? ".
«Yes, Holy Father, with the grace of God also martyrdom!».