8. Scalabrini to Merry del Val⁸

         Piacenza, February 3, 1904

Eminent Prince,

Last November I had the high honor to present you with my humble respects and speak of the great moral and religious misery of the Italian immigrants in North America. I dared to ask Your Eminence a letter of presentation to the Italian Bishops for one of my missionaries that I would have called back to give conferences to the laity, the clergy and especially to seminarians. I breathed in relief when Your Eminence didn’t show any difficulty in granting this, as you had granted another letter of recommendation to Father Maldotti, now on a journey to Central America.

            The bearer of the present letter is the missionary I called back, Father Francesco Beccherini, an intelligent man of great initiative, who has worked for twelve years for our migrants, built churches and houses, particularly the beautiful church in Detroit, where he now resides. It would be truly worthwhile that Your Eminence to confer on him the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice . This decoration would be quite useful to him to achieve the noble purpose for which he has returned to Italy.

            He desires to introduce himself to the Venerable Pastors of the Italian Dioceses with a letter of Your Eminence that would ease his task and open all doors. I do not hide it that I would be very happy. Such a gesture would produce excellent results on the people and it would show that the Apostolic See, the first to study the most important issue of our emigration, does not abandon it in the hands of the enemies of God and his Church.

            In the hope of being heard, I anticipate, Eminence, my warmest thanks, and with religious regards and deep veneration, I remain

Of Your Eminence devoted Servant,

Gio. Battista Bishop of Piacenza