“It is natural,” he replied. “I am only carrying on our traditional tolerance to all religions. The Roman Catholics and all Christians, as well as the Jews, have always had full religious freedom in our country. As to the _beau geste_, what can I say? You are free to go anywhere you like in Anatolia; talk to the Greeks, talk to the Armenians. If there is any cause of complaint, we will see that it is removed at once. We want the Christians to be happy in our country. We have given them full religious liberty, and equal rights with Moslems: can we do more? I feel sure that, in spite of all the devastation and atrocities committed by the Greeks in our country, in a very short time they will be back amongst us: the great friends they were before the Powers interfered.” Rauf Bey, the Prime Minister, echoed the sentiments of the Pasha. “Tell the Pope,” he said, “to rest assured we are doing all in our power to make his people happy and contented. Can there be a finer _beau geste_ than this?” As the Pasha had suggested, I went everywhere, saw and questioned everyone. The Greek prisoners were bitter in their criticism of England, who betrayed them and left them unaided to fight the Turkish army. Surely the least intelligent of our military attachés would have seen the cruelty of such a move. Contrary to what most people suppose, there is a Christian colony left in Angora. It is mostly Armenian, though there are still many Greeks. The community nevertheless calls itself, and always gives as its legal nationality, “Catholic”; a delicate way of avoiding difficult questions. Mass is said on Sunday three times, partly in Armenian, which many of the Armenians do not understand, and the rest in Turkish. All the Armenians wear fezes, and prayers are said for Turkey. The little chapel is primitive and picturesque; never, however, has one heard such strange _Ave Marias_ or _Glorias_ or _Agnus Deis_ as those sung in their Turkish setting. During my Christmas visit to the head of the Armenian Church at Angora, I asked him what message he wished me to give the Pope on his behalf. I told him the Pope was anxious about the Christians; and he might tell me, in confidence, if he was not happy in Turkey. For my visit the Armenian orphans had put their home in _festere altere_. They had made cakes and sweets to be served with coffee and tea. Then it was that I had the pleasure of speaking to them about the wonderful personality of the Pope as I had seen him in Rome; and of telling them that, above all, their Father in Christ stood for loyalty to their State. The Turks had never hampered their loyalty to their Church, and the Pope would never hamper the loyalty and obedience they owed to the Sovereign State. Then the dusky-skinned orphans, boys and girls together, were marched before me, each taking my hand, kissing it and raising it to their forehead.