The Catholic times. [volume], March 13, 1953, Image 4

About The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current

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Hom
THE
CATHOLIC TIMES
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Columbus, Ohio
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This Paper Printed by Lnion Labor
‘Bout Drink. Kids?
The dire financial needs of the public school
system in Ohio is heart-rending—at least their
lobbyists have been so able to convince some mem
bers of the Legislature Said lobbyists have been
working very tirelessly to supplement the meager
budget for public education $291.398.809.00—,
and have succeeded in finding new sources of rev
enue to tap.
During this past week. Rep. Michael .1 Grosser
(Dem.. Cleveland) introduced House Bill 299. which
provides foi a one-cent tax on bottled soft drinks
of a quart or less size, and two cents on larger
sizes. The entire revenue, received from this tax.
is to be distributed to school districts in propor
tion to enrollment totals.
What this "take” will amount to has not as yet
been estimated probably because no one can ac
curately predict whether or not school children
prefer to finance their own education, or to quit
drinking. In case they prefer the latter, there is
still anomer source tor more money The entire
Hamilton County delegation in the House of Rep
resentatives sponsored H.B. 315. which increases
the flat distribution subsidy lor schools, so it will
be exactly one-half of the amount allocated for each
pupil under the guaranteed minimum. The sponsors
maintain that the piesen’ disproportionate spread
creates too many additional aid districts
This Bill not only intends to eliminate such
districts, but, incidentally, gives about a S7,000,OUO
increase to the slate school subsidy program Doubt
lessly. in the application of these Bills—if they pass
—the old ’’counting in—counting out” tactics will
be followed It is enough to drive a man Io drink
sarspanlla. thst is!!!
Public and Private
The attitude of many citizens toward privah
schools, and toward Catholic parochial schools in
particular, las not beer good in recent years So
also the feeling of some Catholics toward the all
powerful lobby of the public schools tor tremendous
tax funds has not been good. 'I he differences be
tween the two great groups have been emphasized
sometimes by people with an axe to grind. This cm
phasis may have come from some bigoted and
prejudiced citizens i' may have been prompted
by Communists endeavoring to widen any and all
unities of purpose and it has been strengthened by
figures such as Ml. Blanshrrd in his hook and hy
the former president ot Han aid who spoke oi the
“diviiMvenrss" of the private schools
It is heartening, therefore, to find that not all
people rre like this. It gives an added boost to
spirit and friendliness to learn that the public school
nosses in general see no div isiveness and that Cath
olics actually hack the public schools This was
learned recently from re than Hid pl I S public
school officials in convention «t Atlantic City.
It is a great stimulus to understanding and
neighborliness to know that the rank and tile mem
bers of the American Association of School Admin
istrators see no threat tc the public school system
and to I' S unity Instead the reporter found thr.t
many of the members of the A ASA hail exper
ienced frequent friendly contact with "nothing but
the most harmoniou* iclatinnship between public
and parochial schools."
Such statements as the following are indicative,
coming as they did from public school principals
frnm Chicago to Texas, and New Jersey to Michi
gen and Illinois: "The majority of our school hoard
members arc Catholic" "The whole commun
ity -Catholics included support public schools
and they have supported them in every way"
The "danget .nd possibility of cleavage was
admitted and it was commonly said that "coopcra
tion is essential Very likely an even closer co
operation will lessen any' danger ol cleavage .nd
still further cooperation will lead to belter undei
standing It is good to know that public school ol
finals from all parts ot the country sec and he
ieve this It remains for Catholics to rcmcmcbcr that
such is the attitude nf these neighbors and Io use
every opportunity tor cooperation 'I his can be pro
moted nnt merely by the diocesan superintendent
working with the public school officials hut by each
private school having some inlet change of interest
znri effort with its nearest public schorl neighbor.
Harmony and understanding interest on the over
Ell community level will follow.
In The Poor
Christian charity looks to no,ulterior motive.
The knowledge ol the direct service to Christ living
in His poor is all that is required to move one to joy
ous giving flic punch line ol every worthwhile
appeal reechoes Christ saying to each ot us. "As
Inng a* you did it to one of those My lerst brethren,
you did it to Me."
This knowledge ot the supernatural motive ot
cur chanty, howcvci docs not blind us to the fact
of its tai reaching effects. I wo recent visitors to
Columbus both social workers, the one in Germany
and the othci in Korea, lost little time singing
the praisi s ol the Bishops Mai Relict fund Drive
Reinfc on the spot when lood and clothing modi
fines and services, ill procured through this drive,
were given out to the suffering [wuiple of the wrr
torn countries they had the opportunity to sec the
wonderful effect nf this charity on those who could
either be for us or against us in the battle against
Communism
No propagandt devices of oui national govern
ment. they said, could in any way sell the people
nn America and whet she stands for as th.s ex
pression of nur love for Christ in our suffering
brothers
I lie Conquering Galilean
The infant hurch of Christ had no easy time of
it after the final commission on that first Pentecost
Sunday Em more than three centuries there were
persecutions nf those foolhardy enough to accept
the teachings of Christ History records the brutality
of those early attempts to wipe nut the Church One
of the mighty rulers thought so little of the hurch
a« to bnast that he would kill all its members, and
that there then would be no hurch In the end,
as he came to die. he had to admit. "Thou hast con
quered O Galilean
How often this same story has been repeated
during the succeeding centuries is a matter of his
tori cal record Other instances of if appear frequent
ly in our own day. How eould it hr otherwise when
there are so many boastful communist tyrants imag
ining tn their ignorance that they can destroy belief
in God? Some of them have imagined that they could
completely wipe out religion in the nations they rule
so cruelly. When they find this difficult, or come to
realize that their efforts arc not succeeding, they
begin to wonder what is the matter.
Such is the case with the Chinese communist
premier, Chou En-lai. In his annoyance at failure
he shouted angrily: "The Japanese army was large,
well equipped and well organized, but communists
vanquished it. The reactionary Nationalist forcer were
also large and well equipped, but we beat them down.
Catholics in China are a relatively small, powerless
force Still after waging war on them for more than
a year we have not wiped them out. Why?"
Why, indeed. Mr. Premier! And the premier him
self has served the cause of the Church most ad
mirably. Before the persecution the Catholic
Church was comparatively unknown in China.
Thanks to the Communist tyrant, it is now the in
spiration and object of admiration of people all
over China.
A nation cannot long exist without God. And
tyrants who attempt to take God out of the hearts
nf His people will one day come to defeat and de
struction From their lips, as with the persecuting
emperor of early ages, there will be wrung the cry,
‘Thou hast conquered. O Galilean’"
Just Among Ourselves
Patting Comment Considered or inconsiderate
The one Being that can save this troubled world
of ours is the Savior of the World. He alone can
bring us peace, for only He is the Prince of Peace.
He and no other can heal our injuries and set all
aright, for He is the God who has made us in His
own image, and only the Maker knows exactly how
to make necessary repairs.
Ever since our first parents decided to get along
without God. man has been making the same vain
effort. By any mortal sin, a person tells God that
the Divine Law shall not prevail, bul that the sin
net own will shall be the law. Every serious sin, of
men and nations, is a rejection ol God and of the
rule of God. And that explains why men and nations
are nearly all. and almost, always, in trouble.
Our Ixnd is the Prince ot Peace. But He is God
who knows "what is in man He know when He
come that mankind in general would not hear or
heed Him Therefore He said His coming would not
have its proper effect of bringing peace. He scid
that He came (not in purpose, but in effect) not to
bring peace, but the sword.
He who is the one way Io salvation was a "sign
of contradiction." and a stumbling block. He came to
win men to heaven, and men refused to take ad
vantage oi what He Drought them. None the less
He brought it: He brought to every child of Adam
the opportunity ot grace: the chance ol conforming
his will with Gods will, and of reaching eternal
heaven at last But He did not bring a lot of free
tickets for an excursion Io some Beautiful Isle of
So mew here.
We have to "accept Christ" in no mere sent)
mental way We have to understand who and what
He is we have to obev Him Thus only can we take
advantage of the greet opportunity which His com
ing holds constantly out to us.
We have Io acknowledge that Our Lord is God.
’I his He taught lor this teaching He was crucified
And His passion and death --the fury ol human re
jection of His true cl.’iin, only served to prove
the claim. The first thing the world must do, if it is
ever Io enjoy peace is Io accept the fundamental
truth of (he Divinity of Christ.
People may use their intelligence and free will
Io accept Christ on His own terms. They may re
fuse to consider the evidence for His claim, and ut
Icily reject Him What they cannot do at letsl,
with any show ot sanity, is tn rearrange His claim
to suit then own ideas, and thus accept Christ, not
His terms, hut on then own And it is this silly
thing that most of mankind has r.luays boon trying
to do
Trying but never with success for ynu can
not wafer down the hard saying of the Gospel 5 oil
cannot make a half acceptance of Christ by turn
mg Him into a kind oi .superior sociologist wh .p
peaiod on earth far anead of His time You cannot
make of Him a mere man. no matter how far you
are willing to go in acknowledging Him ,s the per
fed man You cannot turn Him into a mere teacher,
even if you are willing tn say that lie taught as
never man taught before
"I would you were hot or cold, says Our Lord.
"He thi:l is not with me is against me." he added
No lukewarm halt acceptance will do "He tTiat is
lukewarm ami neither hot nor cold him I will begin
Io vomit out of my mouth." And yet it is the hike
warm halt assent to the claims and leaching* nf
hi isl that characterizes much ol what is known as
Christianity in the world today.
4
v
Notice how the hall assent turns into an uncon
scions rejection T’he half-assenters who sec Christ
as a super social vvork?r. will not follow Ills social
philosophy Ihe people who call Him the greatest
tcachci of all tunc reject His essential leaching as
lies How can a loader he admirable if He is not
worth following-’ How can a teacher he great if He
docs not teach truth-’
The win hl, apart from rampant anti Christians,
and apart from the one Church, tries tn patron
ize Christ It comes to Him with the attitude nt
lhe man who called him "Good Master”, with no
intention at all of ccepting His mastership. Oui
land sam to that man "Why do you call in egood?
One is nod God The man was to obtuse to
take the lesson He was. as many arc today, too
perverse of mind to sec that the Words of Christ
were plain .statement of His divinity "If I am
good, it is because I am God Human perversity
is slow to let God have His own place men want
that place for themselves The old. old sin of Eden
the old. old sin of blindinc pride!
Christ is God He is God made Man He came
to die for mankind and He did what He came to
do Ry His deeth and resurrection He atoned for
the primal sin. won us grace, opened to us the
opportunity ot getting Io heaven. He rehabilitated
mankind. if mankind would but take advantage
of the rehabilitation He founded one Church for
all men. He gave th I Church his own voice and
authority saying He that hearcth you hearcth
me He guaranteed the Church, promising to re
main with it to the end of the world.
Men must hear Christ speaking through His
Church If they retuse to bear, there is no way loft
them n| finding true direction for peace r.nd ulti
mate salvation Our lz»rd says that the man who
will not hear His voice is not of God And it is to
His onr Church that He has given His voice.
It is sometimes foolishly said th'at Christianity
has failed Christignitv cannot fail Christians may
prove faithless, and then it is they that fail. Ches
terton answered the charge that the world has tried
Christianity and found it insufficient by pointing
out the true state of affaira: the world has found
Christianity hard, and has failed tn try it.
THE CATHOLIC TIMES, FRIDAY. MARCH 13. 1953
6
WILL ueiTRtTf
TM€
A0OLF
W/tlfr
Washington
letter
WASHINGTON When th~
mantle of despotic power dropp
ed from the shoulders of Stalin
it served to recall hero a most un
usual story about his predecessor
the first dictator of Soviet
Russia
The person who had pos
sibly the frankest discussion
anyone ever had with Lenin
after he had seized power, and
probably the last person ever to
have a frank talk with him, was
a (atholic priest. The priest visit
ed Lenin right in the latter’s
apartment in the Kremlin. He
called not once hut several times,
shortly before Lenin's death
Lenin well knew that his visitor
was a Catholic priest. No one
else at the Kremlin suspected it.
In his talks with the priest on
these occasions, Lenin paid a
striking tribute Io the atholic
Church, and called it "invin
cible”.
That is the story.
If was carried in the atholic
press of the United States in
1924. as a dispatch from Rome
of the N. C. W. ('. News Service.
T’he N. W. C. dispatch
1924 reported that "a German
priest, a contributor to the
Osscrvatore Romano, bul not
otherwise identified, had sent
LOL IN /. Hl DENZ
II
The episode connected with
Howard Fast's appeal ance in
mid February belore Senator Jo
soph R. Met arthy's sub-commit
lee is some
thing vv Inch
Americans can
afford Io pon
dei over at
some length
Fast’s rein s a I
to testify as to
whether or not
he is a mem
her of the
o u nist
conspiracy.and
as to whether he would tight the
Chinese Communists if called
upon to do so ai e not more in
cidents in his career. They re
fleet the heart nt his thinknuj
and doing for a long period o^
time.
This author politely termed
“left-wing” in most news dis
patches, nas for 10 years been
a darling of the Daily Worker
praised bv that Communist or
gan, quoted extensively by it,
and on al least cne occasion ev
on termed a Communist in its
pages He has written for Politi
cal Affairs, official theoretical
organ of the Stal'nilos contrihu
tors to which »n the past they
have never been anv but lead
ing members the Rod con
spiracy He was chosen hy the
Communist Party to praise Hai
low Shaploy of Harvard Univei
sity and Olin Downes of the
Neu’ York for their serv
ices in making ’a success” of the
subversive Wald o Astoria
Peace Conteren-c in 1949 When
the Party wanted a riot at Peek*
kill, they callee upon Howard
Fast and Paul Robeson to pro
vide that sort of af'au
Invitation To Youth
But this author with such a
record and making such an ex
hibitmn of devotion to sedition
before the Senate subcommittee,
is much more an these things
indicate. Fast has been a favor­
7)777^ Z
Triumph Of Church Predicated
the Vatican newspaper this in
tcrcsting article regarding the
death ot Lenin
The writer said he had known
Lenin during the period of the
latter s exile before he seized
control of Russia in the revolu
tion of 1917. He said their meet
ngs. “derived from our common
journalistic profession, were
quite frequent and cordial."
"A few months before his
(Lenin's) death, I went to Mos
cow to see my old colleague, w ho
welcomed me in his private
apartment in the Kremlin with
his former affability, .so much
so that it encouraged me to re
peat my visit as often as pos
sible, whenever I could do so
without difficulty,” the writer
stated. "Everyone with the ex
ccptiou of Lenin was ignorant of
the tact that I was a priest."
The writer said Lenin seemed
to have "conserved all the sim
plicity and frankness of past
times,” hut "on the other hand
the idea which he had of his
mission drove him to that kind
of political qiysticism belonging
to his race, suffocated his sent!
mcnts as a private man to leave
the hands of a dictator free,
destined, as he believed, to do
liver mankind hy extending the
soviet istic regime, nf whose
anted: A Book Crusade
ite oi too manv high school li
brarians and those ir» positions
of responsibility in oui schools
survey ol the source material
which our young people are rec
omniended to use by certain high
school authorities reveals that it
is not unusual *or all of F’ast's
books, or a majority ot them, to
be prominently displayed.
The continuance ol this prac
tice is merely an invitation for
widespread, desertions in the
American armed forces and for
a collapse of morale among out
young people. 11 the young men
called into the armed services
and lhe young women who must
support them are taught to look
up to Fast as an authority, they
will get .»o stimulus to defend
lhe United States Th Commun
ists understand ihat very well,
and that is w hv the.v have con
centrated on planting Fasts
books in inose places where they
will do (he most damage.
Most Potent Field
I’hi.s whole business points up
the need for a book crusade- to
dean out from our libraries
works that help Russia in her
most potent fieid of operations,
"psychological warfare”
The least that car hr done
is to make certain through rep
rescntations toJBoard* tit Educa
tion and ihrough letters to the
press,! that works subversive
authors or hy those who cooper
ate with the Communists arc
not recommended to students as
authoritative readings. All the
books by Anna Louise Strong,
which invariably praise Soviet
Russia and dts'ort th world
scene, arc in this category Like
wise, the poems of Langston
Hughes spec’f cally his bias
phemous poem about Christ,
which is to be expected from a
man who aas been a member ot
more than 80 Communis* fronts
All the products ot the “experts”
who misled us on China, and
most specifically Thunder Out nf
China by Theodore White and
i rut
CHURCH
i
JOSEF
STALIA/
goodness he was inw'ardly con
vinced, to the whole world."
The writer quoted Lenin as
saying: "What does it matter if
much I am obliged to do is re
pugnant to me? Are not we of
the Soviet forced tn employ the
most radical means to nd our
nation of all the elements hos
tile to our program? You cannot
reason with these any more than
you can reason with the viper
that bites you: you kill it."
Lenin also’thought, the writer
reported, that within 100 years
there would be no other form of
government but sovietism among
civilized peoples.
"Therefore I see a century
hence only one form of govern
ment. Sovietism and only one re
ligion. Catholicism. Your ideals
will be realized like mine A pity
that we two shall not be here.”
The writer said he replied to
the dictator as follows “Lenin,
you arc wrong we shall he here
And long before a century has
passed we shall see in the other
life true equality attained in the
triumph of the Catholic truth.”
"He was thoughtful and silent,”
the writer said of Lenin. "I
could not expect consent from
the perfect rationalist, nor a
contradiction from a man so
courteous as he.”
Annalee Jacoby, which seems to
be favored on tugh school li
brary shelves
Much to Re Done
Let us recall ’hat in this w-ork
among the libraries the Com
munists and their friends have
a 20-year lead on those who are
opposed to Communism In 1933
the Stalinites began their first
big infiltration of professional
groups, atier the noted "Open
Letter to the Patty” which laid
down the obligation for such in
filtration in all agencies of opin
ion making. They have been
able to obtain the active aid, or
benevolent cooperation, of many
non inunuinists influenced by
the theories of toe late Dr. John
Dewey. It was in 1933 also that
the famous "Onen Letter to the
Teachers" was is*ued by those of
the Dewey school stimulating
the trend toward ’collectivist
thinking” and '-ertain types of
“progressive education' of which
the Communists have taken full
advantage
if any reader of this column,
or group of readers, examines
the local library whether a
general public or a high school
library such investigation will
show that there is much to be
done We cannot afford the lux
ury of further delay
So serious is this problem and
so persistent ar» the (jommun
ists in continu'd^ their infiltra
(ion by books, that I snail con
tinue this discussion in several
subsequent contribution4 en
couraged to do so by lhe many
letters received expressing con
cern about the library situation
We shall discus*- not only the
books that should not be among
tho*c catalogued, hut also those
works critical of Communism
which are .so markedly lacking
in the colleges, high schools, and
other centers of educatton. This
undertaking is not merely a
temporary or casual form of
activity it is, 1 repeat, a cru
sade.
INQUIRY CORNER
Q. What is a thurible?
Are Catholics Bound
To Study Religion?
What are the duties of an
informed Catholic? What obli
gation does an adult have to be
“informed”?
A. In "Confirmation in the
Modern w,orid” by Laros is an
excellent u«_a ment of adult
Catholicism. The author quotes
St. Thomas: "In Baptism he re
ceives pow'er to do those things
which pertain to his own sal
vation, but in Confirmation he
receives power to do those things
which belong to spiritual com
bat with the enemies of the
Faith ... to fight against
visible foes, that is against the
persecutors of the Church, by
confessing publicly the Name ot
Christ .” Laros adds that "a
tone of real striving must enter
into the everyday life of ordin
ary people.” He emphasises as
the recent Popes have repeatedly
that this adult apostolate must
be in union with the Mystical
Body. The Mystical Body at
prayer is the Liturgy, and lhe
Mystical Body in action is Catho
lic Action. The adult Catholic
has a real obligation to be in
formed on the meaning of the
Mass and the Sacraments and the
various facets of Catholic Action.
He will do this mainly through
study clubs, participation in the
Catholic Action program of the
diocese and reading the Catholic
press. His duties will follow
the same pattern, fulfilling his
vocation as an adult Christian
by living the Liturgy with his
parish and in his home and by
doing the works of Catholic Act
ion, as outlined by his bishop.
Q. What is the Church of the
Latter Day Saints?
A. The Church of Jesus Christ
of the Latter Day Saints or Mor
mons is a Protestant sect found
ed by Joseph Smith at Fayette,
New York in 1830. After Smith’s
death at the hands of a mob in
Carthage. Illinois, 1844. Brigham
Young was chosen president of
the church and established head
quarters in Salt Lake Valley,
Utah A dissident group is call
ed the Reorganized Church
Both groups believe in the Bible
and in the Book of Morman, both
being regarded as the word of
God It has the Melchie&ek, or
higher priesthood with authority
over the offices of the church
and the Aaronic priesthood with
authority in temporal affairs.
Since 1890 the church has re
pudiated Young's doctrine of
celestial marriage (for etermt
as well as time) and polygamy
A. Commonly called a censer
it is a metal vessel in the shape
of a cup or vase with a cover
suspended by chains. It is used
at Benediction and other solemn
RifJE4RI) P4TTEE
Moro A bout Tito
I shall certainty ge* the repu
tation through this column of
having gone totally putty on the
subject of Tito and Yugoslavia,
Each week, cu
riously enough,
seems to bring
tothefront
something new
about Tito that
is worth re
cording Since
the problem is
one of the
most vital in
our time, and
for the foreign
o i icy of the
United States
as well it may
not be entirely amiss to call at
tention frequently to facts, sit
uations and publications that
cast some light on the business
of contemporary Yugoslavia.
In the mail this past day or
two, 1 received a couple of puh
lications that treat of Tito The
first comes from Great Britain:
"Tito and the Catholic Church"
by Michael Derrick assistant ed
itor of The Tablet It is publish
ed under he auspice.* of that re
markable British organization,
The Sword of the Spirit The sec
ond has a quite dtfferent source.
It is a small pamphlet entitled
“Titoslavia” and is published
over the signatuie ot Luben Di
mitroff bv the Macedonian Trih
une in Indianapolis
The brochure from London
carries a foreword by Cardinal
Griffin Archbishop of Westmm
ster, who has been extraordinar
ily steadfast in his absolute in
sistence that Catholic.* in Britain
not lose heart in then effort to
not forget the Stepinac case and
keep the story before public at
tention all over the country. Tito
himself has said "We need not
fear any campaign They will
shout to 'hen- nearts content
and then the storm will abate
and they will weary of it.” It
was in this hope that the im
prisonment came about The Bel
grade regime, undoubtedly, was
persuaded that time and a short
m^nory would take care of the
persecution in Yugoslavia.
Arrogant Prevarication
There is nothing startlingly
novel in this pamphlet It re
peats the basic facts of the ac
cusation, trial and condemnation
of Cardinal Stepinac It reiter
ates the will of the Yugoslav
hierarchy to live even under the
Communist disp°nsation. if the
essential rights of the Church
were respected. The indictment
is repeated in its basic features
functions of the Church for
burning incense. The one who
carries it on ceremonies is call
ed
e
thurifer.
Q. In what hook was the mar
tyrdom of St. Pancratius de
scribed?
A. The account you have
mind may be that given by Card
inal Wiseman in Jiis novel
"Fabiola”. Cardinal Wiseman
gives the account about the
crowd calling for a panther,
which you mention. The Catholic
Encyclopedia states that accord
ing to tradition he was behead
ed. In this novel the Cardinal
has woven together the lives of a
number of Saints, some of whom
lived at periods other than that
of the persecution of Diocletian
Fabiola is mentioned as a saint
who was guided in her spiritual
life by St. Jerome and died in
399 A. D.
Q. Is there a medal of Our
Lady of La Salette?
A. The mountain of La Salette
in France is the scene of one of
the most celebrated apparitions
of Our Lady and one of the most
controversial. In September 1846
two peasant children received
messages which they communi
cated to the world, demanding
penance. There is no medal men
tioned in connection with the ap
parition as there is with the
miraculous medal, but likely
there is one Church goods stores
could supply that information
and obtain one for you if they
are available.
Q. Are lies venial sins?
A. A lie is absolutely wrong
in itself and opposed to the
natural law. It expresses some
thing contrary to one’s thoughts
and implies an intention to de
ceive. It undermines mutual
trust among men. In itself, how
ever, it is a venial sin. If it in
volves an injury involving a vio
lation of justice or charity it be
comes a mortal sin according to
the seriousness of the injury.
Q. What power is there in bless
ing of homes, cars, etc.?
A. The blessings of the ritual are
sacramentals. As such they have
the power given to Christ oy
the Church. The holy water used
has symbolism which comes from
bapti’m. purification of nature
through the power of Christ, in
the blessing of holy water the
Church prays: “By the sprinkling
of this water may everything
opposed to the safety and repose
of them that dwell therein be
banished, so that they may
possess the well-being they seek
in calling upon thy holy name,
and be protected from all peril.”
Send questions to Rev. Edward
F. Healey, Inquiry Corner, The
Catholic Times, Box 636, Co
lumbus (16) )Ohio.
_________ 4_____________________________
and the icUiiation once more
made available in convenient
form. The most interesting part
of the text is that devoted to the
events of 1952: the elevation of
Archbishop Stepinac to the dig
nity of the cardinalate and the
resultant break in diplomatic re
lations between Jugoslavia and
the Holy See.
Tito's accusations on this oc
casion, are revealed for exactly
what they are: ’he arrogant pre
varication of a totalitarian dicta
tor. He bases his charge against
the Archbishop on the grounds
that he nas gained every post
given him during his lifetime
by playing politics that his serv
ices are now rewarded, not as
a prelate or as one of high moral
dignity, but as the instrument
for Italian aggrandizement
It is extraordinary this in
sistence that the Vatican and
the Italian government are vir
tually the same thing and that
Cardinal Stepinae’s activity has
always been adjusted to the ex
pansionism of Italy. This is bx
all odds one of the most lu
dicrous of the
it
any absurdities
into which Tito tails constantly.
Perplexed People
The anti-italian complex seems
to make it impossible to dis
tinguish in the least between the
Holy See and ihe Quirinal. Car
dinal Stepinac is charged with
engineering the concordat under
King Alexander which it is al
leged. handed Jugoslavia over
to Italy. Nothing could be fur
ther from the truth. The con
cordat, if it did anything at all,
made tha Yugoslav Catholic
Church as completely identified
with the nation as possible and
quite independent of the Italian
Church A useful series of ex
cerpts frnm the pastoral letters
and other documents of the
hierarchy accompanies the text.
In "Titoslavia” the Indian
apolis pamphlet—we have an in
dictment. with chapter and verse
quoted, of the whole wretched
business of an alliance with Tito.
The brochure presents the case
against Tito—his terrorism, con
centration camp* odious hostil
ity to those who insist on aiding
him. and ’he purity of his Marx
ism. And the conclusion is that
the more aid extended to Tito,
the greater the certainty of ali
enating the grpai mass of the
Yugoslav people already per
plexed enough because in the
name of humanity and decency,
we are going all out for the dic
tator.