To the Eaitor of the "Norni-Ciuxa Dany News"
Sim—Chesterton once refuted universal, pessimism ina sentence: "It everything is bad, then beer is bad =a manifest absurdity rejected by all redblooded men! In similar wise, We may say if Fr: Lipman caused Inc Wanz-T0-Know 10 rub his eyes and scratch his head, "Fine, it we high time for him t6 wake' up end start thinking" It he really wants to know, which T doubt, judging from his passionate, Savonarolie denuncl tion' of canards which have been foisted upon his incredulity by second. rate propagandists for a life-time, 1 shall be glad to help him, and point out useful sources that will aid. him re-educate himself' on more: rational, 1es5 gpopleetic, lines. "As he: seems to be rather a Jumping Jack, hopping violently from country to country, I don't know whether he 'a Tork' massacred by the Crusaders, an Abyssinian "raped" by the Fasc: sts, an Albigensian, "a Basque, Chinese Red, a Russian Com-Jmunist, or merely an honest but underprivileged Belfaster. At any rate, let's hasten on to Lesson One.
Unless we take Voltaire's word for It, Jackie's Turks were planning to continue their "Holy War" of con-Jquest and like Jackie overthrow the Holy Father and his Christian children and make all of Europe safe for Mohammedanism, when the Catholics decided to make ttle Christian Europe. And it your belli-arent correspondent isn't expounding the Koran to-day instead of the Bible, he has the Vicar of Christ and lot'of Catholic saints to thank for it, For interesting information about {the rear Middle Ages, which T am Jpenetrably dark, consult Walsh's "The Thirteenth, Greatest of Centurles."—{tho century of Dante, St. Francis of Assisi, the amazing cathedrals, the Hfounding of the great universities at Oxford, Paris; the age of St. Thomas Aquin who is now beginning to create a sensation at Harvard and the of Chicago.
When did the Vicar of Christ bless the armies that took part in the rape of Abyssinia? Please give the exact date, with precise references. And please, please don't quote G, Salve mini: Never believe 1a Guelph when speaking of a Ghibelline—if you know what I mean, The Vatican City is now an independent state, As long as the Tights of the Church are respected the Pope, unless expressly called in by the parties in conduct to arbitrate, will not pass judgment on political quarrels. But where there is question of direct attacks on the Church's regious rights as in Russia, Germany and Spain—and formerly in Ttaly tilt Mussolini admitted his mistake—the [Pope speaks out fearlessly. These are Potent historical facts which Mfr. jack can easily verity it he is really anxious to consult the original sources, instead of believing what ispapal propagandists have been shouting at him, His sympathy for the Basques is bit maudlin, "Had they wisely tis tened to their bishops instead of throwing in their lot with a regime composed predominantly of radical /Socialists, Communists, Syndicalists and Anarchists, a regime that had consistently violated in theory and practise the fundamental prinetof liberty and democracy, that had attacked the traditional religion [of Spain with incredible violence and destroyed within its area of control all the churches,-religious objects and practically all the priests and Religi-fous with unheard refinements of eruity: had they been wise in fighting for Spain instead of Russia, the last of Jackie's Soviet friends would already have been back homo in Stalin's Poradise—or rather Purgatory. How '2 militant Christian can support Spanish communism and anarchy I Teave your correspondent to explain his own peculiar fashion.
As for the Albigenses: they con demned marriage, the union of the sexes, the fuse of meat and ilk, civil oaths, the death penalty, obedience to temporal authority, "And so like the Basques, these other interesting friends of your fighting correspond ent, got themselves into hot water. To' get the attitude of Chinese Catholics regarding the present war, T advise Jackie to go to the sources again: consult Chinese Catholics, ask Msgr. Yupin who has been presenting the Chinese case strongly at Rome and elsewhere; ask the Catholic bishops of Hongkong and Shanghai; consult the radio discourse of the Apostolic Delegate, Msgr. Zanin, given some time ago from Hankow, before making asinine charges against Catholics, Actions, It may be noted, speak far Jouder than words. If your correspondent will break down and confess exactly how much he has done for China during this crisis, he will doubtless see by comparison that Chinese Catholics have little to be ashamed of in their war record.
What private interpretation of "Christianity in a form emphasizing obedience to the teaching and example of Jesus Christ" may be expected of a wild-eyed Savonarola who espouses the cause of down-trodden Turks Albigenses, and mild-mannered, soft: spoken Communists and Anarchists, is fan intriguing prospect. Speak tp, 'Jackie. But do keep your shirt on and your temperature down. Re-Imember, the Catholic Church is tilt fon the Rock of Peter and cannot be iguldated merely with' loud ery.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.