Moscow, Nov. 24.
A group of twelve bishops and number of other church dignitaries have been arrested recently in the Soviet Union, according to reports of the official organ, "Isvestia," which describes mass prosecutions of sects throughout the country for political interference, One group, it says, was guilty of high treason. It was led by a Roman Catholic bishop in Central Russia with Jesuits in leading parts. They had planned to carry out terrorist acts on leading personages of the Soviet state.
In Siberia and the Volga territory, mass arrests were made amongst the Baptists, Evangelists, Adventists and several other church sects, many of whom are accused of espionage. One sectarian preacher was accused of having corresponded with a foreign diplomat, others with fellow believers abroad.
Several bishops in various parts of the Soviet Union have been arrested for revolutionary plotting.
In Smolensk an "illegal monastery" was discovered. Secret meetings of farmers and former monks in subterranean vaults of the church were dispersed by the Ogpu.—Trans-Ocean.
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