To the Editor of the "Norru-Cuma Dany News"
Sm.—A Catholic could agree with much that was published in the unhappy No. 2 editorial, entitled "An Unhappy Speeth," in your issue of August 15. But in general it was quite offensive. It has always been a mystery to me why the democratic press goes to such lo at times to "prove" to its readers that the Pope, the Common Father of Ca-tholies of all nationalities and stili—Emp' e outstanding moral force with al due respect to the British of our times, is pro-Axis end therefore anti-democratic. Definitely he is neither. The Vatican State is emphatically not at war, and maintains excellent diplomatic relations with the parties who are. The Pope d. and will continue splendidly neutral from a political standpoint. Propagandists from both sides may as well realize that the Holy Father has no intention of being bludgeoned into becoming a henchman of either Hitler or Churchill, If they could catch that fairly simple idea, a lot of bad feeling would be spared from the start, Without a complete text of the Pope's speech T would not venture to pronounce final judgment as to what e said; but experience has shown all too often that news reporters at Rome make the wildest misstatements of papal pronouncements, apparently without any qualms of conscience, so long as it advances their particular cause. In the present case it seems that your No. 2 editorial writer went off the deep end without reading the news report carefully; and while from the report when read carefully there is no clean-cut evidence that the Pope made any anti-democratic statements, there is clear evidence that your No. 2is quite bitterly anti-Catholic. The news report says as printed in the NC.DN.: "Without mentioning any country but apparently referring to the struggle against Soviet Russia the Holy Father declared that many soldiers were dying and fighting for Christianity." In other words, the anti-Catholic editorial was inspired, not by any statement of the Pope,' who by virtue of his position as head of the Universal Church is strictly obliged in times like the present to remain politically neutral, but by what ihe news reporter read into the Pope's statement. Hence, as the offensive editorial was based on the statement of a reporter whose moral or reportorial qualifications we know nothing of, and not on that of Pius XII who is known and respected as one of the world's leading diplomats, a man who is careful of every public utteramte he makes knowing that he is surrounded by Scribes and Pharisees who are ready to use against him every word he utters, the venom of the editorial seems entirely uncalled for, The Pope is not such a nitwit as to think that Hitler is fighting in defence of Christianity; he is quite familiar with der Fuerher and his crooked cross "that is not the cross of Christ." Your No, 2 in quoting at length from "Mein Kampf" Hitler's contemptuous opinion of the Catholic Church gives the impression that he himself agrees with at least that part of "Mein Kampf" No intelligent British Catholic has to or does accept the notion that either or Stalin is defending Christianity; but unfortunately some British non-Catholics seem to think Stalin is, Amonc the twenty passengers who "Time" for July 21 says that "not-ithe purpose of augment sailed from Shanghai on Friday by withstanding the Churchill statement here. The move was there were signs that not all quarters of British officialdom found it easy to warm up to the Bolsheviks, B.B.C, omitted the Internationale from its weekly programme of anthems of Britain's allies, was swamped "t. protests from public, press and Parliament....compromised by playing a recording of a Red, Air Force song. "Plane, My Plane! " As everyone knows, Britain is fighting first and foremost for survival not for Christianity; otherwise the anomaly of having Joe Stalin as a fellow crusader is ridiculous, The Pope has formally and officially condemned both Communism and Nazism; that condemnation still stands. "Most people." says No, 2, "would in times such as these prefer to see what passes for statesmanship give place to a robust interpretation of religion and vindication of its principles," Precisely, There is no doubt about the Pope's principles. unalterably opposed both to Communism and Naziism; there is still considerable doubt about where your No, 2 stands on Communism, Recently DNB. official news service of Germany asserted that the German Catholic bishops had proclaimed a Crusade against Russia because of Hitler's war on the Bolsheviste. But the New York "Times" on July 10 asserted: "It-is now possible to deny on high Vatican authority the story that the German. Episcopate published a letter uniting itself with the Nazi regime in the war against Communism. Such a letter, it was stated, had indeed been asked for by the Nazi authorities, but none has been written or published. The Holy See is taking no measure or stand that would give anyone the right to say it considers the attack on Russia a at's precious when he returns to the Hitler came. For we are willing to wager that, lic attitude, like that of uriism and an which a few million Europeans and To the Editor of the "Nogru-CumvA Darry. News"
Sm.—I applaud your leader entitled ianity, I shall be ready to embrace Zoroastrianism (or even worse).
J. C. ye B.
Shanghai, Aug. 15.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.