Newspaper Page Text
FEBRUARY 27. 1943
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
Ralph McGill, Editor of Atlanta Constitution,\ On the New Guinea Front
Impressed by Catholic Industrial Conference
Ralph McGill, one of the out
standing newspapermen of the
South, /as one of the speakers
ment. For a long time now, the
South has seen it thinking in
terms of economic and social en-
at the opening session of the j lightment. That will mean much
for the South, not merely nov^.
but in the years ahead.
All this led me to violate a
physicians' instructions and, with
the aid of a microphone and ampli
fier, accept a place on one of
Catholic Conference on Indus
trial Problems held in Atlanta
th is month. Mr. McGill con
tributes a column, headed “One
Word More”, each day to the
editorial page of The Atlanta
Religion still flourishes among (
our troops in New Guinea, accord- $
ing to these pictures just received.
rn Gona, Chaplain J. E. Lynch §1$.
says Mass for his men shortly be
fore they went into battle. Pvt.
Louis Sherack (upper photo), of
Crookston, Minn., somewhere on
the Sanananda front, openly dis
plays his scapular. A former chef,
he is baking biscuits in a make
shift oven. (N.C.W.C.)
Constitution, of which he is the s the programs. It seems to me
Lditor. In his column, on the j enormously important that we dis-
day after the Conference, Mr. ! cuss and know some of the things
McGill, who is a Presbyterian, we must face.
the THE LITTLE FOES
I recall seeing a crowd of young
Nazi hoodlums throw some stones
at St. iTepher s Church in Vienna
when the Nazis took Austria in
gave his impressions of
Conference in these words:
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
Not being a member of the
Catholic Church and therefore un- the spring of 1938.
familiar with its general program j I remember looking on in fury
of relating religious influence to I and in fear. Then I "thought of
the every day things of life, I
have, nevertheless, been most pro
foundly impressed with its program
in the South.
It may be there is no general
Southern program. It may be that
these forums, such as the one
which closed last night in Atlanta,
are the creation of such progres
sive minds as those of Bishop
Gerald O'Hara, Monsignor Joseph
E. Moylan, and their associates.
Whatever it is, the Catholic
Church is rendering a very real
service, and a superior service, to
honest, non-partisan consideration
of the problems of our region, in
dustrial and social.
It may be that my own personal
fondness for Bishop O'Hara and
Monsignor Moylan persuades me
to give them a large part of the
credit. Certain it is that these
things began to stir in Georgia,
and in this area of the South, when
Bishop O'Hara came to Georgia.
Protestant and Catholic, labor
leader and manufacturer, scien
tist and layman, all have a part in
their programs.
An. man who may be able to
discuss'some of the problems of
the South are called to fheir pro
grams. They are invited to speak
out. No one suggests that this or
that be soft-pedaled.
They themselves speak out bold
ly and unafraid on social subjects.
On Monday morning a nun from
one of the Catholic schools in ICW/KH PAPERS I Alin
Illinois delivered a talk which wasH DIPATDV U
as bold and aar stark a challenge ANTI-BIGOTRY PROGRAM
to all who heard her. not to let I IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
this nation fall into the post-war 1 ‘
errors of the 1919-29 period, as
has ever been said. It minced no
woida. It was clear and wasted j curing unanimous consent of the
something. The hairy legions of
Caesar’s army had camped in
front of that old church. The
Saracen infidels had stormed their
way to the gates of Vienna and
within sight of the church’s
towers.
The church took on. at that mo
ment. a sort of symbolism for all
Christianity.
The little foolish men might
throw stones at it: might fling
mud at it: might imprison Pro
testant and Catholic ministers;
might denounce Christianity as
something for weaklings and fools;
might sneer and rant and shout.
All of it would add up. to nothing
Christianity will not be disturbed
or shaken. I think it well to re
member that the Nazarene^him
self called attention to that very
fact.
I like to see these forums. 1
like to see the churches building
new structure in which the chil
dren may play. . in which .adults
may meet and talk or play. It
seems important to me that we
do these things.
“Ye shall know the truth and
the truth shall make ye free” is
as fine a slogan as man can have.
It will not do to have the
sound of water being poured into
a bowl and hundreds of fearful
Pontius Pilates asking. “What is
truth?”
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
WASHINGTON, D. C —After se-
no words.
NO SYRUP
I have attended only two of
their forums, and that over the
span of a year, but what delights
me most is that there is no Uriah
Hcep atmosphere about them; no
syrupy effort to make the world
appear all sweetness and light: no
thumping of the tub in behalf
of any theme not worth while.
They offer a first-rate, all-cards-
on-the-table forum in which speak
ers are allowed full freedom and
the discussion is unrestricted. La
bor problems, welfare problems,
political problems in so far as
they relate to the general welfare,
all are discussed.
There is no membership hint
and no proselyting atmosphere
They apparently want to do, and
are doing, a fine public service
That seems to be all they wish
to do. Of necessity, and most
properly, good will will accrue to
them.
I have heard unreasoning and
unimportant critics of the Catholic
Church make the charge that the
church wished to keep its people
uninformed. These forums are
the answer, if any answer was
needed. They also were excellent
examples of tolerance.
In fact. I do not think I have
ever met men who were more
desired that people think about
their personal and regional prob
lems than Bishop O’Hara and the
indefatigable gad-fly of truth,
Joseph Moylan.
It has been said of the Catholic
Church that it thinks in terms
of centuries, not years. There is
considerable truth in that State
House of Representatives. Repre
sentative Louis J. Capozzoli, Dem
ocrat, of New York, inserted in the
Congressional Record an article,
which appeared on the first page
of the Jewish Review of February
11 relating to the fight against
bigotry conducted in the Catholic
schools.
“The prelates of the Catholic
Church,” Mr. Capozzoli said, “have
been in the foremost ranks of
those who have looked with horror
upon the persecution of the Jew
ish race. All good Catholics have
at all times deplored the terrible
injustices perpetrated against men
and women of the Jewish faith.
“Therefore, it is not surprising
that the Catholic University of
America has published school
readers, for use in the Catholic
parochial schools, which are pri
marily focused against anti-Sem-
iticism and other forms of racial
discrimination.” „
The article in the Jewish Re
view related that through the
eighth-gi;ade readers, known as the
“Faith and Freedom” basal read
ing series, the pupils of 2,500 Cath
olic parochial schools are being
taught religious and racial toler
ance. The article states that Will
ard Johnson, assistant to the pres
ident of the National Conference
of Christians and Jews praised
the venture as the “first and only
example of this type of education
ever attempted” and adding:
“The books are primarily focus
ed against anti-Semitism. We
want the Jewish people to know
they, aren't fighting their battle
alone.”
Archbishop of New York at Vatican
to Confer With Pope Pious XII
World
Speculation in Press
Over Ciano Appointment
Held Without Foundation
(Radio, N. C. W. C. News Services
VATICAN CITY. — Nomination
of Count Ciano, until recently Min
ister of Foreign Affairs, to be
Italian Ambassador to the Vatican
has ^caused the foreign press to
make interpretations and specula
tions which, in Catholic circles,
are considered to be without foun
dation. -i
It has been pointed out that,
actually, as all Governments know,
this is not the first time that a
Minister of Foreign Affairs has
been named as Ambassador to the
Holy See, by reason of the im
portance which Catholic coun
tries attribute to relations with
the Church.
^-OSSERVATORE ROMANO RE-
portS' that the Most Rev. Enrico
Montalbetti, Archbishop of Reggio-
Calabria, in the extreme southern
part of Italy, and his Chancellor,
Monsignor Rocco Trapani, were
killed during an-air raid while they
were making a pastoral visitation
at Melito Porto Salvp. Numerous
churches have been bombed in
Sicily, Genoa and Messina and
priests and religious have been
killed there it is reported.
NEW YORK—The Most Rev.
Francis J. Spellman, Archbishop
of New York and Military Vicar,
is in Vatican City on a ten-day
visit to confer with His Holiness
Pope Pius XII, and on February
18 was received by the Holy
Father in an audience about re
ligious matters.
This is revealed by the following
statement issued by the Chancery
Office of the Archdiocese of New
York:
“Archbishop Spellman has left'
Spain and will arrive in Vatican
City Thursday (February 18) for
an audience with the Holy Father
about religious matters.”
Dispatches from Spain, report
ing the presence of Archbishop
Spellman on the Iberian Penin
sula. said he celebrated Mass on
Sunday, February 14, in the
Church of San Nsodro. which
serves as Pro-Cathedral of the
Diocese of Madrid: that United
Slates Ambasador and Mrs. Carl
ton J. H. Hayes attended this
Mass; that the Archbishop and
Ambassador Hayes motored to
Toledo, where the American Pre
late visited the. Most Rev. Enrique
Pla Y Deniel, Archbishop of To
ledo and Primate of Spain; that
Ambassador Hayes also went with
Archbishop Spellman to visit Gen
eral Count Francisco Gomez de
Jordana, Spanish Foreign Min
ister, in what the Ambassador
said was purely a courtesy call.
Dispatches also stated that
Archbishop Spellman visited Gen
eral Francisco Franco at the lat
ter's private residence, and that
he was a luncheon guest of the
Most Rev. Leopoldo Eijoy Garay,
Bishop of Madrid.
ARCHBISHOP SPELLMAN
DISTINCTION OF BEING THE
first school in the Territory of
Hawaii to receive the Treasury De-
paitment citation and Minute Man
Flag for the purchase of war sav
ings stamps fell to St. Anthony's
School, Kalihiakai.
THE ENCOURAGING OF THE
faithful to read the New Testament
daily, particularly during the Lent
en season, was stressed in the ob
servance of Biblical Sunday, which
took place on Septuagesima Sun
day, February 21, and to which
special attention was given this
year since it marked the golden
jubilee of the famous Scriptural
Encyclical of Pope Leo XII, “Pro
vident issimus Deus.”
306,831 Negro Catholics,
91,604 Indians, in U. S,
WASHINGTON—-A reminder to
the faithful of their sacred re
sponsibility to support missionary
and religious work among the
Negroes and Indians of this coun
try is contained in an appeal is
sued here over the signatures of
His Eminence Dennis Cardinal
Dougherty, Archbishop of Phila-
dephia; the Most Rev. Michael J.
Curley, Archbishop of Baltimore
and of Washington, and the Most
Rev. Francis J. Spellman, Arch
bishop of New York.
These three prelates comprise
the Board of Directors of the com
mission for Catholic Missions
Among the Colored People and
the Indians. Their appeal was
made public simultaneously with
the annual report of the Commis
sion, which showed that of the
thirteen million Negroes in the
United States only 306,831 arc
Catholics, a gain of 6.384 over the
previous year, and of 350,000 In
dians 91,604 are Catholics, a gain
during the year of 2,040.
The Commission's report, made
public by the Rev. Dr. J. B. Ten-
nelly, G. S., Secretary, noted that
there are but 468 priests assigned
to the Negro missions and 198
priests to the Indian missions.
LATEST REPORTS OF NAZI
practices prevailing in Poland to
reach Lisbon are to the effect that
the Germans are forcing Polish
children, by the thousands, to pro
vide blood for transfusions to aid
wounded German soldiers.
A CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENT, which would empower
Congress to enact uniform di
vorce, marriage and legimation
of children laws throughout the
United States, has been intro
duced in the Senate by Senator
Arthur Capper of Kansas. Sena
tor Capper, urging adoption of the
amendment, recalled the recent
United States Supreme Court de
cision, which, dissenting Asso
ciate Justice Robert H. Jackson,
declared, “repeals the divorce
laws of all States and substitutes
the law of Nevada.”
GOOD FRIDAY, which falls on
April 23, will be an open date in
the American League baseball
schedule and on that day no games
will be scheduled in the eight
cities represented in the league,
it was announced by William Har-
ridge, league president. It is
rarely that Good Friday falls on a
date late enough to figure in con
sideration of the schedules of the
major baseball leagues.
THE WIDELY - CIRCULATED
secular press report from Stock
holm stating that Finland's Min
ister to the Holy See, George
Achates Gripenberg, was present
at the conference between Presi
dent Roosevelt and Prime Min
ister ChurchiM at Casablanca is
unsupported by any evidence avail
able in Vatican City. George
Achates Gripenberg is Finland’s
first Minister to the Holy See. He
presented his credentials to His
Holiness Pope Pius XII in July
of last year, and spoke at that
time in praise of the Holy Fath
er’s many efforts to relieve suf
fering caused by the war.
HIS HOLINESS POPE PIUS XII
received Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth of Belgium in audience
on February 12. ,
A DESTROYER, NOW UNDER
construction, will be named the
U. S. S. The Sullivans, in honor
of the five Catholic brothers who
are listed as missing in action from
the Cruiser Juneau, sunk in the
Solomon Islands naval battle last
November. The Navy, announcing
the approval of President Roose
velt, also revealed thal^ Mrs. Thom
as F. Sullivan, of Waterloo, Iowa,
mother of the missing heroes, had
been invited to sponsor the vessel
when it is launched.
DR. MAX JORDAN, FORMER
ly European correspondent of th.
National Broadcasting Company
has been named director of the re
ligious programs department o
NBC. Dr. Jordan, a Catholic, ha
been prominent for many year
in radio new* broadcast*".*.