Newspaper Page Text
Published by the
Catholic Lay
men’s Association
of Georgia
‘To Bring About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective of Creed”
Vol. XXIV No. 9 THIRTY-TWO PAGES AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, SEPTEMBER 25, 1943
ISSUED MONTHLY<—$2.00 A YEAR
Catholic Laymen 9 s Association of Georgia
to Hold Convention in Augusta, October 31
Report of Nazis Occupying
Vatican City Held Groundless
In Face of Conflicting Rumors, Dispatches From Vati
can Correspondent Say Occupation Has Not Taken
Place—Nazis Mount Guard at Boundary of Papal
Territory
NAZI GUARDS STAND
ON ITALIAN SOIL,
‘OSSERVATORE’ SAYS
(Radio, N.C.W.C. News
Service)
VATICAN CITY, — Os-
servatore Romano is publish
ing the information which
has previously appeared in
the newspapers of Rome re
garding the placing of Ger
man sentinels in Italian ter-
ritory at the confines of Vati
can City.
It has been noted here that
sensational reports have been
published abroad purporting
to picture the actual situation
in Vatican City. They are
without foundation.
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
Sifting the welter of rumors and
reports that have followed the seiz
ure of Rome by the Nazis, the fol
lowing seem to be the facts:
Contrary to the oft-repeated as
sertion that the Nazis have “occu
pied” Vatican City, this is in fact
not the case. It is certain that the
Germans have stationed troops
about the Vatican, but it is not
clear that the troops have been
put on Vatican territory at any
point.
In the face of reports from Eu
ropean sources that anti-aircraft
guns have been set up at the
world-famous Colonnade (and this
would not have been done by the
Vatican), the N. C. W. C.'News
Service has a report from its own
correspondent reporting that all is
calm and quiet at the Vatican.
While other reports from Euro
pean sources assert that the Nazis
have cut off communications be
tween the Vatican and the outside
world, the N. C. C. W. News Ser
vice continues regularly to receive
dispatches from its Vatican City
correspondent, who tells of the
Holy Father receiving foreign dip
lomats in audiences.
N. C. W. C. dispatches from Vat
ican City report that Italian car
abinieri continue to guard the
three entranses to Vatican City, in
accordance with stipulations of the
Vatican Treaty. Reports from
other sources speak of German
soldiers replacing Italian police
men at St. Peter’s Square. While
this may be partially correct, there
is no conclusive evidence that
these replacements have taken
place on territory belonging to the
Vatican.
In connection with the reports
that Italian Carabinieri are guard
ing the entrances to Vatican City,
it is possible writers in the secular
press do not know the Lateran
Treaty confers police powers in
the Square on Italian authorities.
Article Three of the Treaty be
tween the Holy See and Italy con
tains these paragraphs:
“It is agreed, however, that the
piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter’s
Square), although forming part of
Vatican City, will continue ordi
narily to be open to the public
and subject to the police powers
of the Italian authorities. The
jurisdiction of these authorities
shall not extend beyond the foot
of the steps leading to the Basil
ica although the latter continue to
serve the public for worship. The
police, therefore, will refrain from
ascending the steps and entering
the Basilica unless they are re
quested to do so by competent au
thority.
“When the Holy See, in connec
tion with special functions, shall
deem it necessary to close St.
Peter’s Square to the public tem
porarily. the Italian police, unless
requested by the proper authori
ties to remain, shall withdraw be
yond the outer limits of the Ber-
mini Colonnade and its prolonga
tion.”
(RADIO, N. C. W. C. News
Service)
VATICAN CITY.—Radio reports
emanating this week from Switz
erland and London, that German
troops have occupied Vatican City
are without foundation.
In fact, newspapers of Rome
have commented upon the calm
ness prevailing at the Vatican fol
lowing recent events.
The Rome newspapers also state
that two fully equipped German
sentinels are patrolling the outer
limits of St. Peter’s Square at the
line of demarcation between Vat
ican and Italian territory. They
say this arrangement is the result
of conversations between the Sec
retary of the German Embassy at
the Holy See, the commanders of
the Pontifical armed forces and
German officers.
At the same time, guarding the
three entrances to Vatican City
are armed Italian Carabinieri, as
provided for by Article Three of
the Lateran Treaty.
The United States Foreign
Broadcast Intelligence Service re
ported that broadcasts by the Vati
can City radio said that Vatican
offices have continued their regu
lar work and that the Holy Father
has continued to give audiences,
but that precautions have been
taken for stricter control of en
trance into Vatican City.
(A wireless dispatch of the Ger
man Transocean agency reported
to the Office of War Information
by United States Government
monitors said the Italian police
men who heretofore have guarded
St. Peter’s Square under the terms
of the Lateran Treaty “are re
placed by German soldiers,” and
that “behind the German soldiers
at the entrance to the Vatican the
Pope’s Swiss Guards have taken
up posts.”
(Another foreign broadcast mon
itored in this country quotes the
Stefani agency in Rome (German-
controlled) as saying that “two
German soldiers have been mount
ing guard in St. Peter’s Square
exactly on the marble line which
divides the Square itself from Ital
ian territory.
(The Transocean agency broad
cast reported by U. S. monitors
also is said to have asserted that
German parachutists are “stand
ing guard” in St. Peter's Square
with “armored defense guns” to
“protect the Vatican against a
Communist mob or anyone else
who might seek to force a way into
the Vatican City.” It is pointed out
here that “in St. Peter’s Square”
may be a loosely-worded expres
sion actually meaning on the Ital
ian side of the Square’s boundary
line.
(It is also noted in the United
States that the tenor of the N. C.
W. C. Correspondent’s radioed dis
patches makes it clear that Nazi
soldiers have not occupied Vatican
territory. T h e correspondent
speaks of Nazi soldiers being on
the boundary line between Vatican
City and Rome, but relies upon
Italian sources for word of their
activities — indicating that they
have not come under his personal
notice inside Vatican City.)
To Attend Laymen 9 s Convention
BISHOP GERALD P. O’HARA
His Excellency the Most Reverend Gerald P. O'Hara, D. D„ J. U. D.,
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta, who will celebrate the Mass which will
open the coming convention of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of
Georgia, and who will deliver a message of importance at the close
of meeting in Augusta next month.
To Preside at Laymen 9 s Convention
BERNARD J. KANE
Presiding at the twenty-eighth annual convention of the Catholic
Laymen s Association of Georgia, which will be held in Augusta on
October 31, will be Bernard J. Kane, prominent Catholic layman and
cotton mill executive, of Atlanta, who has headed the Association as its
president for the past three years.
BISHOP O’HARA TO
ATTEND AND OFFER
CONVENTION MASS
President B-ernard J. Kane,
of Atlanta, to Preside at
Sessions of Twenty-Eighth
Annual Meeting
CONVENTION PROGRAM
TO BE STREAMLINED
AUGUSTA, Ga.—Augusta will
be host on Sunday, October 31,
the Feast of Christ the King, .to
the twenty-eighth annual conven
tion of the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia, a gather
ing which will bring to this city
representative Catholic men and
women from all sections of the
State.
His Excellency the Most Rev.
Gerald P. O'Hara, D.D., J.U.D.,
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta, will
celebrate at the Sacred Heart the
Pontifical Low Mass which will
open the convention, preach the
sermon at the Mass, and deliver
the closing address at the after
noon session of the convention.
The morning session will fol
low immediately after the Mass,
with Bernard J. Kane, of Atlanta,
who has served as president of the
Laymen's Association since 1940,
presiding.
At this session, John B. McCal-
lum, of Atlanta, state secretary;
Hugh H. Grady; of Savannah,
treasurer; Hughes Spalding, At
lanta, chairman of the Endowment
Fund Committee; Alvin McAuliffe,
Augusta, auditor, and Hugh Kinch-
ley, Augusta, executive secretary,
will submit their annual reports.
Reports will also be made . to
the convention at this session by
the presidents of the branches in
various cities, Estes Doremus, At
lanta; Charles J. Walsh, Savannah;
Martin J. Callaghan, Macon; Hen
ry J. Murphy, Columbus; Garrett
Fleming, Albany: Bernard S. Fahy,
Rome; Robert E. McTigue, La-
Grange; George E. Crisp, Gaines
ville; E. M. Heagarty. Waycross;
Reginald Hatcher, Milledgeville,
and John T. Buckley, Augusta.
At one o’clock the delegates will
adjourn to the Bon Air Hotel
where luncheon will be served,
and at half-past two o’clock the
afternoon session will convene to
hear reports of committees, to
hold the general election of of
ficers, and conclude any unfin
ished business.
Because pf conditions created
by the war. an endeavor will be
made to dispense with all matters'
except business of importance.
In arranging the convention pro
gram every effort will be made
to provide as much time as pos
sible for the discussion of affairs
of the Association, accordingly
the program will not include the
social features that had been asso
ciated with peace-time conven
tions.
Each parish in the Diocese of
Savannah-Atlanta and every Cath
olic organization in Georgia is en
titled to representation at the con
vention, and President Kane has
urged that delegates be appointed
promptly and notice of the ap
pointment made at Once to the of
fice of the Laymen’s Association
in Augusta.
Representatives thus appointed
and other members of the associa
tion who contemplate attending
the convention are reminded that
the hotels in Augusta are taxed to
the extent of their capacity each
day to accommodate their guests,
and those who desire hotel,accom
modations are being requested
by the convention committee to
make their requirements known la
(Continued on Page Five)