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Vol. XXVI. No. 9 * THIRTY-TWO PAGES AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. SEPTEMBER 29, 1945 W * * ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
AT CLOSE OF GERMAN BISHOPS’ MEETING
German Bishops, at Fulda Conference,
Consider Problems of Post-War Era;
1 hank U. S. Officials tor Cooperation
Some 5.000 persons crowded the Cathedral of Fulda for the impressive ceremonies at the tomb of
St. Boniface, which marked the closing of the annual meeting of the German Hierarchy, the first
since the close of the war. These pictures show the closing devotions (above) and a group of the
Bishops in front of the altar, which included Archbishop Orsenigo, the Apostolic Nuncio and Car
dinal von Faulhabcr, Archbishop of Munich. (NC Photos)
Bulletins
THE EXISTING CONCORDAT
between the Holy See and Italy
makes no mention of Protestant
ism, but solely regulates the rela
tionship between the Catholic
Church and the Italian State, it
was pointed out at Vatican City
in comment on a telegram report
ed to have been sent to President
Harry S. Truman by a Protestant
body, advocating the dissolution
of the Concordat on the ground
that it allegedly discriminates
against Protestants in Italy. Furth
ermore. it was declared, Protes
tants in Italy are assured religious
liberty under civil laws.
THE MAIN BUILDINGS of the
Catholic University of Tokyo stand
and all of the members of the
Jesuit faculty are safe, according
to a report from three U. S. Navy
chaplains in Tokyo. They esti
mate from data collected at the
University that at least eighty
Catholic institutions, school, con
vents and churches were destroyed
in Japan during the war.
I)R. LEO KUBOWTSKI, general
secretary of the World Jewish Con
gress, was received this week in
audience by His Holiness Pope
Pius XII. The Jewish leader ex
pressed gratitude to the Holy
Father for the assistance given hy
the Vatican to persecuted Jews in
Europe during the war.
*
Price of Peace Is Truth, Justice, Charity,
Holy Father Tells Members of Congress
(Radio, N. C. W. C. News Service!
VATIVAN CITY.—Peace can
only be brought: with truth, justice
and charity, His Holiness Pope
Pius XII told six members of a
House of Representatives sub-com
mittee on war appropriations whom
he received in private audience.
The legislators were accompanied
by General Richards and other of
ficials of the U. S. War Depart
ment.
The Holy Father, expressing his
happiness at welcoming another
group of American legislators to
Vatican City, said: “Your particu
lar interest, We are informed, is
to check and measure the cost of
(he war. You have, no doubt,
found it enormous—and fabulously
so. Yet the concern of your com
mittee is obviously limited to the
sphere of mere material cost. No
human agency will plumb the
depths or gauge the length and
breadth of the suffering, of the
pain and anguish and the heavy
desolation that have tortured the
bodies and souls of men during
these long, long years.
“It all sums up.” the Pontiff
continued, “to the price which in
the calculations of men had to be
paid for a stable and lasting peace.
But will it suffice for that? God
knows, and right-thinking men
should know that peace is pur
chased with a far different cur
rency. Truth, justice and charity —
at no other price can pawut be
bought.
“Our daily prayers and our end
less labors are directed to one end:
I hat these noble and ennobling
virtues may guide the delibera
tions of national assemblies, so
that the people, so dear to Our pa
ternal heart, may enjoy security,
prosperity and happiness. It can
be brought about through the un
selfish cooperation of good will.”
The Pope concluded with the
prayer that, “the blessings of
Heaven may descend abundantly
on your and your dear ones at
home, as a token of God’s abiding
love.”
The group of Congressmen was
composed of Representatives Fran
cis Case, South Dakota; J. Buell
Snyder, Pensylvania; Albert J. En
gel,! Michigan; W. F. Norrell, Ar
kansas; Joe Hendricks, Florida,
and Harve Tibbott, Pennsylvania.
SIR ANTHONY FLEMING, dis
coverer of penicillin, w'as received
in private audience by His Holi
ness Pope Pius XII, who compli
mented him on his achievement.
The Holy Father presented the
British scientist with this year's
Pontifical Medal, which depicts the
Good Samaritan, and records the
Vatican's efforts on behalf of
refugees and prisoners of war.
Following the interview. Sir Alex
ander expressed surprise at the
Pontiff's thorough knowledge of
lus discovery.
FULDA. Germany. — The
enthusiastic greeting which
met the German Bishops
when'they left the Cathedral
of Fulda after the solemn
concluding function of their
annual meeting at the tomb
of St. Boniface was inter
preted as a heartening dem
onstration of the strength
Catholic life has maintained
in Germany, despite the pri
vations, during many years
of war. despite sufferings,
persecutions and anxieties
during the Nazi period.
By DR. MAX JORDAN
(War Correspondent, N. C. W. C.
News Service)
FULDA. Germany—The historic
annual meeting of the German
Hierarchy, at the tomb of St
Boniface, the first since the close
of the war, has been conducted
with the most cordial cooperation
and consideration of the Ameri
can authorities in this occupied
zone. So cooperative were the
United States officials that the
German Bishops have expressed
their heartfelt thanks.
The tremendous problems faced
by post-war Germany were con
sidered exhaustively by the
Bishops. However, since all ses
sions were executive, it will be
necessary to wait some time for
information as to the decisions
reached by the Prelates. It was
announced that a joint Pastoral
of the Bishops would not be pub
lished for at least a fortnight,
since the text must first be dis
tributed to the various Dioceses to
be read from as many pulpits as
possible.
It is understood that the meet
ings of the Bishops were concerned
with all phases of Catholic life
in present-day Germany, partic
ularly the problems of the schools,
relief and the Catholic Press. A
message of filial devotion and
loyalty was addressed to His Holi
ness Pope Pius XII.
U. S. OFFICIAL AT FULDA
The United States Government
was represented at Fulda by Capt.
Dumont F. Kenny, deputy chief
of the Education and Religion
Branch of the U. S. Group Con
trol Council in Germany.
(Captain Kenny is a member of
St. Francis Xavier's parish in New
York City. Before entering the
armed service he was a member
of the editorial staff of the Catho
lic publishing firm of P. J.
Kenedy & Sons, which publishes
the Official Catholic Directory.
Ilis father, Paul T. Kenny, was
attached (o the United States Em
bassy in Berlin prior to American
entry in the First World War.'
Since all of the meetings were
executive. Captain Kenny was in
vited by the Bishops to be with
them at the close of one of the
sessions—an invitation which
meant a very special courtesy since
no outsider had been invited to
be present before an assembly of
the German Bishops since 1867.
Captain Kenny came to the
meeting room of the Bishops in
the Episcopal residence next door
to the Cathedral at the close of an
afternoon session. He expressed
his appreciation at being invited
and stressed the fact that American
policy in occupied Germany is
to promote rather than hinder the
forces of good. He said he reali-
ized that many serious problems
were up for consideration and
stated that he was prepared to
take back to headquarters what
ever information the Bishops
wanted him to have.
ARCHBISHOP VOICES THANKS
The Most Rev. Joseph Frings,
Archbishop of Cologne, who pre
sided at the Conference in place ol
its dean. His Eminence Michael
Cardinal von Faulhaber, Arch
bishop of Munich, who asked to be
excused because of additional
duties, thanked Captain Kenny
and the United States Government
for the kind sentiments expressed
and also for the assistance pro
vided to the Bishops by the Ameri
can authorities, particularly in
making transportation available to
them.
Archbishop Frings concluded by
saying that the members of the
German Hierarchy had many close
and dear friends among the Ameri
can Hierarchy. He expressed the
hope that these friendships might
soon be renewed.
Naturally, the sessions of the
German Bishops arc strictly secret
and no outside observers are ad
mitted. However, it was agreed
by the Prelates that at the close
of the Conference a formal report
will be made by the secretary for
use of the Allied authorities in
order to acquaint them with prob
lems of interest to them.
Col. R. L. Sedgwick, religious
affairs officer of the British sec
tion at the Headquarters Control
Commission for Germany, paid his
respects to the. Bishops in a man
ner similar to that of Captain
Kenny. Colonel Sedgwick, who is
a Papal Chamberlain, had ample
opportunity ta consult with the
Bishops individually outside of
meeting hours. It was he who
inaugurated the British Catholic
Radio Hour during the war and
he was particularly pleased to
learn that many of the German
Bishops listened to the program
regularly.
ATMOSPHERE OF HARMONY
The conference was held in an
atmosphere of utmost harmony and
good will. The German Bishops
gave full praise for the tactful
way in which the American
authorities handled their contacts
with them after an initial mistake
had occurred on the part of cer
tain local military officers who
planned to participate in the secret
meetings on the ground that their
j instructions provided such obser
vation whenever more than five
German citizens foregathered.
Upon representations made to
higher American authorities at
their headquarters at Frankfurt it
was immediately agreed that reli
gious leaders do not come under
this regulation, which has a strictly
pblitical significance and cannot
reasonably be applied to church
affairs. The American authorities
fully recognized that the Christian
churches in Germany suffered
scverly under the Nazi regime
and are now the most essential
elements of order, upon whose
wholehearted cooperation will
largely depend the success of the
tremendous task of reconstruction
in a country as totally ravaged as
Germany is now.
AT TOMB OF ST. BONIFACE
The conference opened with the
Bishops assembling at the tomb of
St. Boniface, where Bishop Dietz
of Fulda, intoned the invocation
of the Saint. After exposition of
the Most Blessed Sacrament the
Bishops sang the hymn “Veni,
Creator.” A rendition of “Tantum
Ergo” by the Cathedral choir
closed the impressive ceremony,
which was followed immediately
by the first meeting.
Three morning and three after
noon sessions were held during
the three-day meeting. On the
closing day, a Pontifical Requiem
Mass was celebrated in the Cathe
dral iby Bishop Dietz in memory of
11 is Eminence Adolf Cardinal Bert
ram. Archbishop of Breslau, who
died recently. All of the Bishops
were present.
Twenty-two Archbishops and
Bishops attended the meeting. Last
year's meeting was not held due
to transportation difficulties caus
ed by Allied air raids.
One of the most rcnlhrkable
events in connection with the
Bishops’ meeting occurred when
the American authorities arranged
to fly the Most Rev. Conrad Count
von Preysing, Bishop of Berlin,
and his Auxiliary, the Most Rev.
Henry Wienken, to Fulda. Bishop
Wienken was secretary of the con
ference.
All of the Bishops returned to
their Sees by automobile, except
Bishops von Ptfeysing and Wien
ken, who were flown back to Ber
lin from Frankfurt.
Published by thd
Catholic Lay
men’s Association
of Georgia
4
tdUlin
"To Bring About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective ol Creed”