Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

r 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”