Newspaper Page Text
OCTOBER 26 ,1946
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LA YMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
U. S. Bishop Bows as Archbishop Stepinac Enters Court
Bishop Joseph P. Hurley of St. Augustine,-Fla., Regent Ad Interim of the Apostolic Nunciature at
Belgrade, rises and bows as Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac (center) enters the courtroom to make a
final statement before the Yugoslav court in Zagreb. The prelate's conviction and sentence of 16
years at hard labor has been the cause of many protests at the U. S. State Department. All Catholics
who took part in the arbitrary arrest and unjust condemnation of Archbishop Stepanic have incurred
excommunication, Press Association. (NC Photos)
World Voices Indignation at “Trial” of
Archbishop Stepinac by Yugoslav Court
A. F. of L. Executive Council
Asks Federal Aid for Non-Public
as Well as for Public Schools
(N. C. W. C. News Service)
Far from diminishing, the voice
of protest over the conviction of
Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac of
Zagreb, and his co-defendants in
Tito-terrorized Yugoslavia, con
tinues to grow louder in all quar
ters of the globe.
In virtually all nations where
freedom of speech prevails, pro
tests pour in from responsible or
ganizations and individuals urging
their respective governments to
condemn officially the injustice of
the verdict and the breach of civil
rights.
The United Slates is witnessing
gatherings of groups of all relig
ious faiths, who are urging Presi
dent Harry S. Truman and the
State Department to action in be
half of the convicted. In addi
tion to those protests, statements
denouncing the Zagreb verdict
have come from prominent organ
izations and leaders of the nation’s
citizenry, while a majority of the
secular press of the nation,
through editorials, has deplored
the Injustice of the convictions.
Increasing concern is expressed
over the future civil liberties in
Yugoslavia.
Osservatore Romano in Vatican
City attacked the “shameful con
demnation’' of the Archbishop of
Zagreb in (his the "saddest" of
trials. Tt charged that the condem
nation was essentially a political
one and that demagoguery and
tyranny had surrounded them
selves with the symbols of justiceJ
"This trial." the Vatican papor
said, "was nothing more than ex
ecutive power, as here under the
toga (of the judge) was nothing
more than the government, the
party, the one party ‘in power"’ It
added that, although Yugoslavia
allows no appeal, the appellate
procedures of public opinion and
of history are "still open to Arch
bishop Stepinac,”
Acting Secretary of State Dean
Acheson told newsmen in Wash
ington that Archbishop Stepinac’sj
trial caused this Government “con-,
' rem and deep worry," and that j
the United States is deeply inter
ested in "the civil liberties
aspects” of the case.
Mr. Acheson recalled that when
this Government recognized Yugo
slavia it felt it necessary to call
that country's attention to the "un
desirable situation” existing there
with relation to civil liberties, and
to remind the Tito regime of its
Clndertaking to respect these rights
under the United Nations Charter.
Ife pointed out that the United
States has had to take up with
the Yugoslav government "a very
considerable number of cases”
where United States citizens were
felt to be tried unfairly, and added
that reports of the Archbishop's
trial indicated that its conduct
“left a great deal to be desired.”
While Yugoslav Ambassador
Sava N. Kosanovitch in Washing
ton leveled a counterblast at Mr.
Acheson and contended that Arch
bishop Stepinac had received a
fair trial. B. J. Rusovich, Yugoslav
Consul in New Orleans, announc
ed his resignation as a representa
tive of the Yugoslav government.
His resignation, he said, was
prompted by “the unjust trial and,
execution of Gen. Draja Mikhailo-
viteh. the killing of American
pilots over Yugoslavia and finally
the infamous trial of Archbishop
Stepinac.” Pickets carrying signs
paraded in front of the Yugoslav
consulate in New Orleans in pro
test against "the mock trial and
sentence" of the Archbishop.
Ambassador Kosanovieh, in his
public statement, askedThe Ameri
can public lo believe on hi-; say-so
that Archbishop Stepinac "never
used cither pulpit.or pastoral let
ter to defend his neighbors against
persecution,” but the Rev. Stephen
Lackovic, former secretary to
Monsignor Stepinac and now in
this country, immediately pro
claimed of his former superior that
“during his 12 years as Archbishop
of Zagreb he had dedicated him
self wholly to the service for God
and (lie people.”
“Never before in Croatia, and
probably never before in the
world,” said the Archbishop's for
mer secretary, “has there been
handed down a judgment as wrong
| and as unjust as that passed in Za-
greb on October 11 against Arch-
! bishop Aloysius Stepinac.”
j Immediately following* Arch
bishop Stepinac’s condemnation,
the communist party newspaper in
Belgrade began a violent attack
upon the Serbian Orthodox
Church, giving rise to the belief
that leaders of that religion arc
about to be subjected to a govern
ment purge.
Except for three communist
CHICAGO — (NC) —Speaking
out on behalf of 7,150,000 Ameri
can workers, the Executive Coun
cil of the American Federation of
Labor has submitted a report to
the federation’s 1940 convention
here advocating United States
Government aid to' sectarian us
well as to public schools.
The child in the sectarian
schools has a right to attend
them, which involves not only a
legal permission but a legal assur
ance that the right shall be en
joyed, the report notes, explain
ing that "the enjoyment of the
right implies a degree of econo
mic support. To assure each child’s
right to an education the Federal
Government is thoroughly justi
fied in making funds available to
the use of tharchild.”
In an obvious reference to the
educational policy of religious
denominations which operate their
own schools, the Executive Coun
cil qoute; the A. F. of L. Com
mittee on Education as follows;
“There is a minority group to
day that holds that in conformity
with the religious concepts of
their faith that a form of sectarian
instruction must be given with all
other educational training, as an
integral part of the education of
children. The right of this minorty
group to its convictions must be
zealously safeguarded. Not only
lo protect the rights of the inl
and declared that the conditions
which he observed in Yugoslavia
and which are now being brought
members, the Chamber of Deputies
of Peru voted unanimously to en
ter an energetic protest against
the Zagreb trial of
Stepinac.
to public attention by the Zagreb
trial constitute that “sizable tyran
ny” which Justice Robert It. Jack-
Archbishop I Kon said recently must be a "mat
ter of international concern.”
News broadcast over the Vati-! 'Meanwhile, research revealed
can City radio said that despite; Mat State Department records
strong pressure exerted upon them I show ample precedent for protests
some 7,000 railroad workers in hy the United States against Tito's
Croatia staunchly refused to sign a Persecution of the Church, and
petition requesting the condemnar! particularly against the trial of
lion of Archbishop Stepinac. Archbishop Stepinac.
i Protests and pleas for interven-1 One of these precedents is tlie
| lion, signed by Catholic organ!/,:
jtions and individuals, and by
| others, continued to pour into the
White House A very considerable
number of these communicat ion;
had been received before the con
clusion of the Zagreb trial and
disapproval expressed by 'lie
Harding administration in 1923
when Soviet Russian Moscow con
ducted the trial of Archbishop
Cepliak. Monsignor Budklcwlcz
and numerous Catholic priests. An
other was the intervention of Scc-
werc referred to the State Depart-1 rotary ^of Slate William II. Seward
ment. However, Acting Secretary
in 1367 in behalf of nationals of
Acheson’s observation was ’ not j another country when persecution
made until after the trial had been broke out anew in Japan,
concluded and sentence pronounc-! While scores ot reprc-enlalives
cd. Widespread editorial comment j °* Me Catholic Press in the United
in the secular press also expressed ' States sent to President Truman a
concern and disapproval of the 1 message urging him to voice a
trial. | moral protest against he violations
Members ot the Hierarchy across: 01 human rights in Yugoslavia and
the country added their voices to' *hc "pcrsecul ion of Archbishop
those of three American Cardinals, j Stepinac. word from Rome said
whose separate condemnations. ot 1 Bishop Ivan Simrak. Ordinary of
the trial contained such expres-' Me Eastern Rite diocese of Xri/cvcl
exp
siuns as "travesty." "heresy to jus
tice" and "our national responsi
bility under the Yalta agreement is
involved in the Yugoslav situation,
Which the 'trial' in Zagreb so glar
ingly reveals.” Members of the
British Hierarchy also ask the Bri-
(Kreut/.i, had died as the resu
maltreatment and iildignities 'ut
tered in prison, another victim of
the persecution of the Ch,urch in
Yugoslavia.
CHICAGO —
strongly worded
(NC) — In a
esolution, the
tish government to protest the trial. powu , ful American Federation of
ot the Archbishop. Labor at its annual convention
Repi esentaUve Michael leighan here adopted a resolution deplor*
of Ohio recommended immediate j ng the conviction of Archbishop
appeal of the Archbishop's case to | Aloysius Stepinac of Zagreb at the
the International Court of Justice I recent trial in Yugoslavia.
nority but actually to promote the
unity of a functional democracy
must we preserve the means
through which minority view
points are expressed.”
It is an established fact that
the practice historically in this
country has been to make Fed
eral grants to religious institutions
for educational purposes and the
courts have upheld these prac
tices, it is stated. Cited as in
stances are the Northwest Terri
tory Ordinance of 1785, sevci'al U.
S. Supreme Court decisions, the
N. Y. A., W. P. A., Nursery
Schools, and the recent G. I. Art.
In 1944, it is recalled'in the re
port, the American Federation of
Labor adopted a program for Fed
eral aid to all school children and
that this aim was embodied in a
bill introduced in the Senate by
Senators James Mead of New
York and George Aiken of Ver
mont.
“Immediately after this bill had
been introduced in Congress”, the
report states, "anti-labor forces
joined with the extreme left wing
groups, and other groups and in
dividuals. and launched an inten
sive campaign against this bill be
cause the bill would make aid
available for children in the sec
tarian schools as well as those
in the nations’ public schools.
"The nature of the attack was
so vicious that it cannot be ig
nored,” the Executive Council’s
declaration adds. “The hearings
revealed that some of the oppo
nents in their bitterness even
stated that a Christian church
was instituted to promote crime
and produce criminals. Oher op-
onents claimed that this bill was
a sinister move on the part of
the American Federation of Lahpr
to unite the church and state: still
others pointed out that this was
a move lo destroy the public
schools of the United States. The
bigotry of that campaign was
I alarming.”
j Reviews Church’s
! Tcachings in Regard
lo “Mercy Killings” .
YONKERS, N. Y.—(NO—In his
sermon at. the annual Red Mass
for Catholic lawyers of West
chester County at Immaculate
Conception Church here. Monsig
nor Robert E. McCormick, of the
Ecclejistical Tribunal of the New
York archdiocese, challenged the
proposed bill to legalize voluntary
euthanasia in New York State as
contrary to the natural law and
Christian doctrine.
Monsignor M c C o r m i c k de
scribed the proposed euthanasia
legislation and its support by a
group of Protestant clergymen and
then reviewed the Church’s teach
ing in regard to the so-called
■ mercy killings.”
He declared that even though he
believed that the legislature would
not pass the bill,.lie felt his dis
cussion was revelant "because I
believe that, you and the people
of this State should be acquaint
ed with the insidious attempt to
make it appear that this bill is
not opposed to Christ's teachings
and Christian ethics.”
Players Representing the Cathedral Parish in Charleston Sunday School Base Ball League Are Feted at Banquet
Thirty-three members of the
baseball teams which represented
the parish of the Cathedral of St.
John the Baptist in the Sunday
School Baseball League, Charles
ton, S. C.. were guests of their
coaches. Father Thomas .Tellico
and Eugene Anderson, at the
close of a successful season.
Speakers and special guests
attending the banquet, which was
held at the Cathedral School Hall,
were Monsignor John L. Man
ning, D. D., Chancellor of the
Diocese of Charleston: Father
Francis Murphy and Father Leon
Ilubacz, of (lie faculty of Bishop
England High School, Father
Louis Sterker and Francis Budds.
Miniature baseballs, of gold,
were presented to members of
the Cathedral Holy Name senior
and junior teams which were un
defeated all season. Seniors: Gene
Anderson, Sidney Sellers, Scrib
Johnson, Louis Bazaar, Ernest
Comar, Jimmy O’Neill, x Harry
Darby, George Cypress, Irvin
Molony and Klim Molony. Jun
iors: Jimmy Anderson. Louis
Roempkc. Barney Cleary, Donald
Hinson, Albert Peloquin, Rudy
Cook. Janies Tobias. Edward
Jones, Philip Fernandez. Billy
Coste. Jimmy Igoo and Jimmy
Martin.
Players of the Cathedral team,
which finished as runner-up in
the Sunday School League and
the Mite Playground League, who
received silver baseballs, were:
Walter Puckhaber, Louis Puck-
haber, John jfeissor. Bobby Liv
ingston. Leo Crogluin. Billy Ken
nedy, John Davey, Danny Cro-
ghan, Larry McKay, Albeit Mar
tin, John Heissenbuttle, Marion
Dudley. Milton Johns. Billy Hart-
ler, Leo Sirnard and John Torlay.
Other trophies and prizes award
ed at the banquet included a sil
ver cup to Sidney Sellars, as the
most valuable player; a sports
manship award to Jimmy Ander
son, smallest, but best, catcher in
the league, and nrizne l'o>' Invaltv
and dependability throughout the
season to Walter Puckhaber,
Louis Roempke, Bobby Living
ston, Louis Puckhaber and John
Ileisser. The mascot and bat boy
for the Cathedral teams, Fred
McKay, received a knife and a
sheath.
On behalf of the Cathedral
teams, Larry McKay presented a
surplice to Father Jcliico, and a
gift to Eugene Anderson, the
cnachfifi.