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- JULY 9, 1955.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
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Reaction Quick., Widespread
As Peron Steps Up His Attack
On The Church In Argentina
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
President Peron’s sudden and
sharp accentuation of his months
old persecution of the Catholic
Church in Argentina brought
quick, wide-spread and unfavor
able reaction.
The Vatican moved at once to
announce that all of those in
Argentina who had trampled
upon the rights of the Church
and had used violence against
ecclesiastical persons had incur
red automatically excommunica
tion reserved in a special way
to the Holy See.
Within hours — obviously too
soon to be the result of the Vat
ican statement—elements of Ar
gentina’s armed forced revolted
in a long-pent protest against the
dictatorial acts of the Peron
regime.
News slipped through the
tighter-than-ever censorship im
posed said Catholic churches
were being burned in Buenos
Aires “in retaliation”. Peron him
self confirmed these outrages
when he came on the air to say
he had put down the revolt. He
blamed the church-burning on
communists.
In Washington, on the floor of
Congress, lawmakers demanded
some formal expression that the
U.S. Government will not look
favorably upon the persecution
of religion. The State Depart
ment announced that it will
maintain a "hands-off” policy
unless American citizens or prq-
perty are threatened.
Also in Washington, Dr. Don
Cesar A. Bunge, economic coun
selor to the Argentine Embassy
in the U.S., resigned his post in
protest against the policies and
aets of the Peron regime. It was
believed that he would go to
Peru, where he has relatives.
In New York, refugees from
Argentina who had been in Bu
enos Aires as events mounted
to a climax told the N.C.W.C.
News Service that “It’s just like
Russia” in Argentina under the
Peron regime, and predicted that
the abortive rovelt will be em
ployed as an excuse to take even
harsher measures against Cath
olicism.
Rome, Bishop Tato said there
was “no logical reason for the
present anti-Catholic campaign
in Argentina.” He said the Ar
gentine ecclesiastical authorities
have demanded proof, of the
charges Peron has hurled against
the Church, but that no proof
has been forthcoming.
Meanwhile, Osservatore Roma
no, Vatican City newspaper, 1 ,
thoroughly refuted the assertion
in some secular papers that the
struggle in Argentina was a poli
tical one between a Catholic Ac
tion “party,” supported fey rural
people, and the Peron regime,
supported by city workers. Os
servatore said that what goes
on in Argentina is “an attack
which, for a still mysterious rea
son, the regime . . . believed it
necessary to unleash against the
Church and her teachings.”
Secular newspapers in the
United States vigorously con
demned editorially the Peron
regime’s persecution of the
Church. In many quarters it was
noted that the trail being fol
lowed by Peron today is one 1
which Hitler trod before him.
Albert J. Sattler of New York,
president of the National Coun
cil of Catholic Men, revealed that
he had sent to President Peron
a letter appealing in the name
of 7,000,000 Catholic men in the
United States for an immediate
cessation of the Argentine regi
me’s persecution of the Church.
Martin H. Work, Executive Di
rector of NCCM, noted that,
since Mr. Sattler’s letter was
written, “Peron has taken the
next .step that all dictators take
in the persecution of religion;
namely, resorting to violence, in
timidation and lying propagan
da.” Mr. Work also added r i
"Where ate the voices of the
great American liberals who so 1
loudly and bitterly attacked Pe
ron’s restrictions on the free
dom. of the press a few years ’
ago? Their silence today in the
face of the persecution of tho |
Church and the violations of :
freedom of religion leaves their j
liberalism suspect in the minds :
of honest men.”
Because the Constitiution of 1
Argentina requires that the |
President and Vice President of
the country be Catholics, the
question was asked whether
Peron is still a Catholic in view
of the statement made at the
Vatican regarding possible ex-
^pmmunication. Canon Law au
thorities said Peron would still
be a Catholic, even if he has
been automatically excommuni
cated. He cannot exercise his
rights as a Catholic, they said,
but he still has his duties, and
the first of these is to do what
ever is necessary to have tho
ban of excommunication remov
ed. Peron himself said he is a
Catholic and intends to remain
one.
In Vatican City, a day of pray
er was proclaimed for the Church
in Argentina. Exiled Bishop Tato
officiated at a Mass in the Ar
gentine National Church.
In Buenos Aires, the Peron
regime continued to arrest and
interrogate priests.
As for chicle, the Spaniards
found the Aztecs chewing it. An
exiled Mexican general is credit
ed with introducing it into the
United States, but it Was ;a drug
gist who thought of flavoring it
GREETINGS
F : rr© mi
CALVES! MH HOIKS.
mm watts
J AZ
Neighboring Brazil accelerated
preparations for the Internation
al Eucharistic Congress to be held
in Rio de Janeiro, July 17 to
24. It wants to make the great
demonstration of faith as im
pressive as possible, to counter
the persecution in Argentina.
The Brazilian Chamber of Depu
ties adopted unanimously a reso
lution expressing “sympathy by
the democratic conscience of the
Americas for the Catholic
Church in Argentina.
1195 VICTORY DRIVE. S. W.
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Within 48 hours after they had
been forcibly expelled by air
plane from their homeland, Aux
iliary Bishop Manuel Tato of
Buenos Aires and his Pro Vicar
General, Msgr. Ramon Novoa,
were received in a private audi
ence by His Holiness Pope Pius
XII at the Vatican. The Holy
Father made it known in ad
vance that he wanted particular
ly to see and greet the exiled
prelates at the very earliest op
portunity.
Phone HEmiiock 2-7447
Albany, Go.
I
j
The Bishop and monsignor
from Buenos Aires were given a
rousing reception upon their ar
rival in Rome, despite the fact
that it was past midnight when
airplane touched ground.
Interviewed by the NC..W.C.
News Service during a brief stop
in Lisbon, Portugal, enroute to
ALBANY, GEORGIA