YEAR’S EVENTS REVIEWED

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22594, 27 December 1938, Page 9

YEAR’S EVENTS REVIEWED

POPE’S MESSAGE TO CARDINALS

OFFENCES AGAINST VATICAN CONCORDAT

(Received December 26, 7.10 p.m.) (EXITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPTBIGHT.) VATICAN CITY, December 24. The Pope, responding to the cardinals’ Christmas wishes, reviewed the events of the year. He deplored the appearance in Rome during Herr Hitler’s visit of Nazi emblems, including the swastika, as a cross hostile to Christ’s Cross. He denied that Catholic Action was engaged in politics and regretted offences against the Vatican concordat, particularly the Government ban on Italian and Jewish marriages and the encouragement of other vexations from high places in Italy involving the looting of Catholic Action’s property and archives. Nevertheless, he thanked King Victor Emmanuel and his incomparable adviser. Signor Mussolini, for the conclusion of the concordat in 1929.

The Pope approved Cardinal Schuster’s recent speech at Milan attacking the racial campaign and concluded by wishing the people throughout the world a Christmas of peace.

His Holiness regretted that Christwas Mid not brought serene joy, but instead grave preoccupation and bitter grief. “We have offered our old life for peace,” he sajd. “We offer it again.”

HITLER SEEN AS DIVINE GIFT

WORLD BROADCAST TO GERMANS

GRATITUDE FOR “VISIBLE BLESSINGS”

(Received December 26, 7.10 p.m.)

BERLIN, December 24,

Herr Rudolf Hess, broadcasting to Germans throughout the world, professed profound gratitude to God for giving Herr Hitler to Germany, for visibly blessing the way Herr Hitler took in 1938, notably ensuring the return of Austria and Sudetonland and the creation of Germany’s western wall to protect her people and cultural values.

A surprise Christmas gift from Herr Hitler would be, he said, bronze crosses inscribed “the child ennobles the mother,” to be awarded on Mother’s Day to the mothers of four and five children, silver crosses for mothers of six and seven children, and gold crosses for mothers of eight or more.