M.R.A. MISSION AT MANILA

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27706, 9 July 1955, Page 2

M.R.A. MISSION AT MANILA

ARCHBISHOP BLESSES ROMAN CATHOLICS

Roman Catholic members of the * ‘Statesmen’s Mission to Asia” from the Moral Rearmament Assembly, received the blessing of the Archbishop of Manila (Dr. Ruflno Santos) in Manila at the end of a visit lasting 40 minutes. A report to this effect has been received in Christchurch by a representative of Moral Rearmament in New Zealand, Mr J. R. Hodder, from the headquarters of the Moral Rearmament organisation. On June 23 “The Press” published a cabled report from Manila saying that Archbishop Santos had called on the Roman Catholic population of the Philippines not to participate in Moral Rearmament.

Mr Hodder said that the Speaker of the Philippines House of Representatives (Mr J. Laurel, jun.), and Magasaysay President had joined in a reception for members of the mission in Manila. The mission has 192 members from 26 countries. It is led by Mr O. B. Kraft, leader of the Danish Conservative party, who, when Danish Foreign Minister, was the first chairman of the council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. “I believe in M.R.A.,” said Mr Laurel according to a report from the assembly. “You have the assurance of myself as Speaker of the House and also of the President of the Senate that this Government and country stand behind this great movement.” Mr Laurel said he would release a Congressman, Mr R. Lim, to join the mission on the rest of its journey round the world. The President of the Senate (Mr E. Rodriguez), in an interview, said that “the hope of turbulent Asia lies in the effects of this great movement.”

The Manila police chief (Colonel T. Tenorio) told a radio audience that Moral Rearmament was “a God-given instrument to help a divided world to work for peace.” “This movement is something magnificent for the simple reason that you are demonstrating for the world that if bombs start falling they will not discriminate between different racial colours,” said the Mayor of Manila (Mr A. H. Lacson). “People are realising that all men. be they black, white, or brown, are created equal, and that we have to live together if we are going to live at all.”