Mr Khrushchev’s Visit

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28975, 17 August 1959, Page 3

Mr Khrushchev’s Visit

Sir, —I know you discourage “sectarian controversy” so have been willing to let those correspondents have their fun who cannot miss a chance of throwing a verbal stone. However, Ralph S. Wheeler goes a bit too far. His remarks are quite untrue and insulting. The American Cardinals are fully justified in their reported remarks. They have seen their friends and coreligionists insulted, falsely accused, imprisoned, tortured and killed by the Communists. In the circumstances their remarks are wonderfully mild and charitable. —Yours, etc., G. F. SEWARD. August 15, 1959.

Sir, —A prelate has just as much right to protest against Mr Khrushchev’s visit as anyone else. Mr Khrushchev and his party are no friends to religion or to America, and are self-confessedly working for the destruction of both. How, then, could America treat him as an honoured guest? “Foreign Policy” says religion should not “interfere” with politics. But it must do so, if politics interferes with religion. Mr Khrushchev and his party have in all communist countries tampered with religion. They have tried to wipe it out as “the opium of the people.” They do not respect political or religious liberty, and Cardinal Spellman rightlj’ protests at that, and he is not being arrogant to tell Mr Khrushphev to observe the Ten Commandments. Everyone must obey them or else chaos, such as there is now, will reign. But if Mr Khrushchev and his party observed them, there would be no Communism. Perhaps that is what “Foreign Policy” is worried about. —Yours, etc., A.M. August 15, 1959.

Sir, —I quite agree with others that the Church should not meddle in politics. I myself do not go to church because I am sick of hearing politics preached from the pulpit. It would be better to clean our own backyard, and stop our commercialisation of religion. Religion and politics are like beer and benzine. They do not mix.—Yours, etc., BY THE WAYSIDE. August 15, 1959.