THE POPE ON HITLER

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 150, 22 December 1938, Page 6

THE POPE ON HITLER

A FORCEFUL SPEECH

LIKE MIMM THE APOSTATE

FOOTSTEPS OF JUDAS

Pope Pius in a speech to 300 professors of Christian archaeology gathered in Eome compared Chancellor: Hitler with Julian tne Apostate and recalled Itfero and the Apostle Judas in denouncing in strong terms recent Nazi tactics, radioed Arnaldo Cortesi from Castel Gandolfo to the "Nevy .York Times" recently.. The Pope said that it was a lie to attribute "to the Holy See the; pursuit of political aims, and he denounced the efforts being made in Berlin to present what happened in Vienna during the attack on Theodor Cardinal Innitzer's residence as to make the assaulted Catholics appear almost as the authors of 4he aggression. In consideration, perhaps, of the learned nature of his audience the Pope compared Chancellor Hitler with Julian the Apostate (Emperor Flavius Claudius JuEanxis}, -of whom he said his persecution of Christians was not the most sanguinary but certainly the most obstinate, most double-faced, and astutest 3ii Mstory.. It is"' an insult to human dignity, exclaimed the Pope, to travel the road of duplicity so far as Julian the Apostate did, though he was not the first to attribute to Christians responsibility for the persecutions of which sEhey were I±ie victims, Nero having already set the precedent. The Pqpe ;added that persecution of any Catholic wounds his paternal heart. He is particularly wounded in the present instance, he said, because the persecution and false accusation had not shrunk from touching, even the exalted figure of Cardinal Innitzer himself. He ended more hopefully, however, saying that he did not despair of the' future ibecause the future is in ' the hands of God and not men. DEEP IMPRESSION MADE. The Pope's words made the deepest possible impression on all those who heard them. It was obvious that he was speaking from the depths of his heart. When he denied that the Holy See' pursued political aims his voice trembled and he seemed on the verge of tears, but the remainder of his speech was delivered with a firmness and determination unusual in a man of his years. , It is dear that -the Vatican has not been browbeaten by tne attacks of , which Cardinal Innitzer and other prelates have been the victims, and has no intention- of yielding an inch to his Nazi opponents^ . . . After" speaking at some length about Christian archaeology the Pope said: "Archaeology, which is the object of your studies, has for its purpose the uncovering of ruins and dedicates itself to a study o*'texts that have been dead for centuries. But today and not very far hence a totally different kind of archaeology is being put into practice. Works and personages that would better be left in oblivion are being 4 called and recalled oh the scene of life and action. We feel we must, ask the pardon of people like you, who occupy yourselves with great and meritorious things,, if we call on you to consider such miserable things as those we ay€ about to tell. - ""It is an erroneous archaeology indeed that exhumes, sinister figures in order to put sinister wQrks in being and in play once- again. The worst of Julian:the. Apostate has been recalled, whose sad, very sad, persecution; was • not and was not intended to be the most- violent, most sanguinary in history, but was certainly the most obstinate, most double-faced, and astutest. It has been revived, not without disciples and apostles who tread the footsteps of Judas and are permeated with his spirit. -. ' THE WORLD SHOCKED. "By so saying we have- wished to call attention of you all, most beloved sons, to the things of which even recently the Press and speakers—and not among the irresponsible—have occupied themselves and which have surprised and shocked the world —the world, that is to say, which is accus- j tomed to honest things. This perse-cution—-which continues to be denied I with truly incredible audacity in the face of the evidence, which we ascertain every day through new and pondered documents, bearing witness to new facts and to even more terrible threats—is the cause of deep sorrow to us. "We say this not "only as Pope and as the Father of Christianity, but also and particularly as a man. In fact, we feel one is truly doing an ill service to human dignity when one goes so far as Julian the Apostate did— though he was not the first to attri- • bute to Christians the blame for persecutions they suffered. This had been done by Nero for the burning of Rome and the persecution that followed the fire. - \ "Today it happens continuously and without pause that one pours on the faithful, on their faith, and on their consciences, responsibility for the persecutions of which they arc the objects. It is true that strange things have reached strange heights. Because we wish it to be known that persecution even of the last of the faithful, of the last of the sons entrusted by Jesus! Christ to his vicar, strikes the Pope to the heart. And still the persecu-tion-—this is its true name—together with the false accusation has reached so far as the sacred purple of a distinguished pastor. Our paternal sorrow cannot but be great and most profound. FUTURE IN HANDS OF GOD. "But the sons should be inspired by the sentiments of the father. We are optimistic and not pessimistic. We are so, of course, for the future, since the present is what God permits it to be. And the Lord permits men to .put their hands even there where He . has rested His own; and they do so. unfortunately, only to spoil things. It may be said that this is the history of poor humanity and human misery and suffering. 'The future, however, is in the hands of the Creator—in good hands—because the great things obey Him and not men." # After saying that he is now eighty years old, "not many in the history of a nation but many in the life of a man, especially in our age," and recalling some events that have occurred during his lifetime, the Pope continued: "And now, having reached the old age of eighty, we ask ourselves, truly moved and overcome with consternation: What more, what more are we to see? What more has Divine Provi-dence-reserved for our eyes? We constantly tell God. we would be most grateful if He were to concede us a good death. It would certainly be a rest for an old and now tired worker. But we cannot but add, like good old St. Martin, 'If we still can do something for the common good, Thy will be done. O Lord.' " ■ . . "For the common good! This is the policy of the Pope, for it is a lie—we repeat, a lie, a lie, a lie—that has never been sufficiently denied, that .the Holy -See and the Pope pursue any policy but the glory of God and the good of souls. . .. "The Pope follows only one policy

from which no force on earth can separate him: to give something to the common good. This is the policy we have always followed. This is a policy we will continue to follow so long as God gives us the possibility, the strength, the grace to do so. For it is only by the grace of God if, at jur age and after vicissitudes that you all know, we still find ourselves able to do something for this great family that extends over all the world and includes all the sons God has given us."