CATHOLIC PROTEST

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 June 1942, Page 5

CATHOLIC PROTEST

NAZIS AND CHURCH.

RUGBY, June 18

“We wish particularly to stress that we are not only asking for our religious rights but also for the ordinary rights of mankind. Without these, the whole of western culture must collapse,” states a Roman Catholic pastoral letter recently read from German pulpits and now available in London.

Tfic pastoral letter referred to the war against Christianity which “lies like a horrible nightmare on Germany,” and which has increased in bitterness during the war. Catholicism is being squeezed out of public life altogether, and observances inside the churches are extremely limited and greatly suppressed, the letter says. It asserts that the youth organisations are turning the youth of the country against Christianity. A Catholic press has been destroyed, schools and churches have been closed, and priests have been banished. - The bishops insist on the rights oi personal freedom and consideration for the common good and of duty to the just commands of lawful authority. They demand the release of all who, without evidence, have been robbed of their liberty, and the return of church 'property. The pastoral adds that Nazi activities have been designed to kill the Catholic Church while its men are at the wars.

elude second-hand clothing has been made by the Director of Rationing, Doctor Coombes, following upon complaints that the old clothes dealers are charging exorbitant prices.

MELBOURNE CLEAN-UP

MELBOURNE, June 19.

Nearly two hundred thousand persons in Victoria have signed a petition requesting the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin, and the State Premier, to clean up Melbourne city and remove the liquor menace, especially among young people. COIN SHORTAGE.

SYDNEY, June 19

The return, from overseas, of large numbers of A.I.F. men, and the influx of the American troops are blamed for an acute shortage of silver and copper coins. In the past year the Commonwealth Mint has issued one and a-half million pounds worth of silver coins, and sixty thousand pounds worth of copper coins. The Mint is now working sixty hours a week. It is turning out silver coins only.