MORALS OF ROME

Hawera Star, Volume L, 20 February 1931, Page 5

MORALS OF ROME

SCATHING VATICAN ATTACK “CENSOR’S WORK USELESS’’ MUSIC-HALL EVILS GROW (United Press Association—By Electrio Telegraph Copyright.) ROME, Feb. IS. “L’Otsservatore . Romano” has: published a scathing attack following up the Pope’s censure from the cinemas and music-halls of Rome. The newspaper says- that the censor’s work in Rbme is useless. “Nudes in music halls are becoming more audacious, creating a tumult in. the soul of the people, while minors learn the mysteries of life in the cinemas,” it asserts 1 . The Church authorities are obliged to warn the faithful from attending an immoral art exhibition. Finally, “salacious foreign magazines and pseudo-scientific pamphlets, full of filth,” are condemned. ‘ ‘The authors are prosecuted in courts where their works are read only behind closed doors, yet they have entrance to the academy open to them.”

During a criticism of the action of the authorities in permitting Protestants to acquire land in the Holy City, the Pope declared that Rome was suffering from immoral books, periodicals, and films, and variety performances in profanation of the Sabba-th. Young people attending these performances resembled “innocents taken to a slaugh-ter-yard.” “L’Osiservatore Romano” (The Roman Observer) is the organ of the Vatican. It has a circulation of about 20,000.