CHURCHES IN GERMANY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21995, 3 July 1933, Page 9

CHURCHES IN GERMANY

THE LUTHERAN SECTION MUST FLY NAZI FLAG {United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) BERLIN, June 30. Herr Hitler has ordered the Nazi Swastika flag to be flown from all the Protestant churches in Germany on Sunday. This follows a protest by the evangelical general superintendents against the Nazi Vice-President’s announcement that Sunday’s services would be devoted to “bringing the dire straits of our church before the countenance of the living God.” Meantime the military chaplain (Herr Mueller), Herr Hitler’s plenipotentiary, has been invested with dictatorial jurisdiction within the church, though HenHitler himself is a Catholic, thus countering the efforts of the superintendents and Lutheran ministers, who are asked to tell their parishioneis to listen to a broadcast on Sunday evening explaining the revolution m the Lutheran Church,

PRESIDENT INTERVENES.

BERLIN, June 30, (Received July 2, at 5.5 p.m.)

President Hindenburg has written to Herr Hitler expressing concern at the conflict with the Protestant Church. Herr Hitler has promised an investigation by Herr Erick.

BRITON ROUGHLY HANDLED.

BERLIM, June 30 (Received July 2, at 5.5 p.m.)

Mr John Walter, a son of one of the proprietors of The Times, drove past another car here, when he was peremptorily ordered to stop. He was surrounded, dragged from the seat, and informed that he had outraged etiquette by overtaking and passing a car containing a high Nazi official. A crowd assembled and Walter was roughly handled before the was thrust back into his own car.

CATHOLIC CLUBS CLOSED. BERLIN, July 1. (Received July 2, at 8 p.m.) The police have closed the offices of all Catholic clubs which were considered to be political, and they seized documents.

STORY ABOUT HERR HITLER.

A CHANGE OF FAITH,

BERLIN, July 1, (Received July 2, at 9 p.m.)

A strange story to the effect that Herr Hitler will abandon Catholicism and join the new German National Evangelical Church when the Rev. Herr Muller has finished its reorganisation, is attributed to the Rev. Herr Muller. It is further stated that * Herr Hitler will urge all German Catholics to follow him. Evangelical circles are of the opinion that Herr Hitler's proselytism will be a dramatic feature of the national celebrations in connection with the 450th anniversary of Luther’s birth on October 10.

STORY STATED TO BE UNTRUE. LONDON, July 1. (Received July 2, at 9 p.m.) The Berlin reports about Herr Hitler abandoning Catholicism are stated to be untrue. HERR VON PAPEN IN ROME. ROME, June 30. (Received July 2, at 7 p.m.) Herr von Papen had three conversations with Pacelli, and it is understood that he gave explanations of Herr Hitler’s attitude to Catholics and broached the question of a concordat.