WAR IN ETHIOPIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22741, 29 November 1935, Page 9

WAR IN ETHIOPIA

POPE'S DIFFICULT POSITION IDEAL OF PEACE UPHELD (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, November 28. The attitude of the Pope toward Italy's war on Ethiopia was explained by Bishop Listou, who has returned to Auckland after an official visit to Rome. "To judge by the appeals made to the Pope by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other leaders in England and by prominence given to his statements in tin press of Prance, England, and America the whole world is deeply iiterested in his attitude," he said. " The Pope has again and again spoken and asked for peace with all the authority of his high office. He has invoked not only peace but also justice, emphasising that the Christian ideal is peace in justice. Long before Geneva spoke and the clash of arms came he spoke. He has issued warnings to Europe, denounced war, pictured its evils, with its sorrov 3 and tears for mankind. He has proclaimed that a war of conquest is unjustifiable, even for a nation that feels the need for expansion, and that arbitration and not war is a proper means of settling disputes. Bishop Liston said it was worth noting that this denunciation of a war of conquest was published officially in the Vatican City daily paper, but was not allowed to be publirhed in any single paper in Italy under strict Government control. It would be said that the Pope should go further and proclaim war unjust. " Let me point out, however, that he has not been invited to act as judge in this dispute by Italy, Ethiopia, < r by other members of the League of Nations. He is not a member of the League, indeed* by the secret Pact of London in 1915. he was expressly excluded from aay future share in matters of settlement between nations.

" But," said Bishop Liston, "it will still be contended that the Pope has a duty, as head of the Roman Catholic Church, to proclaim the moral law, to brand the guilty, and maybe to excommunicate Signor Mussolini. I answer that he is following the ever-wise ways of Christ Himself. Christ proclaimed the moral law of justice but did not ,call a soldier out of the ranks or urge his Jewish fellow-countrymen to take up arms against the Roman invaders and conquerors of their country." Even though the Pope believed Italy to be wrong and to be now engaged in an immoral, unjust war, there were two sound reasons why. he should refrain from saying so. First, such a denunciation would at once place Italian Catholics in a most awkward position. They no doubt honestly, as well 'as fervently, believed they were engaged in a just quarrel, and their conscience would be gravely disturbed if . their spiritual leader told them otherwise. Secondly, there would be retaliation for a certainty—conflict and violence in Italy. The Pope had no arms, but others had, and the cause of good order, peace, and religion in the country would suffer grievously.

" Pope Pius is a man of outstanding courage, but at present his supreme purpose is to bring peace to a world nigh unto chaos and weary almost unto death of strife," Bishop Liston stated.

He added that he found the Pope, the cardinals, and the officials of the Vatican possessed of ample knowledge of the Dominion and enthusiastic in their praise of the good feeling existing here and of the respect and freedom accorded to religion and its works. The Pope was now 78 years of age, but was well, vigorous and alert, and wished his blessing to go out to the citizens, Catholic and non-Catholic, of the Dominion.