CHURCH AND STATE

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 44, 26 June 1929, Page 5

CHURCH AND STATE

THE LATERAN AGREEMENT.

SPEECHES GY MUSSOLINI.

ROME!, June *23

The Pope’s resentment of Signor Mussolini’s -speeches regarding the Lateran agreement has been rekindled by a preface t 0 Signor Mussolini’s written pamphlet, in which the agreement is reproduced. The Pope has ordered the reprinting of, his reply of June 4, accompanied hy a preface declaring that Signor Mussolini’s action “imposes on us the moral necessity of recalling everything we said concerning the speeches.”

Signor Mussolini, on May 15, in a speech oil the Lateran Treaty between Italy and the Vatican, declared that ,the '.Roman Catholic Clur.ch was not sovereign; it was not even free, but was subject to the general laws of the State and the terms of the Concordat. The Papal representatives were reported to be perturbed at Signor Mussolini's long recital of past conflicts and his reference to Christianitv. as a Palestinian sect which might well have died out had it not (tme to Rome.

The Pope, in a letter, t 0 Cardinal Gasparri, answering Signor Mussolini’s speeches, especially referring to Mussolini’s hint that the fate of, the Lateran Treaty and the Concordat might not he the same, declared; “Together they stand and together they fall, even if the Vatican City State |hould fall with them.” The Pope characterised Signor Mussolini’s speeches as a painful set-buck to the rejoicing throughout Italy and the world which followed the signing of the Lateran Treaty. He added, referring to Mussolini’s declaration, that “if, the Christian religion had not been transferred to Rome it would have flickered out like any other Palestine sect,” “least of all would His Holiness have expected an heretical 0" a worse than heretical expressit n regarding the very essence of Christianity, Catholicism.” He added that it was neither fitting nor generous to recall laws and regulations which must be most painful, offensive and damaging to the HobSee, the Pontiff, and Catholics all •tiver the world, and declared that Signor Mussolini’s statement that the Church was subject to the Italian State was tantamount t 0 saying that the Supreme Pontiff was subject to Italy.