RUSSIA’S WAR ON RELIGION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18500, 22 February 1930, Page 17 (Supplement)

RUSSIA’S WAR ON RELIGION.

House of Lords Discussion

HAS SOVIET BROKEN PACT? (British Official ’Wireless.) RUGBY, February 20. In the House of Lords Lord Birkenhead called attention to the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Government, and asked whether the Government had found it necessary to represent to the Soviet Government, or to their representative in London, that there had been a breach of the conditions, or the understanding, upon which relations were resumed. He referred to the recent protest made in the House by the Archbishop of Canterbury against the religious persecutions in Russia and to the Primate’s desire to keep his protest from politics. Lord Birkenhead declared that he knew of no definition of politics which would exclude the topic, with which the Primate had been concerned. The pledge of the Soviet Government to curtail propaganda and the activities of the Comintern had been broken. It was notorious that there had been no cessation of energetic action against us in India or Afghanistan. Lord Parmoor, replying for the Government, said that if any statements were made by the Ccmintem which rendered it necessary in the opinion of the Government, to break off diplomatic relations with Russia, they would deal with them in the same way as if they had been made by the Soviet Government itself. The Government did not attempt to define the distinction between those two bodies, but, in the opinion of the Government, there had been no such breach as made it necessary to break off relations.

APPEAL TO SALVATIONISTS. NEED FOR EARNEST PRAYER. (Unite** Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, February 20. General Higgins appeals to Salvationists throughout the world to join other religionists on March 16 in “praying to God to intervene to stop those who may be brutally beating men and women who are seeking to worship Him in Russia, and that he strengthen, support and deliver those who may be suffering unspeakably.” General Higgins explains that he hesitated to express his views, because of doubt as to whether the reports were true or exaggerated.

SIX CHURCHES BLOWN UP. “ROAD WHICH LENIN SHOWED.” (United Press Association—By Eleoirlc Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received February 21, 8.2 p.m.) ROME, February 21. The Vatican has received a report of a wireless message which w’as intercepted at Vienna of the broadcast speech by M. Yareslavsky. head of the Godless League, which is directed against the Holy See. M. Yareslavsky boasted that immediately following the Pope’s protest, he caused six large churches to be blown up or otherwise demolished, exclusive of those in country districts. As a still worthier answer to the Catholic provocations, he is preparing to complete the destruction in ten days of all the leading churches in the ten largest cities In the Union. A mesage from Riga sets out a manifesto to workers from the Godless League as follows:—“Dam us as they wish, we will not retract from the road which Lenin showed. The day will come when the Godless workmen of the world will turn the Vatican into a museum, and erect the Pope’s effigy beside that of the Siberian witchdoctor as a monument to a Papal swindle.”

“IMPUDENT CLUMSY FORGERY.” LORD BIRKENHEAD’S OPINION. (United Press Association—By Electrlo Telegraph.—Copyright t.) (Received February 21, 7.20 p.m.) LONDON, February 20. In the House of Lords, Lord Birkenhead denounced as an “impudent clumsy forgery,” the reported declaration by the Metropolitan of the Russian Church to the effect that there was no religious persecution in that country.