THE VATICAN AND THE UNITED STATES

New Zealand Tablet, 24 February 1921, Page 13

THE VATICAN AND THE UNITED STATES

LEADERS AT r WASHINGTON RECOGNISE DEMAND £" j 4.- __ ,j. t? :-»• iK CT-CT Ti £i AW* *. ryjjiuni> 1/ r ' FOR MORAL LEADERSHIP. V V I i :; ? .The question ;of>. the resumption of relations between the United States and' the Vatican has reached- such a point that it may be accurately said that it is under very serious consideration by political leaders who will be conspicuous in the activities of the next Administration, It IS still too early to predict what may or may not be done, there are many very serious problems to be weighed carefully from a political viewpoint. Nevertheless, the subject is more in the minds of jihose who will have a voice in the direction of national affairs than it has been since formal relations with the Vatican ceased many years ago. The French Precedent. The . action of various countries of Europe in appointmg official representatives to the Vatican, notably that of r ranee, has had the effect of removing many of the misunderstandings that have hitherto existed in relation to the question, and putting it in a clearer light. The spokesmen of the French Government, for example, were careful to explain that the appointment of an official iepresentative to the Holy See was not in any sense a religious move, and would not alter in any degree the relations of Church and State or their activities in their special spheres. It was pointed out, on the contrary, that the question was purely national and that the purpose of maintaining a representative at the Vatican was to expedite the handling of affairs in which both the Pope, as the lead of the Catholic Church, and the Government are interested. The proposal of the French Government was accepted in this light by the French Chamber. , • It 18 from the same point of view that the question is being considered in Washington. The initial move has been maae by those who not only have nothing to do with ecclesiastical affairs but are not even Catholics. It has been pointed out that if relations ‘are to be established n thth mi ' atl . csm lfc " nist bo (loil ° purely as a national move. There is very little doubt that if it should be decided upon the Apostolic Delegate, as -the religions representative of the Pope in his relations with the Church in America, would continue to exercise his functions as at present The activities of a Nuncio would lie in an entirely different field

Moral Leadership Demanded... The possibility that Washington may bo tile meetinoplace of another international gathering to discuss an association of nation* which is reported to be in the mind of 1 resident-elect Harding, has stimulated interest in the question of the resumption of relations with the Vatican It is very definitely intimated in. despatches from Marion that it is Senator Harding's idea that moral leadership must be the fundamental upon which a successful, international body of; this character is to be established He holds as Hie correspondent of the New York Times puts it, that . no association of nations .can succeed without the endorsement of leaders of public thought" in other countries as-well as the United States. From this point of view the position of the Pope is one of commanding importance and his approval of In association of nations which, is to direct by moral rather than military force, international activities would have great weight. If the idea for the proposed association of nations is to be carried out along the lines proposed European nations which have formal relations with the Vatican would raise the question of the Pope's endorsement of any scheme which might be evolved. Such, at .least, is the conclusion reached by 'some of the political leaders in Washington who have interested themselves in this phase of the international problem. - And if -the-Unit^d iV Stater is to take the lead in the formulation, of the broad general principles upon which. the proposed association of nations is to be founded, the assumption is that exchanges of views between the President ami the Vatican^ would be facilitated by the appointment of an ; American... Minister to , the Holy "See without, in any way, transgressing 5 upon the American ideal of complete separation of /Churchl arid ;:• State. The action of France has already poiniJed! the r: way