Evening star., 1926-11-25
BISHOP DEFENDS
Church IN MEXICO
Pan-American Mass Speaker
Says Catholics Block Way
to BoIshevism.

Before a brilliant congregation of
most of the pan-American diplomats
and many Federal and local officials,
Bishop William ]. Hafey of Raleigh,
\. c.. acclaimed the Catholic Church
IN Mexico as the barrier to the COM
inuniZation of that country and the
standard bearer Of government as
known in this country against a
bolshevistic regime, at the annual
pan-American mass at St. Patricks
Church this morning.
Leaning forward in the pulpit after
u stirring tribute to the American
form of government and the liberal
ity of the United States Constitu-
tion. Bishop Hafey declared:
The orthodox church In Russia
stood forth as an obstacle to
tyranous so-called form of govern
ment known as Bolshevisin nd that
church was disrupted and despoiled
If II had been Professionalism it
would have been not otherwise
Catholicism is the obstacle to the
same destructive form of sO-cal.ed
government in Mexico, and the
catholic Church likewise must be
banished from the land The religion
Of the people is incidental The is
sue is between a system OF govern
ment as we know it in these United
States, with the same guarantees OF
civil, economic and religious freedom
which we prize so highly, and sys-
fem which eXtinguishes not only the
forms of liberty but the very rights
the inaIienable rights OF man.
Uphold American Ideal.
The real issue is between the boil
sheVistiC ideal and the American Ideal.
That the bishops of Mexico and the
clergy of Mexico and the people or
Mexico have determined, If needs be,
to die for the American ideal is the
reason why we thank God today for
ai~lg up a generation of patriots
and martyrs. They, too, are carry
ing out the prayer of Lincoln, that
that nation, under God, shall have
new birth of freedom, and that gov
ernment of the people, by the people
and for the people may not perish
from the earth.
Tracing the growth of liberty and
self government to the embodiment OF
these principles here in the Constltu-
ton. Bishop Hafey declared:
while we give thanks to God. who
inspired the founders OF this Nation
to build the structure which is found
strong and thriving in this sesqui-
centennial year of its existence, it is
the duty Of every citizen to realize
that eternal vigilance is the price of
liberty. The fathers of the Declara-
tion held that all men are endowed
by their Creator with certain in
alienable rights; that among them are
life. liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness That to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among
men Our fathers braved death for
these inalienable rights.
Invading Mems Rights.
In this our day, evidences are null
tiplying that ideals of equality before
God and the law are being scrapped
FOR unworthy ideals based on caste
and wealth That man is creature
of the state is "a pagan principle try
ing To reasSert itself, while it mOcks
The very idea Of rights as GodgiVen
iualienable. Under the aegiS of
pseudo-reliSiOn wearing the wide
fringeS of the detestable Pharise, the
rights of man are being invaded. The
idea of liberty is derded when fan
atics set out to legislate men into the
state of grace.
The attacks upon the fundamentals
Of our democratic form of govern
ment are sufficiently numerous to re-
call over and over the words of Lin
coin at Gettysburg, 1t is for us, the
living. rather. to be dedicated here to
the unfinished work which they who
fought here have thus far SO nobly
advanced. 1t is rather for US to be
here dedicated to the great task re
naming before us-that from these
hon0red dead we take increased deVo-
zion to that cause for which they gave
the last full measure of devotion; that
we here highly resolve that these dead
shall not have died in vain"
The speaker paid tribute to the
celebration of the seSquiCentennial
of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence at the EucharistIc Con
gTess.
Archbishop Officiates.