Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-16
Italy's Church-State Accord
Is Credited to Compromise


Skill in diplomacy and the spirit OF
is praised by Americans In comment
ing on the settlement reached between
the MusSolini government In italy and
Pope Plus XII. It Is held that previous
agreements were inadequate and did
not clearly define the relations Of the
state and church to the training of
youth. Under the new arrangement
the church is left unhampered In
guarding the spiritual welfare Of those
while anti-Fascists are not to be active
within those organizations, and the
state Is to control athletics and purely
material matters. Satisfaction Is ex-
pressed that an agreement was reached.
The settlement Is credited by the
Chicago Daily News to "tactful diplo-
macy" with recognition that "the con-
troversy. II continued because of meta
physical differences, would have injured
both the Fascist state and the church. %
That paper also comments: Although
the Vatican cannot consistently con-
cede to the Fascist government the
sole and absolute right to mold the
education of the young, recognition by
the government that religious educa-
ton Is function of the church estab-
fishes basis for cooperation between
church and state. Practical difficulties
may be encountered, but these will be
dealt with as they develop. Doubtless
further compromises are contemplated.
There Is much in common between the
Fascist state and the church. Both er11-
Ehasize duty, discipline, loyalty and pa
triotism, and both have opposed and
condemned certain modern tendencies in
government, dress and social life gem
orally"
The difficulties involved are empha-
sized by the Providence Bulletin, with
the statement: Here were two SOW
ereignties existing side by side within
italy, each with its own claim TO do
main in directing the lives OF the
italian people. The Fascist state rec
ornized the rights of the church in
spiritual affairs, while the church rec
oonized the rights of the state in the
physical or material. But there Is
border-line territory between the SOW
ereignties in which each asserted its
superiority, and that was the educa-
ton of the young" The Bulletin con-
cludes: For both church and state
the imperative need for settlement, the
hard pressure of reality--call 1t facts
if YOU will-forced an accommodation
of theory to the demands Of the situ-
alton, and it Is tribute TO the subtle
Diplomatic skill Of the Vatican and
Fascist diplomats that they were able,
bv definition, to settle the insoluble-
at least to bridge the chasm that the
issue had split open--wtthout at the
same time loss Of dignity on the part
of the two protagonists."
at appears to have been Drougnt
about without either MuSsolinl or tne
pope captivating" says the Charlotte
Observer, while the Cincinnati Times
star remarks that long dispute has
been patched up by one OF those pleas
ant agreements that concede victory to
both sides" The Times-Star enlarges
this statement with the comment:
"Some $4,000 Catholic youth clubs are
allowed to reorganize (Which Is what
pope Plus XII wanted. on condition
that they do not engage IN political
can, they never did. On the other
hand. Mussolini would seem to have
won his point by refusing Catholic Ac-
ton a special nag and by requiring the
clubs to abstain from athletics and,
more explicitly, from political activities,
The important fact Is that the TWO
dominant Italian powers, each supreme
In its own field, have buried the
hatchet. The agreement once more per-
mits Italian youth to belong ootn 70
Catholic Action and to the FaScSt
party. IT will be interesting to see now
many exercise the privilege, Tor It Is
upon the compatibility in fact rather
than in word that the harmony OF the
church and state in italy must rest.
''The nub Of the entire controversy
was, and still is, child control, and
whether this has been permanently set
tied remains to be seen," in the tudg-
ment OF the Springfield (Massl Union.
the Scranton Times holds that the
agreement Is proof that diplomacy can
bridge what to some may have looked
IKE an tnsuperable gulf" The Roa-
noke 1ln1e feels that both parties n