Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-02
GASPARR| TAKES
ROLE OF MEDIATOR
IN ITALIAN CRISIS
Cardinal Laying Groundwork
for Negotiations to Avert
New Rift.
POPE HAS HAD NO WORD
IN REPLY TO PROTEST
q. S. Interests Still Involved as
Duce Has Failed as Yet to Act
on X. of C. Fairgrounds.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ROME, June 2-Cardinal Pietro Gas
parri. who as papal secretary OF state
signed the Lateran treaty in 1929, is
believed to have taken hand in the
new crisis in relations between the Vat
lean and the italian government, which
has resulted in dissolution by Premier
Mussolini Off all the Catholic youth
clubs in Italy.
It is understood that the cardinal Is
laying the groundwork for official nego-
tiations to prevent what appears to be
a new parting of the ways between the
church and the state. He is one of
those, it is said. who regard this situa-
ton as one of the gravest in recent
times and threatening both the Lateran
treaty and the concordat between Rome
and the Holy See.
American interests are still involved,
for permission extended unofhcially yes
terday for reopening of Fairgrounds OPP
Grated by the American knights OF CO.
lumbus has not been approved by the
premier Papal Count Edward Hearn,
in charge of the Fairgrounds already
mas filed a protest at the American en-
bassy and now he will urge the Am
bassador to file his own with the Italian
government.
Pontiff Still Awaits Reply.
At noon today the Pontiff had re-
ceived no word from the Italian govern
ment in reply to his note Of protest
regarding the dissolution of the Catholic
societies. Ofncially he is still in the
dark, and actually it is said, he is
ignorant of Mussolini's real intentions.
The decree of dissolution, signed oy
TIE premier on Sunday night, Wnlcn
vas the Pope's seventy-fourth birthday,
did not mention Catholic organizations
specifically, but directed dissolution OF
al societies not actually connected with
the Fascist party.
The Vatican insists that the dissolu-
ZION violated the concordat between the
two governments, but 1t Is eXpecteo
tat until there Is an ofhcal ltailan
st-tement the Vatican state department
nnl refrain from action.
Tb:s is the forty-ninth anniversary
CT the death of Garibaldi, whose troops
fought the papal army and were instru.
mental in making the Pope prisoner
in the Vatican for So years.
Fascist Contention Denied.
The unoficial conversations in which
Cardinal Gasparri is said to be par
ticipating we're undertaken. 1t Is DE-
lieved, because the statesman Is aple 10
talk to Mussolini with some frankness,
partly as a result of their negotiations
concerning the Lateran treaty. Also
there is a sort OF deaolocK IN tne o pnro
matte channels, for neither the POPE
nor Mussolini has received the ac-
credited representatives of the others
government for a month or more.
The Vatican holds that the concordat
was clearly violated by II Duce's action,
inasmuch as Article 43 expressly
recognizes all organizations animated
with the Catholic Action Society 1t IS
further stipulated. however, that they
must be purely religious in purpose and
free from political operations.
The Fascist contention is that the
Catholic clubs have become political,
but the Vatican strongly denies this and
has emphasized their religious charac-
ter by putting them in direct charge OF
bishops. The real seriousness oil the
situation arises from the fact that the
Pope regards the Latern treaty ana
the concordat as inSeparable, while
Mussollni contends one may stand with
out the other.
May Recall Papal Nuncio.
The Latcran treaty. signed On Febru-
AIRY II, 1929, re-eStabllSned the papaI
state under the sovereignty of the Pope
The accompanying concordat, signed at
the same time, defined the relationship
: between the church and the Italian
government
Whatever action the church may
take will be carried out slowly. begin
ming, possibly, with the recall of the
papal nuncio to Rome. Vatican au-
thorities believe that when Mussolini
realizes that the Pope is prepared to
go to any limits he will think twice be-
fore allowing the concordat to. fall.
Much of Fascism's strength is founded
on its success in harmonizing the
church and state and in satisfying the
peoples desire to remain within the
church and to have freedom for all its
ceremonies.
One of the Popes first moves today
was to withdraw his delegate from the
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