Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-12
Religious Revolution in Spain.

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has stirred the Spanish people is
graphically and terribly demonstrated
by the latest news from Madrid, Mall
aga, Saragossa, Cordova, Cadiz, Bilbao
and Seville. Anti-religious rioting
spread like wildfire yesterday and Is
apparently stu in progress throughout
the new republic. Churches, monas-
teries and converts have been burned.
Priests and nuns ere being subjected
| to physical maltreatment. Even an
archbishop's home was not considered
sacred, and, like other Roman Catholic
! property marked for demolition by the
kmob, was put to the torch. Ten thou
sand ordained members of religious or
ders, men and women, we're sent fleeing
! for their lives from zones in which
fanaticism secured the upper hand, de-
spite the governments use Of troops
and guns. Catholic property damage
is said already to have reached $30,000,-
900 in extent.
The outside world will be at a loss to
account for this insensate outbreak
against the denomination which is the
national church of Spain. The whole
population adheres to the Roman faith,
barring a relative handful of Profess
tants, Jews and Rationaiists. Spain Is
probably the most exclusively Catholic
country in existence, with the possible
single exception of Italy. Therefore it is
more than possible that the pillaging
mobs engaged In outrages against church
people and church property are recruit
ed to some extent from Catholic ele-
mentS.
II that is so, the only conceivable ex-
PLANTATION Is that Communism, which has
marked all churches as enemies, and the
this new and cruel holy war" in Spain.
The Soviet has officially and repeatedly
branded religion as opium for the peo-
ple." MoScow's avowed purpose Is to
stamp out the worship Of God every
where, no matter In what form it may
be practiced. The Communists have
sworn a special vendetta against the
Church of Rome ever since the Vatican
on its part called upon Catholic faithful
throughout the globe to combat bo.she-
visit teachings tooth and nail.
The Republican regime at Madrid
has been conscious, ever since 1t usurped
power on April IA, that Communism Is
It's foe: Doubtless Provisional President
zamora and his colleagues see the red
hand of the Soviet at work in these
anti-Catholic. depredations. But some
entirely non Communist sentiment may
be responsible for the ferment, too.
The old, constitution of Spain required
the nation to support the clergy and
the property of the church. AS much
as $l2,0o0,oO0 a year has been drawn
from the public treasury for these pur-
poses.
During the tortuous four weeks of the
republic the demand for separation of
church and state has been raised with
mounting eehemence. The expulsion of
the religious orders has been advocated,
and the zamora government is credited
with definite plans to that end. In 1925
there were 1887 religious houses in
Spain, devoted variously to education,
charity, industries. training of priests
and nuns and TO q contemplative life.
The total number of Roman Catholic
individuals entitled under the Rome
Madrid concordat of 1851 to state MAIN
tenance has been upward of $1,000, in
clucing $4,000 nuns.
1t may be that the prevailing crusade,
with its deplorable horrors, is an ex-
preston OF SPANS desire to terminate
the states alliance with the church, as
well as a fresh manifestation of Com
munisn's fiendish warfare on religion
of all creeds.