Evening star., 1932-05-18


struggle against God Himself; they carrv
out the diabolical program of wrestling
from the hearts of all, even from chl!.
dren, all religious sentiment; for well
they know that when once belief IN Coo
has been taken from the heart OF man
kind they will be entirely free to WORK
out their will
Thus we see today what was never
before seen in history-the satanlcai
banners of war against God and against
religion brazenly unfurled to the Wlnos
in The midst of all peoples and In all
parts Of the earth
Declares Hatred Bred.
OF exaggerated nationalism, the
Pontiff said: There is no excess that
will not seem justified.
Abusing this love of country" he
said, leads to> hatred, driving all to
destruction" sacred principles are
trampled upon" and polluted"
Referring to the unequal distribution
Of wealth, he recalled that previously
he had advocated energetically "a more
equitable distribution of the goods OF
the earth" to restore health Ito the
ailing social body"
If we pass in review" he said, "the
long and sorrowful sequence OF woes
that, as a sad heritage Of sin, mark the
stages of fallen mans earthly pill
grimage from the flood on 1t would be
hard to find spiritual and material dis
tress so deep, so universal, as that Whlch
we are now experiencing.
Even the greatest scourges which
have left indehble traces in the lives
and memories of peoples struck only
one nation at a time. Now, on the
contrary, the whole of humanity is held
bound by the financial and economic
crisis SO fast that the more it struggles
the harder appears the task of looSening
its bonds"
Money Is Blamed.
Deplorable as is the present state of
affairs, he said. the root from which
they spring is still more deplorable, If
what the Holy Ghost affirms through
the mouth of st. Paul is ever true" he
said. much more is it true at present:
The desire Of money is the root Of all
evils"
rs it not that lust of earthly goods
that the pagan poet called, with
righteous scorn, the accursed hunger
for gold?'"
The right order of Christian charity,
the Pontifi said, does not disapprove Of
lawful love of country and a senti-
ment of justifable nationalism," but
the abuse of these 'insinuates itself
into the relations between people and
people"
There is no excess" he said, that
will not seem justified. and that which
I.1N THa1 frrfl lie ha
blameworthy by all is now considered
lawful and praiseworthy If 1t is done
in the name of this exaggerated ma
tionalism.
Instead Of the great law of love and
human brotherhood which embraces
and holds in single family all ma
tions and people, with one Father who
is in heaven, there enters hatred, driv-
ing all to destruction. In public life
sacred principles, the guide of all social
intercourse, are trampled upon; the
solid foundations Of right and honesty
on which the state should rest are un-
dermined; polluted and closed are the
sources of those ancient traditions,
which, based ON faith in God and fidel-
ity to His law, secured the true prog
ress OF nations"
Says Atheism Is Widespread.
He pointed out that "impious men"
we're never lacking, but said previously
they had been relatively few and tso-
lated and individual, not caring to re-
veal too openly their iInpious minds.
To-day, on the contrary" he said,
atheism has already spread through
larges masses of the people-well
organized. 1t works its way even into
the common schools. 1t appears in the
theter. In order to spread itself it
makes use of its own cinema films, of
the gramophone and the radio. With
its own presses it prints booklets In
every language. It promotes special
exhibition and public parades. 1t has
formed its own political parties and its
own economic and military systems.
"Disorganized and militant atheism
works untiringly by means of its agita-
tors, with conferences and projections,
with every means Of propaganda, secret
and open, among all classes, In every
street, In every hall.
THE leaders Of this campaign of
atheism. turning to account the present
economic crisis, inquire with diabolic
reasoning into the cause Of this univer-
sal misery.
Modern Imperialism.
"The holy cross of our Lord. symbol
OF humility and poverty, is joined to-
gether with the symbols Of modern I'M
perialism-a as though religion were alive
with those dark powers which produce
such evils among men. Thus they
strive, and not without effect. to COM
bine war against God with mems
struggle for their daily bread, with their
desire to have land Of their own, suit
able wages and a decent dwelling-in
fine. a condition Of life befitting human
beings.
"The most legitimate and necessary
desires, Just as the most brutal in
stincts, everything serves their anti
religious program, as If the order estab-
lished by God stood in contradiction
with the welfare of mankind and were
not, on the contrary. its only sure safe
guard, as II human forces, by means of
modern mechanical power. could COM
bat the divine forces and introduce a
new and better ordering of things"
These assaults, the Pontif said, are
directed not only against the Catholic
religion, but against all who still recog-
nize God as the creator Of heaven and
earth and absolute Lord of all things
The insane hatred" they produce, he
said, produces neither happiness nor
peace for any class Of society, "but will
certainly bring all nations to disaster. u
This, however, he added, is Offset "by
the consoling sight of the generous en-
thusiasm for God on the part Of count
less souls in every quarter Of the world
and in all classes of society"
Penance Declared Cure,