Evening star., 1939-01-09
Archbishop Cur|ey
And Spanish Envoy
In Neutrality Row
Church Leader AssuiIs
Ambassadors Bid
To Visit Country

country should preserve strict neu-
trality in the Spanish civil war OF
lift its embargo in favor of the 10y
alist side.
Spanish Ambassador Fernando de
los Rios and Archbishop Michael j
Curley of Baltimore became en-
broiled in the vocal conflict when the
Ambassador invited Catholic leaders
to go and see how the Loyalist gov
ernment is protecting" the church
and the archbishop denounced his
invitation as base and fraudulent
trickery.'
Archbishop Curley supports the
aims of the Keep the Spanish EN-
barge Committee" one of two Or
CARNATIONS representing opposite
viewpoints on the embargo question
which are sponsoring mass meetings
here today.
The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Fulton j
Sheen of Catholic University is one
OF four speakers scheduled to ad-
dress the Keep the Spanish En-
barge Committee" mass meeting in
Constitution Hall at 8:15 tonight
Action Up to Congress.
Opposite viewpoints were to be
aired at sessions of the National
Conference to Lift the Embargo
Against the Spanish Republic
scheduled to begin in Almas Temple
at 1:30 pm. DR.. Oscar E. Maurer
moderator of the General Council of
Congregational Churches, heads the
list of speakers.
Action on the controversial issue
Is up to Congress, which in 1887
passed a special resolution establish
ing the embargo on shipment of
arms or war materials to either side
In the Spanish conflict.
More than 300 delegates to the
Lift the Embargo" Conference spent
the morning canvassing Senators
and Representatives in an effort to
sound out their sentiment on the
embargo. Most of the legislators
remained nOn-commital.
After making the canvass, the
delegates gathered on the main
steps of the Capitol to be photo
graphed A number of Capitol
police were on hand to keep order,
but except for directing traffic they
had little to do When a bullet
riddled ambulance donated to the
loyalist supporters was brought up
to the steps, the police sent it off
the grounds.
Archbishop Curley was among
prominent American Catholics who
have accused Loyalist Spain of per-
scouting the Catholic Church, who
were invited by the Spanish Am
bassador to visit Spain and investi-
gate conditions for themselves.
Denying the charges of perse-
cution, the Ambassador said re-
ligious tolerance and freedom of
worship were fundamental principles
of the Spanish Republic written
into its constitution and recently
enunciated once more in the "Thir-
teen War Aims as expressed by
DR.. Juan Negrin, the Prime Minis
ter.
Put on Guard, He Says.
First hand information from OBJ
servant travellers recently returned
from an extended tour of Spain"
Archbishop Curley countered, "and
other wholly reliable reports, put me
on my guard against the sham and
trickery behind Senor de los Rios
invitation"
In addition to Archbishop Curley,
those invited to visit Spain by Senor
de los Rios were the Right Rev.
Michael j. Ready, general secretary
Of the National Catholic Welfare
Conference; Msgr. Sheen, Ellery
SedgeWick, retired editor of the At
lantic Monthly, and former Gov.
Alfred E, Smith of New York, who
recently signed a press statement
charging the Loyalists are persecut-
Ing the Catholic Church.
The Ambassador said American
Catholic representatives would re-
ceive every freedom and facility to
investigate their accusations. He
also suggested they visit rebel ter
ritory, where he said he believed
they would find in control the people
and political tendencies responsible
for the persecution of Jews in Ger
many and Italy and of Catholics in
Germany and Austria.
He admitted that in the first pc
riod of the war, due to the weaken
ing of the government and police
authority. unauthorized persons and
groups committed acts of violence
against the church and persons con-
nected with it. He said these events
ceased early in 1887 and since then
the church has received protection
wherever Loyalist authority. exists.
Relations With Vatican Told.
The Ambassador added that the
toyalist government has never sew
cred its relations with the Vatican
and after the first difficult months
of the war there was an apostolic
vicar. More recently, he pointed
out, Prof. Jesus Bellido y Golferich,
dean of the Barcelona University
School of Medicine and devout
Catholic, was appointed commits
sioner of cults to safeguard the in
terests of the Catholic Church and
to act as liaison officer between the
government and church authorities
Throughout Loyalist Spain, he
added. mass is being said regularly
and churches are being reopened.
He concluded by saying he would
be glad to discuss the matter with
prominent Catholics in Washington.
In his countering statement Arch
bishop Curley said:
Il refuse to be duped by alleged
religious ceremonies especially staged
for the benefit of visitors; nor have
I any desire to make a guided tour
which follows an itinerary, serpen-
tine in fact and metaphor, designed
to pass by one open church and pass
over dozens, the while the party
walks on ground still wet with the
blood of hundreds of priests and
nuns.
"If Senor de los Rois' gesture is