Evening star., 1939-02-11
Hitler Paper Calls
On Cardinals 10
Pick Pro-Nazi Pope
Holds Plus Incapable
Of Understanding
VitoI Needs
By WALLACE R. DEUEL.,

Chicago Daily News Foreisn Correspondent
BERLIN. Feb. II (by Radio).- -
The Voelkischer Beobachter, Chan
cellor Hitler's paper, today calls upon
the College of Cardinals to elect q
new Pope who will be more ac-
ceptable to national Socialism and
Fascism than Plus XII was.
Under the late Pope's rule the
Vatican was incapable of under
standing the historical greatness of
these national movements and the
vital needs of the nations Of Central
Europe" today's article declares.
"The same lack of perception was
manifest In connections which the
Vatican maintained on tactical
grounds with organizations and
projects which are anti-religious and
anti-church in their whole natures.
1T will now be the business of
the College of Cardinals to draw the
necessary conclusions from the ex-
periences and failures of the past
decade and to take these into ac-
count in electing successor to
Plus"
Aggressive Politically.
The Voelkischer Beobachter en-
titles its article, which it publishes
prominently on its front page, "A Po-
litical Pope and says that Plus was
move active and more aggressive
politically than any other Pope had
been since Leo XIII.
THE question may be asked
today's article says, whether the
extraordinary political activity Of
this Pope was to be attributed pri-
marily to his own personal character
or whether he was a plant in the
hands of his advisers. This question
has only academic interest, how
ever, because by the character and
constitution of the Catholic Church
the Pope is an unlimited autocrat
and is responsible for everything
which happens under his pontificate.
I'm recent years the impression
was often given that the aging Plus
was considerably more obstinate in
the pursuit of his objectives than
sometimes may have seemed oppor-
tune to his collaborators."
The writer goes on to cite as ex-
amples of Plus political activity,
his conclusion of the Lateran treat
les with Premier Benito Mussolini,
his efforts to bring about better re-
lations with France, his attempts
to improve the position Of the church
and religion in general in Russia,
and his cultivation of good rela-
tions with the United States.
Fought for Old Claims.
"The special political character
istics of this pontificate, however,
were those encyclical pastoral let
ters which fought for the old claim
of the Roman Church to position
of superiority in power over the
state" today's article goes on. "This
policy in connection with the ac-
tivities of Catholic Action which
increased greatly under Plus, neces-
sarily brought the Vatican into con-
flict with modern racial movements
which arose out Of the devastated
UdItlcllClQS Va SClACA al EuAOHC.
Neither German National Social
ism nor italian Fascism could allow
a supernatural power like the
papacy to attack and interfere in
those fields of national life which
by natural law are reserved to the
leadership of the state which en-
bodies the national community of
people.
"The education of youth and racial
legislation are the bulwark Of re-
sistance on which the political am
bition of Plus broke. Obstinate in
sistence upon such political effort
without regard to the failures
which soon became obvious-can be
explained only on the ground that
the Vatican was incapable of un-
derstanding the greatness of these
national movements and vital needs
OF the nations of Central Europe"
Copyright, 1899, BY ChicaEo Daily News,