Evening star., 1939-02-10

slovak September crisis caused Pope
Plus especial concern in 1888.
He conducted strenuous series
of audiences, prayers, speeches and
appeals for international and racial
understandings.
In a long address December IA,
1887 at secret consistory in which
he elevated five new cardinals to the
purple, he said he saw what great
damage had been caused in the Far
East to heralds of the gospel and
f1ourishing Christian communities.
Looking toward Europe" the holy
father said, I'VE see with no less
sadness the impious and atrocious
things which are being perpetrated
in Russia and which are being pre-
pared to the danger of Christian life
in Germany"
To % cardinals who gathered to
offer him Christmas greetings he
said he was saddened "by religious
persecution in Germany such as
there has rarely been" At New
Year, however, he exchanged greet
ings with Chancellor Hitler.
In March, 1898, he made two ap-
peals to Spanish Insurgent Gen
eralissimo Francisco Franco to use
moderation in the air bombing of
civilian populations in the Spanish
conflict. He repeated the pleas in
June and Franco sent the pontiff
promises ito limit the victims and
suffering of war" Afterward he
commended the general for the no
BILE promises" He appealed to the
Japanese government to spare Chi
nese noncombatants and received
the reply the appeal would be treated
with consideration and difference"
The pontiff was at his summer
home when Chancellor Hitler made
visit of state to Rome in May, but
the pope's mention of another
cross" referring to the Nazi swas-
tika, during the visit drew sharp
criticism from Premier Mussolini's
newspaper.
Differences arose also over the
italian Fascist doctrine that Jews
do not belong to the Italian race"
The Pope linked the italian doctrine
with the German racial policy and,
on July 20, took direct issue with
Premier Mussolini.
His remarks drew fire in the Ger
man press. Fascist papers assailed
his stand. For time reports told of
fears of break between the Vatican
and Italy.
Had q High Sense
OF the Dramatic.
Plus XII had the sense of the dra-
matte developed to a high degree.
His mass Of expiation for the anti
religious campaign in Soviet Russia,
said by himself in st. Peters on
March 10. $780, he turned into q
solemn protest which echoed through
out the Christian world.
In similar vein he called upon the
world to pray for Mexican Catholics
when the hierarchy of that republic
withdrew the priests from the
churches in 1925 as a protest against
suddenly enforced constitutional reg
ulations. The controversy famed into
open revolt a year later when the
government deported all Mexican
bishops, but Pope Plus frowned upon
attempts to organize a Catholic boy
colt, ordered the priests to stay out
Of politics and forbade them to take
up arms.
Prayer and protest was the watch
word of the Vatican throughout the
three years dispute and when finally
the clergy returned to their parishes,
they went back under iberalized
Interpretation of the laws of the land.
In another dramatic incident Pope
Plus focused upon himself the at
tention of educators in all lands. This
happened when he issued his encycli-
cal ION the Christian Education Of
Youth" It was the first encyclical
to be issued in modern languages, as
well as in the traditional Latin.
It was lengthy document and its
condemnation of co-education, for
one thing, caused considerable reper-
cussion in the United States. So, too.
did its broad implication that Roman
Catholic children and youths should
be educated in none but church
schools.
Drama, In fact, marked the reign
Of Plus Il from ths very beginning,