Evening star., 1941-10-02

The tert OF statement by the
Req Edmund A. Walsh, S. j.. rice
president OF Georgetown Uniuer-
situ, on President RooSeuelts
statement on religious freedom in
Russia tollotos'
The Presidents statement on re-
ligious liberty in Soviet Russia can
be made to serve a very useful pur-
pose at this critical time. 1t brings
out into the light of day an ex-
tremely important issue now divid-
ing the mind and conscience of mil
lions of devoted American citizens.
Properly and courageously devel-
oped, President Roosevelt's present
attitude can serve the cause of ma
tional unity to very marked degree
and by the same token the problem
raised on the Presidents own initia-
tive can result disastrously If not
faced honestly and courageously.
There is more at stake than
reaches the eye if one only reads
Article 124 of the present Soviet con-
stitution. That guarantee, like so
much of formal legislation in the
Soviet state, must be analyzed and
interpreted in the light of the reali-
ties, not by letter only.
It must be remembered that the
constitutional paragraph cited by
the President guarantees nothing
but hollow shell of religious free
dom by permitting the exercise of
certain religious ceremonials or rites
(otpravlyeniya religioznykh kultoV.
This is interpreted to mean that a
Catholic, a Protestant or Jew may
do anything that he pleases within
certain rigidly prescribed localities
IN which these religious "superstl-
tions" are declared to be of no con-
Germ to an avowedly atheistic gov
ernment.
Many Functions Forbidden.
But he cannot exercise some of
the most important functions Of
religious freedom. He cannot de-
fend his religion publicly by means
of freedom of the press, freedom
of assembly, by public teaching OF
religion, by use of the radio, the
cinema and those other accessories
without which guarantee of inner
belief becomes an external mockery.
| But that same article 124 does guar
antee full freedom of public, un-
/ limited and even official anti-re-
ligious propaganda for purposes of
eliminating the very concept OF
Deity from the minds of Soviet
citizens.
The guarantee contained in ar
! ticle 124 is for the Association OF the
Goddess and similar militant socie-
ties who have utilized it to deluge
the country with very obscene
anti-religious propaganda. In addi-
ton, the state itself in its educa-
tional system openly and officially
teaches outright atheism as state
doctrine. The record, in this re-
Spect, is an open book and the So
Wet government itself has published
official textbooks instructing its
| teachers how to combat "supersti-
ton" This seeming contradiction
with article 124 is wholly in keep
ing with Soviet jurisprudence.
Students of Russian constitutional
law are fully aware that the text of
the constitution is the least impor-
tant among the legal instruments
That same constitution In Article 81
provides: Decisions and orders OF
the Council of Peoples Commissars
of the U. S. S. R. have obligatory
force and must be carried out
throughout the entire territory of
the U. S. S. r."
Following this pattern, the Soviet
government issues from time to time
the most drastic executive DEGREES
designed to strangle religion in every
external manifestation. The most
notable of these is the decree OF
April 8. 1929, some 5000 words in
length, which is still in force as the
most comprehensive network of dis
criminatory legislation ever devised
by frankly atheistic government.
In virtue of this and similar de-
crees (Which rarely come to the
attention of the outside world, 1t i;
forbidden to teach religion to
children under Is year of age, who
are also forbidden to participate
even in the restricted religious rites
and worship mentioned in Article
124 of the constitution.
Catholic Clergy Annihilated.
BY means of these executive de-
crees, teachers of religion, priests
and laymen alike. have been ar
rested and executed or banished te
the concentration camps at S3ov.