Evening star., 1941-08-30

| RGneTdllZ6 100 nucn 1fOIn UTle lew
facts which we know beyond ques-
ton.
The following answers may be
made with reasonable certainty to
the sort of questions I have posed.
The church situation is bad. 1t Is
distinctly not better because of the
war. The number of pastors in con-
centration camps has steadily in
creased; although no one can say
exactly how many there are. One
recent arrival with unusual sources
of information tells me that there
are 90 in one camp where mutual
acquaintance is imprisoned.
Well over so per cent of all pas
tors are in the army. leaving more
than half of the parish churches
without trained leadership. Among
the pastors known to be in the ranks
of the confessional churchmen-
those Protestants opposed to Hitler
ism in the church-about rs per cent
have been pulled out of their par
ishes for war service. About 80 per
cent of all religious publications
have been suppressed. The Y. M. C..
AS in large centers have been closed
In some areas no church collections
are permitted. All Christian Science
churches have been suppressed.
Catholic nuns and monks, thrown
out of their institutions, have been
compelled to work in factories and
Offices.
The opposition continues, Of
course. But there are not many
ways in which it can be openly man
ifested, particularly in war time.
The most dramatic Catholic pro-
test-and the first official one since
the war began-came out of Fulda in
early July in the form of a letter
composed by the bishops meeting at
the grave of st. Boniface, English
born missionary to Germany who
was martyred in the eighth century
The letter began with warm praise
for the heroic attitude of the SOL
diers and stressed the sacrifices
which have been made by church
leaders and people in the war. 1t
evidenced Catholic support for the
Nation in its perils, but indicated
strong resentment against the thesis
of NaZi leaders that Germans must
choose between Christ and the
Fatherland." 1t assailed the steps
taken by the Nazis against the
church by interference with all edu-
cation-even including the kinder
garten-through the destruction of
the Catholic press, through the
confiscation of numerous Catholic
institutions, through subtle efforts
to compromise the faith of Chris
tians.
Planned Resistance.
No similarly dramatic act has
characterized the conduct of the
Evangelical opposition in recent
months. But there are evidences
of steady and planned resistance.
One proof is the ordination some
months ago of so Confessional
clergymen in the Rhineland whose
training had been carried on out
side of the official theological semi
naries-most of which are closed
and all of which are Nazi-dominated.
1t is noteworthy that in all of
the theological schools officially
listed there were last fall only 80
students registered in the entering
classes where normally there should
have been over 600 to supply the
usual requirements in the minis
terial leadership of the Evangelical
churches. For the training of can
didates outside the official schools
money is needed and about $4,000
marks per month have been given
in the Rhineland for that purpose
at a risk which Americans cannot
easily imagine.
Protestants, led by the venerable
DR.. Van Bodelschwingh, who was
for a brief period Reichsbishop of
the Evangelical church, have pre-
tested against the state killing Of