The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-10
Catholic Thought And Opinion
By REV. JOSEPH F. DONNELLY

dent of the country was ordered 10 trample the Cross underfoot once each year and a price was set on the heads of all Christians both native and foreign.
 The Protestant historian Ramp fer calls this persecution the worst in all history. Over 100000 are kLown to have suffered martyrdom. Missionaries were horribly tortured and the residents of ten houses next to that in which any priest was found were put to death. Then for 200 years Japan was closed to the Church.
 WITHOUT PRIESTS
 OR SACRAMENTS
 Part two of the story of Chris tianity in Japan though scanty in achievement, has a most dramatic introduction. About the middle of the nineteenth century the mys- terious empire" which had cut it, self off from intercourse with otn- CT nations, began once more to have dealings with them and mission aries were grudgingly allowed to open church in some of the ports.
 It was the seventeenth of March in 1865. In the port of Nagasaki, Father Petitjean was disconsolate- ly praying in the little church he had erected. To his surprise three native women, the first ever to come there, entered the church. Timidly they came towards him and asked: Have you a Pope? Do you pray to the Virgin Mary? Are you married?" When he had re- piled satisfactorily to their ques- tions one of them said Then you are Christian like ourselves" Then she disclosed that 50,000 of them had kept the faith without priests or sacraments, and passed 1t from generation to generation through two centuries of persecution.
 THE SECOND PLANTING
 In 1889 religious liberty was rec ognized in Japan's new constitu- tion and in 1891 the Archdiocese of Tokio was established. The new growth of the Church, however, has been exceedingly slow and today Japan has but 100000 Catholics in a population of 70,0O0,000.
 The influence of Christianity there is exceedingly slight. Catholic education is almost impossible in face of the absolute control of state education, and from the very be- ginning young minds are poisoned against the Church. So true is this that it is said that, Excepting only the Turks, they are the hardest people in the world to convert" But once converted they m ak e splendid Catholics as the great army of early martyrs testifies.
 THE CHURCH IN
 ASIA'S "NEW ORDER"
 Under the control of violent militaristic group, the Samurai whose code of honor and loyalty demands stoical endurance and scorn of danger and death, Japan is marching toward her "new or der" If achieved, for what could the Church hope?
 Essentially pagan nation for all her engrafted civilization, and with official contempt for Christianity, Japan with conquest would be com- pletely released from obligation to the feelings of Christian nations. So while today tolerance toward Catholicism both in Japan and in the colonies is the policy of the government, the future is unknown but not hopeful.
 Success for Japan in the Far East will have at best negative results for the Faith; at worst, it may give rise to ruthless persecution of a religion for which Japan has now only contempt. Marching with the armies of Japan is a horrible threat to all Christianity in the Orient.