Evening star., 1943-11-11

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BY GUNNAR ID. KUMLIEN.
STOCKHOLM, Nov. 1l.-Pope
Plus XII stands today a. symbol
of peace, Since the dramatic days
beginning in September 1899, he has
frankly and impartially worked for
peace.
The little word of peace is now
magical word which contains hope
within the fortress of Europe. While
Fascism is now living corpse" :"
and the House of Savoy has lost
prestige in the eyes of many Italians,
Vatican City still is haven of peace
in the eyes of tremendous numbers
OF Europeans.
German soldiers occupy Rome and
stand guard outside Vatican City.
They have been told the Pope has
powerful armed force-although the
Swiss guards only recently received
live instead of blank ammunition
for their rif1es-and that the Vati-
can IS a den of Jews
Despite this attitude among the
soldiers and although the Nazis have
fostered hate propaganda against
the Catholic Church and have ap-
propriated church property in Ger
many, relations between the Ger
man occupation forces in Rome and
the Catholic Church on the whole
have been correct since the Italian
capitulation.
Relations Harmonious.
This is completely In harmony
with German policy. There WAS
always a German ambassador to the
Vatican and Papal Nuncio IN Bcr-
/ lin. The concordat between the
Reich and the Vatican is Still valid,
at least in form. This is advnn-
tageous to German propaganda
when the NaziS are accused OF re-
ligious persecution.
| l talked with a number OF diplo-
mats at Vatican City and members
of the Swiss guard which is assigned
to defend against attacks, although
the Pope does not want them to
shoot, whatever happens All agree
the Germans have acted correctly
toward the Vatican SO far rs form
is concerned
They all make reservations as TO
what the future situation will be
when Rome becomes fighting zone
The mysterious bombing OF Vatican
a
ing OF dangerous position.
While Germany Is flooded with
antl-Catholic propaganda, there has
been noted religious renaissance
among Catholic German soldiers in
Italy.
Troops Morale Affected.
Superhuman demands are put on
the German soldiers in general and
the unbroken series of defeats which
Germany has suffered for more than
year has had definite influence
on morale among the soldiers.
There is also the influence Of a
black postwar prospect, and more
sensitive Germans suffer from the
depressing feeling that the Germans
have the unpleasant record Of being
the most hated people. This is no.
ticed in a thousand ways and not
only in Italy.
Before the altar in the under
ground church II 81. Francis
Basilica in Assist. I saw German
soldiers and officers kneel and pray.
II was strange 10 see their uniforms
and hear the cEnk OF iron from
their boots echo in the peaceful
church.
Their presence in the church gave
picture of how far Germany has
gone and that the German people
want something different than what
DR.. Goebbels has been preaching in
Das Reich.
monk told me that a high Ger
man officer who holds an important
post in Italy came every Sunday to
Assist to take communion in the
baslllca. Was it just a pose? A
sinners conversion when the dav of
reckoning is nearing? 1t hardly
seems likely when you take into ac-
count how such an action would
compromise his position.
Germans Hear Cardinal.
Some days later I heard Cardinal
Schuster speak in the Milan Cathe-
dral. Among his listeners were
great number of Germans in uni
form 1t was difficult to hear every
word that the aged cardinal said.
for a beautiful Gothic window of
glass was shattered in the cathedral
when bombs exploded in the neigh
borhood and a biting November
wind and roar from the street
echoed lrritatingly in the church.
Only the mighty notes of the organ
and the voices of the choir drowned
out the noise from outside.
The cardinal spoke of peace but
remarked that it could not be OBJ
tanned with simple move like mil
ltary victory or by the signing of
treaty.
He said the foundations of peace
must be sought by digging deep and
that peace was only an empty word
II hate and reprisals decide the
peace treaty.
The word peace" returned again
and again in the cardinals sermon.
What is the Pope's attitude toward
the new turning developments in
the war?
Cardinal Criticized.
1t is evident that Cardinal
Schuster's words at least partly re-
fleet the Pope's attitude, even if the
cardinal earlier was regarded as
having gone too far as an Italian
cardinal and given almost as many
patriotic speeches as a French cardi-
nal" French cardinals have a repu-
tation in the Vatican for being
strongly patriotic-perhaps more pa
riotic than is appropriate for a
cardinal who ought to see politics
from the standpoint of the Catholic
Church.
Pope Plus sees political events from
the church standpoint, although
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