Evening star., 1943-05-15

A Stockholm dispatch to Religi
on The basis of information from a
recent contact with Germany, that
propaganda for the Nazi religion
has been stopped. In particular
the so-called German Christians
who preach perverted form OF re-
ligious doctrine embracing Nazl
blood and race theories, have been
deprived of the privilege of carry
ing on propaganda, especially
through books and newspapers.
The Nazi Christians are still per-
mitted to conduct services and they
remain an important element on the
home front, according to the Stock
holm informant. But the fact that
the Nazis have eliminated their
propaganda activities, which the
German churches have fought Bit
terly, represents an attempt to con-
ciliate religious leaders.
Another development along the
same line, according to this report
is the decrease in the number OF
killings of hopelessly sick, tubercu-
lar, or insane persons, following q
recent protest by leaders of the Ro-
man Catholic Church against
euthanasia. This is the first time
that the Nazis have paid any at
tention to church protests against
the practice of euthanasia.
During March Religious News
Service received two reports which
fit into the same appeasement pat
tern.
One was that Minister of Propa-
ganda Joseph Goebbels had visited
st. Hedwig's Roman Catholic Ca
thedral in Berlin after 1t had been
destroyed during an RAF raid, and
had given provisional" promise
that the cupola would be rebuilt.
The incident was most unusual,
since the shrewd propaganda min
lister is not in the habit of visiting
churches; he is usually out to liqui-
date them. Also, bombed churches
in Germany are not generally al
lowed to be rebuilt during the war.
Religious Messages.
Another report said the Nazis
are making concessions to the
Christian faith by permitting re-
ligious messages to be published in
newspapers. One such message,
published in the Berlin Deutsche
Allgemeine Zeitung, said In part
Death and faith belong together
Faith means to accept the
supernatural and rational aspects
OF life. Christian faith gives the
certainty that the dear ones whom
we have to give up will enter the
house Of God through the grace
Of salvation, that they are not con-
demned to an ineluctable end, but
that in the vision Of God they are
given new and higher glory"
A priest or minister might have
written this paragraph.
Also part Of the appeasement pic
ture is the permission granted by
the government to q delegation OF
German Catholic bishops to visit the
Vatican. where the prelates arrived
late last week. If the Nazis had
wanted to prevent the bishops from
seeing the Pope, they could have
done so by refusing them permission
to leave the country.
However, no other significance is
believed attached to the current
visit of the bishops. It Is regarded
as a routine visit, as demanded by
canon law, which prescribes that
bishops must report at the Vatican
every five years. Under a schedule
set up in 1911, certain years are
designated during which the bishops
OF the various countries must make
their reports. 1t so happens that
under this arrangement the bishops
OF Germany are due to visit the
Pope this year, the last visit having
been made in 1888, before the out
break Of the war.
At the moment the Germans are
making huge effort to control the
churches OF the Baltic countries
Latest information discloses that
German-appointed bishops, metro
politans and archimandrites in Fin
land, Lithuania and Estonia are
using church pulpits to promote
Nazi teachings and are replacing
gospel preaching by eulogies of Hit
Ter and other German leaders
Their sermons are invariably quoted
by Nazi-controlled Baltic newspapers
and broadcast over the radio.
Many Baltic clergymen are refus-
ing to convert their services to prop
aganda purposes, but they are being
constantly intimidated, and the
number of resitants is diminishing
daily.
Women in Uniform.
Newest concern of American
church groups is the religious well
fare OF women in uniform.
1t was announced this week that
the United Council of Church Wom-
en- has appointed a special commit
tee to explore the problem, and that