Evening star., 1946-12-22
By John p. Mcknight

ing on p report OF an appeal OF
Spanish Protestants for world aid
: to help ease Spain's restrictive re.
ligious laws, told the Associated
Press that the laws, indeed, were
quite severe"
While he made 1t clear that the
Roman church desired continuance
of its position as Spain's state re-
ligion, he permitted the inference
that the Holy See would not op-
pose-even If 1t never would pro-
pose-changes in the Franco re-
gime's legislation to give Protes-
tants more freedom of worship.
Naturally" this prelate said, "the
church holds to its dogmatic posi-
ton that the Catholic church is
the only true church, based on di-
vine revelation, and hence that all
other cults are necessarily in error.
However, in recent times, the
church has found it practically pos
sible to get along very well in coun-
tries which do not stipulate-as does
Spain-that Catholicism is the state
religion, and the only religion.
"A notable example is the United
States, where, with establishment
of state religion specifically barred
and freedom Of worship guaranteed
by the Constitution, Catholicism has
made marked advances.
(Pope Plus made much the same
point in an address October 6 when
while he reasserted that the church
had as its foundation "the truth
of the faith infallibly revealed by
God" so that anything opposed to
this truth is necessarily in error, y
he nevertheless declared "a political,
civil and social tolerance toward the
followers Of other faiths > . even
for Catholics a moral duty.")
The Vatican prelate-who de-
clared Spanish religious legislation
enacted since the end of the civil
war was the work of the Spanish
state, neither inspired nor imposed
by the Holy See-contended that
the Spanish laws were more rigid In
the letter than in the application.
However, he conceded that their
enforcement varied from time to
time, as Spanish officialdom was
more or less tolerant Of other faiths.
On most of the 1--WE specific points
made In the Protestants' appeal, the
prelate pleaded lack Of specific
knowledge of actual conditions in
Spain.
As to the Protestants' appeal for
the right to do missionary work
presumably in Spain-the prelate
said In effect that this the Roman
church would vigorously oppose.
Asked In Madrid for comment on
the appeal, the Spanish Foreign
Minister offered a series of reports
on Protestant activities in Spain
consisting Of:
1. An order issued November r.
1945, by Interior Minister Bias
Perez, permitting the opening OF
Protestant churches. The order pro-
vides that all services must be held
indoors and that special permission
for each church must be granted by
the civil governor of the province.
2. An authorization dated April
l, 1s39-the official date of Frances
victory in the civil war-permitting
resumption of Protestant services
generally.
3. An authorization dated July IL
1898, while the civil war was still il
progress, for reopening of a Protes-
tant church in Malaga.
4. An authorization dated Sep.
tember 26, 1916, for the opening oi
a synagogue in Madrid ito replace
one which disappeared"
S. A list of SO churches, 6 schools
8 bookstores and publishing house
of different Protestant denomina.
tions, with total estimates of $500
churchgoers and 1,100 students. The
list of churches does not include
Barcelona.
6. The following note: with re
spect to these reports, 1t should b.
noted that only those churches o.
chapels are included of whose oper
alton following the liberation
Franco's victory there is certain
news. Therefore, there is no not
of those others which for any rea
son suspended their activities
although this omission natural.
does not necessarily mean that the.
remain closed. Certainly they hav'
for the most part resumed thei
activities, especially after the orde
of the Interior Ministry. (of No
vember IL, 1945)."
No Books Since Civil War.
A spokesman for the publishing
house mentioned in the Foreigl
Ministry's report, Editorial Espanol
said his firm had issued no re
ligious works of any kind since tn
civil war. Owned by Seventh-Da,
Adventists, it receives some religion
literature from America and dis
tributes it In Spain.
A high official of the Catholi
Action, nationwide lay organization
of the Roman Catholic Church, said
Spain believes Protestant propa
ganda damaging to the religious LIT
of the country" because:
/. 1t tends to divide the nation
religious unity.
2. Spaniards do not believe re
ligious truth can be found in tn
diversity of sects characteristic o
professionalism, and
8. For this reason the Spaniar'
who loses his Catholic faith is likel
to become an unbeliever rather thai
a Protestant.
Censorship of literature, he add
~.