Evening star., 1947-08-28
Text of Trumun-Pope Letters

In continuance of the exchange o
views undertaken from time to tim
since their beginning, on Decembe
%, 1889. for the purpose of facilitat
ing parallel endeavors for peace ant
the alienation Of human suffering
I am requesting Mr.. Taylor to return
to Rome and to resume audience
with Your Holiness at such times a
may be found appropriate. Thes'
exchanges have already contributed
profoundly toward a sound and last
Ing peace and to the Strengthening
OF the impelling convictions pursued
by the peoples of the world In thei
quest for a moral world order firml.
established in the life Of nations.
I desire to do everything In m,
power to support and to contribute
to a concert of all the forces striv
ing for a moral world Those force
are in the homes of peaceful ant
law-abiding citizens in every part o.
the world who are exemplifying II
their own lives the principles of th'
good neighbor: The golden rule it.
self. They are on the farms, in tn
factories, mines and little shops il
all parts of the world where th'
principles of free cooperation ant
voluntary association in self-gov
ernment are honored.
These moral aspirat tions are in th'
hearts OF good men the world over
They are in all churches, and II
schools. The war demonstrated tina
all persons. regardless of divergen
religious allegiances, can unite theil
efforts for the preservation and sup
port of the principles of freedom
and morality and justice. They mus
unite their efforts in the cause o.
enduring peace if they are not ont
by one to be weakened and rem
dered impotent at the times OF the1l
great need. They have, individually
and together, the duty to vindicate
by their thoughts and deeds. th'
great hopes for which men fough
! in World War II and the hopes
which today all serious-thinkint
men and women throughout the
world know must be attained.
Tasks Held Formidable.
The tasks now confronting us art
formidable. The conditions tol
meeting the heavy problems of wal
settlement and of new problems still
unsolved are accompanied, by multi.
piled discouragements. Unless the
moral forces of the world now joir
their strength, encouragement must
inevitably deepen, and the strength
and effectiveness which thereby
would be lost by these moral forces
would be gained by those forces
which oppose and seek to destroy
them. The hopes and ideals o1
mankind have often been leopard.
lied by force. They will be jeop.
ardized today by any division OF the
moral forces of the world or by any
refusal TO support and strengthen
the hopes and ideals of all mankind
AS the chosen leader of the people
of the United States am privileged
to pledge full faith to you once
again to work with Your Holiness
and with every agency of good the
world over for an enduring peace
An enduring peace can be built
only upon Christian principles. To
such a consummation we dedicate
all our resources. both spiritual and
material. remembering always that
except the Lord build the house
they labor in vain who build it.
Your Holiness, this is Christian
Nation. More than a half century
ago that declaration was written
into the DEGREES of the highest court
in this land. 1t is not without
significance that the valiant pio-
neers who left Europe to establish
settlements here, at the very begin
ming of their Colonial enterprises,
declared their faith in the Christian
religion and made ample provision
for its practice and for its support
The story of the Christian mission
aries who ir earliest days endured
perils, hardship-even death itself
in carrying the message of Jesus
Christ to untutored savages Is one
that still moves the hearts Of men.
AS a Christian Nation our earnest
desire is to work with men Of good
will everywhere to Danish war and
the causes of war from the world
whose Creator desired that men of
every race-end in every cline should
live together in peace, good will
and mutual trust. Freedom Of con-
science, ordained by the fathers of
our Constitution to all who live un-
der the flag of the United States,
has been a bulwark of national
strength, a source of happiness, from
the establishment of our Nation to
this day.
Renewal of Faith Needed.
I believe that the greatest need
of the world today, fundamental to
all else, is a renewal of faith. I
seek to encourage renewed faith in
the dignity and worth of the human
person in all lands, to the emo that
the individuals sacred rights, in
herent In his relationship to God
and his fellows. will be respected
in every land. We must have faith
in the inevitable triumph of truth
and decency; faith that mankind
shall live in freedom, not in the
chains of untruth nor in the chains
of a collectivist organization of their
lives; faith of such fullness chat
it will energize men and women
everywhere to build with tenacity
the better social world order under
self rule.
The times demand faith that is
strong enough to struggle if need
be for the right, that Is able tc
endure troubles and hardships, at
tack and even contempt from forces
of evil-and able to arise reborn
and revitalized from the daily strug-
gle. Faith leads to hope, to &C.
termination, to trust in the truth anc
the good, and to sustained effort
to create the kind of peace and weN-
being sought by humble men and
women in all lands and which will
ultimately prevail between all ma
tions. Through faith, the purposes
of God shall be carried out in the
hearts and deeds of man I be-
lieve with heartfelt conviction that
those who do not recognize their
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