Evening star., 1947-08-28


AS their chosen leader Your Excel.
lency seeks to enlist and cement the
Cooperation of every force and
power which can help to accomplish
this task. No one more than we
will hope for its success and for the
happy achievement of the goal
We pledge our resources and earn
estly beg Gods assistance.
What is proposed is to ensure the
foundations of lasting peace
among nations. 1t were indeed fu-
tile to promise long life to any
building erected on shifting sands
or a cracked and crumbling base
The foundations, we know. of such
peace tthe truth finds expression
once again in the letter of Your Ex-
cellency) can be secure only If they
rest on bedrock faith in the one true
God, the Creator of all men. 1t
was He, who, of necessity. assigned
mans purpose in life. It is from
Him, with consequent necessity,
that man derives personal impre-
scriptible rights to pursue that pur-
pose and to be unhindered in the
attainment of it.
Society of Divine Origin.
Civic society is also of Divine or
igin and indicated by nature itself
out it is subsequent to man and
meant to be means to defend him
ard to help him in the legitimate
exercise of his God-given rights.
Once the state to the exclusion. of
:, God makes itself the source of the
rights of the human person, man is
forthwith reduced to the condition
of slave or mere civic commod-
ity to be exploited for the selfish
aims of group that happens to
have power. The order of God is
overturned and history surely makes
it clear to those who wish to read
that the inevitable result in the
subversion of order between peoples
is war. The task then before the
friends of peace is clear.
Is Your Excellency oversanguine
| in hoping to find men throughout
the world ready to cooperate for
such worthy enterprise? We
think not. Truth has lost none of
its power to rally to its cause the
most enlightened minds and noblest
spirits. Their ardour: is fed by the
flame Of righteous freedom strug-
Cling to break through injustice
and lying. But those who possess
the truth must be conscientious to
define 1t clearly when its foes clev-
erly distort it; bold to defend it
and generous enough to set the
course of their lives both national
and personal by its dictates. This
will require moreover correcting not
few alterations. Social injustices,
racial injustices and religious ami
mosities exist today among men and
groups who boast of Christian civil
ization. And they are a very use:
full and often effective weapon in
the hands of those who are bent on
destroying all the good which that
civilization has brought to men, It
is for all sincere lovers of the great
human family to unite in wrestling
those weapons from hostile hands.
With that union will come hope
that the enemies of God and free
men will not prevail
Cooperation Promised.
Certainly your excellency and
all defenders of the rights of the
human person will find wholeheart-
ed cooperation from Gods church,
faithful custodian of eternal truth
and loving mother of all. From
her foundation almost 1000 years
ago she has championed the indi-
vidual against despotic rule, the
labouring man against oppression.
religion against persecution. Her
divinely given mission often brings
her into conflict with the powers
Of evil whose sole strength is in
their physical force and brutalized
spirit and her leaders are sent into
exile or cast into prison or die un-
der torture.
This is history of today, but the
church is unafraid. She cannot
compromise with an avowed enemy
of God. She must continue to
teach the first and greatest COM
mandment incumbent on every
man: Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with thy whole heart, with
thy whole soul, with all thy
strength" And the second like
unto the first: Thou shalt love
thy neiehbor as thyself" It is her
changeless message that mans first
duty Is to God, then to his fellow
man, that that man serves his
country best who serves his God
most faithfully, that the country
that would shackle the word of
God, given to men through Jesus
Christ, helps not at all the lasting
peace of the world. In striving with
all the resources at her power to
bring men and nations to a clear
realization of their duty to God,
the church will 90 on, as she has
always done, to offer the most eff
fective contribution to the worlds
peace and mans eternal salvation.
FS dlC pACnSCN tlldG tllC lCUVCl VI
your excellency has given us the
opportunity of saying a word of
encouragement for all those who are
gravely intent on buttressine the
fragile structure of peace until its
foundations can be more firmly and
wisely established. The munificent
charity shown by the American peo-
pie to the suffering and oppressed
in every part of the world, truly
worthy of the finest Christian ira
ditions, is fair token of their
sincere desire for universal peace
and prosperity. The vast ajority
of the peoples of the world, we feel
sure. share that desire. even In
countries where free expression is
smothered. God grant their forces
may be united toward its realiza-
ton. There is no room for discour-
asement or for relaxing Of their
efforts under the gracious and mer-
ciful providence of God, the Father
OF all that is good and holy, and
justice will in the end prevail.
Let us assure your excellency of
our cordial welcome to Mr.. Taylor.
your personal representative, on his
return to Rome; and we are happy
tn rorATry