Evening star., 1948-01-26
Catholic PreIate Hits
Protestant Group for
Outrageous Charge

A spokesman for the Catholic
Church today lashed back at
charges that Catholic bishops in
the United States are attempting to
subvert religious liberty, as guar
anteed under the Constitution, to
sectarian interest.
The Most Rev. John T. Nc
Nicholas, Archbishop of Cincinnati,
and chairman of the administrative
board Of the National Catholic We'll
fare Conference, described as "an
outrageous indictment" a state
ment issued January IL by an
organization of Protestant clergy
men known as Protestants and
Other Americans United for Sepa-
ration of Church and State.
The manifesto issued by the
Protestant group had stated the
groups opposition to the continued
presence of United States Am
bassador at the Vatican and to
public financial aid for parochial
schools.
Seen Fomenting Dissension.
Archbishop McNicholas' state
ment, titled "The Catholic Church
in American Democracy" described
the manifesto as evidence of its
signers' utter inability to face facts
and to think straight, or an evi-
dence of their simplicity in allow
ing themselves to be used ss
fomentors of religious dissension
at a time when national unity is
of supreme Importance"
ITO say that the hierarchy of
the United States is not wholly. de-
voted to the maintenance of our
Constitution in all its provisions,
and that it is seeking for its own
church advantages and privileges.
is, in plain language, an untruth," :"
the statement declared.
THE Catholic church Is COM
mitted to no form of government, I"
the statement continued. "She gets
on with every government that up
holds the basic freedoms No group
in America is seeking union of
church and state; least of all are
Catholics. We deny absolutely and
without any qualification that the
Catholic bishops of the United
States are seeking a union Of church
and state by any endeavors what
soever, either proximate or remote.
If tomorrow Catholics constituted a
majority in our country, they would
not seek a union of church and
state"
"No Religious Affair"
Speaking of the portion of the
manifesto which demanded "im-
mediate discontinuance of the am
bassadorship to the papal head Of
the Roman Catholic church." the
manifesto said Catholics have
never considered this mission a re-
ligious affair."
president Roosevelt and Presi-
dent Truman have sent personal
representative with the rank OF
ambassador to the Pope, who is at
the same time ruler of a sovereign
state. We send an ambassador to
England where the king at the same
time is head of the established
church. The ambassadors mission
is not to the Church Of England,
but to the British government.
Forty governments throughout the
world have found it to their advan-
tage and to that of peace among
nations to have representatives at
the state of the Vatican"
The manifesto of the Protestant
group called for a reconsideration
of two decisions of the Supreme
Court upholding the use of tax funds
for providing the pupils OF paro-
chial schools with free text books
and for transportation. The mani
festo labeled such public support as
an example of the Catholic church's
long-range purpose to secure total
support for its extensive system OF
parochial schools from the public
treasury thereby subverting the
principle of separation of church
and state.
No Interpretation Bars Funds
Archbishop McNicholas' statemen,
maintained that there is no authori-
tative Interpretation of the First
Amendment which would make Fed
eral support for children attending
other than unsupported schools
unconstitutional. There is no mon
opoly of education, for the public
school system of America, the state
ment declared.
when there is a question of in
terpreting the Constitution we shall
not ask the counsel of Protestants
and Other Americans United for the
Separation of Church and State, "
the statement said. "Our course
will be to study and to consult ex-
perts in the exercise of our con-
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