Evening star., 1948-12-23

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out
Of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers
eye." DUDLEY P. BABCOCK.
Defends Polish Expansion
To the Editor Of The star:
I have read the letter of A. j. App, printed
in The Star of November 26 under the heading,
Catholic View Of Polish Troubles" Since I
am Polish Catholic on my second visit to this
country and since am also member of the
olic interests, should like to make answer to
Mr.. App.
/. The opinion expressed by Mr.. App that
the present Polish German boundary is sup
ported only by the Polish government has no
foundation in fact. All Catholics In Poland,
and we form the overwhelming majority
of the population, are in agreement with the
Polish government without reservation on the
question of the present western frontier of
Poland. We, as Catholics, have expressed
other differences Of opinion with the govern
ment, but never in regard to the new border.
Confirmation of this viewpoint was given in a
recent pastoral letter of the Polish Catholic
bishops, published in the city Of Wroclaw, the
same city whose retention by Poland is being
questioned by Mr.. App.
2. The Poles have returned to the western
territories along the Oder-NeiSse Rivers not
as conquerors, but as people returning again
to land which was theirs long before the Ger
mans started their ruthless drive to the East
resulting in their domination OF Polish soil.
should like to invite Mr.. App to visit Po-
land; should like to 60 with him to the
western territories and show him the many
churches and castles built during the centuries
Of Polish possession, as well as the tombs of
the Polish princes who governed those lands
apd the sarcophaguses of Polish bishops.
should also like to show him the great eco
nomic progress achieved by the Poles since
the end of the war. Mr.. App as we'll as any
other visitor, then could see with his own
eyes to whom these lands rightfully belong
despite German efforts to dominate them and
exterminate the native Polish population.
g. Mr.. App is Of the opinion that the Atlantic
Charter has been violated by the decision
to give this territory to Poland. However, he
seems to have forgotten that the Atlantic
Charter was followed by the Potsdam Decla-
ration, which sanctioned the decision to as
sign this land to Poland, an agreement which
was signed by Truman, Attlee and Stain. Had
Roosevelt been alive, there Is no reason to
doubt that his signature would have been
there as well as that of Churchill, had he been
retained in ofice. believe that Truman
Attlee and Stain, in signing the Potsdam
agreements, did not overlook the principles OF
the Atlantic Charter
Moral Considerations Reviewed.
4. There remains still another aspect of the
m nj H..
olics, namely the moral considerations. I do
no doubt that Mr.. App knows that the Cath
olic philosophy is based on the teachings Of
St. Thomas Aquinas, who acknowledges the
principles of just war. Isn't it perfectly COM
patible with the moral concepts of Christian
ity to undertake steps against the recurrence
Of another German aggression in order to
prevent the slaughter Of millions Of Poles
by the Germans, such as took place during the
last war when the defenseless civilian popu-
lation of Poland and other countries were sent
to the crematoriums of Auschwitz, Dachau
and other concentration camps equally in
famous? In my own immediate family there
were three Catholic priests, two Of whom were
cremated in Dachau. The third somehow
managed to escape and still is alive. This is
not an isolated instance in Poland There is
scarcely Polish family which does not mourn
the loss of one or more of its members,
murdered by the Germans. If Mr.. App had
been in the same position in which actually
was, would he not have undertaken any action
to prevent another German aggression and to
protect the remaining members Of his family?
The surest way of preventing this is to weaken
the forces of German Imperialism and to de-
prive Germany of those territories which al
ways have served as springboards Of aggression.
Love and compassion certainly are admirable
traits. However, there is also the principle OF
Justice The .well-known French Catholic
leader, Frederic Ozanam, being asked the diff
ference between charity and justice, invoked
the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan
who tended to the needs Of the traveller set
upon by bandits. Ozanam referred to the
acts Of the Good Samaritan as charity, but
declared that justice would have prevailed if
lestation by bandits
This parable could be applied to the role
played by the Polish German border in inter-
national relations The Polish Catholics GER
tainly do not intend to be flock Of sheep
patiently awaiting slaughter Mr. App would
do better for the cause of peace If he were
to remind the German Catholics of the moral
obligations which are binding upon all Cath
olics. We can forgive the dreadful sins COM
mitted by the Germans, but no one can ex-
pect us to condone the human attitudes and
territorial conditions in Germany which al
ways have led to the same offenses being
repeated over and over again through the
centuries. DIR. JAN FRANKOWSKI,
Member of the Sejm.
Birth Control Opposed
To the Editor Of The star
read the article in The Star OF December