Evening star., 1949-12-23
PopePiusCa||s
All Christians 10
Catholic Church
YuIe Message Urges
United Fight Against
Militant Atheism
BY The Associoted Press

VATICAN CITY. Dec. 23.-
Pope Plus XII appealed today to
all who believe in Jesus Christ to
unite under the Roman Catholic
church in a solid front against
militant advances OF Atheism.
The Pope's address, his annual
Christmas message, was addressed
to the whole world on the eve Of
the 1850 Holy Year. There seemed
little doubt that the address was
an invitation to all those profess
ing Protestant faiths to join with
the Church OF Rome.
This coming Holy Year. the
pontiff said. must be decisive,
especially for the longed-for re-
ligious renewal of the modern
world"
"Oh, that this Holy Year could
welcome also the great return to
the one true church, awaited over
the centuries. of so many who.
though believing in Jesus Christ,
are for various reasons separated
from her." he said.
With unspeakable groanings,
the spirit, who is in the hearts of
good people, today cries out i'm
ploringly the same prayer of our
Lord: That they may be one.
Unity Appeal Reported.
with good reason. men are anx-
ious about the effrontery with
which the united front of mill
tant atheism advances. and the old
question is now voiced aloud: Why
are there still separations? Why
are there still schisms? When will
all the forces of the spirit and of
love be harmoniously united?
IF. on other occasions. an in
vitation to unity has been sent
forth from this Apostolic See. on
this occasion we repeat it more
warmly and paternally; we feel
that we are urged by the pleadings
and prayers of numerous believers
scattered over the whole earth,
who, after suffering tragic and
painful events, turn their eyes to-
ward this Apostolic See as toward
an anchor of salvation for the
whole world.
For all those who adore Christ
not excluding those who sin
cerely but vainly await his COM
ing and adore him as the one
promised by the prophets and still |
to come-do we open the holy |
door and at the same time wei
extend from the heart of a father
whose fatherhood in the inscru-
table design of God has come
to us from Jesus the redeemer."
The Pope also expressed hope
that those who have been men,
bers of the Roman Catholic
church and have strayed away
would return to the fold like the
prodigal son.
Goods Plan Counterfeited."
Apparently the Pope. in re-
ferring to militant atheism, meant
communism, but he appeared to
refer both to communism and to
the extremes of capitalism when
he said:
''In the social field, the counter
feiting Of Gods plan has gone to
its very roots by deforming the
divine image of man. Instead of
his real, created nature with origin
and destiny in God, there has
been substituted the false notion
of man whose conscience is a law
unto himself. -
IAN outgrowth of this, which
came to WELD increasing power
over long period of years be-
cause of its most varied applica-
tions in public and private life,
was that narrowly individualistic
order which today is in serious
crisis almost everywhere.
But the more recent innovaters
have provided no better results.
Starting from the same mistaken
premises and taking the down.
ward path in another direction,
they have led to no less dis
astrous consequences, including
(See POPE. Page A-4D