Evening star., 1950-05-21
Most Catholic Papers
Side With Budenz
After Chavez Attack

orally is taking the side of Louis r.
Budenz against Senator Chavez,
Democrat, of New Mexico. a sur
vey Of the papers shows.
Senator Chavez charged in a
Senate speech on May IL that
Mr.. Budenz was using the Cross
as a club" and as a shield" in
appearing before a Senate in
vestigating committee. He tes-
titled in support of the charges
by Senator Mccarthy, Republican,
of Wisconsin, that Owen Latti-
more, Johns Hopkins University
expert on Far Eastern affairs,
was a Communist and Soviet
agent.
Mr.. baltimore has vehemently
denied the accusations.
Senator Chavez, himself
Catholic, denounced Mr.. Budenz
as publicity seeker who "adver-
tised his conversion to Catholi-
cism" and was seeking ito smear
the United States Government,
its officials and its policies"
One Paper Criticizes Mccarthy
Most of the Catholic papers de-
fend Mr.. Budenz and are critical
of Senator Chavez. One criticized
Senator Mccarthy severely. The
Catholic Review of the Washing
ton archdiocese made no comment
in its current issue.
The Catholic Virginian of Rich
mond, usually conservative in ex-
preston, said:
Zone can understand why some
Americans would question the ad-
visibility of Senator McCarthys
investigation in view of the con-
flicting testimony, but certainly
Budenz should not be subjected
to personal villif1cation in view
of his record since abandoning the
Communists.
The paper said also that Mr..
Budenz has been regarded as re-
sponsible not only by the church
but by the Justice Department. 1t
added that he has been careful to
avoid any reference to his Cathol-
icism while speaking as an author
ity on communism.
Chavez Address Assailed.
The outspoken Tablet, of Brook
lyn, said, Whoever prepared his
(Senator Chavez) address did a
very reckless and extremely vio-
lent and disgraceful job. :. The
first time Chavez spoke as a
Catholic was to misrepresent the
Catholic spirit, to give comfort to
anti-C Christians.
"And Chavez did Just that. He
traduced in vile and violent Ian
guage Louis Budenz, indicting
his fidelity to his religion, ridicul-
ing his return to the faith, de-
nouncing him as witness, assert
ing he is still a Communist, and
all because he had appeared in
answer to subpoena against
Communists or suspected Commu-
nists."
The Pittsburgh Catholic referred
to Senator Chavez speech as "a
vitriolic personal attack" but it /
was perhaps more critical of Sen
ator Mccarthy. describing his
campaign as "manifestly shot
through with personalities and
partisan politics"
When Mr.. Budenz returned to
the Catholic Church, the paper
said, in "all decency he owed a
period of repentance-in silence
to the Catholics of this country
whom he had so grievously af-
fronted and scandalized."
Calling Budenz Called a Mistake.
The paper said "it was a mis-
take and an outrage to bring him |,
into the Mccarthy circus; to draw
from him hearsay charges and
have him express opinions. Of all
the regrettable things which Sen
ator Mccarthy, a Catholic, has
done, this was one of the worst"
The Catholic Light of Scranton,
Pa, said:
Whatever his authority in New
Mexico or Washington, D. c., Sena-
tor Chavez has no business calling
into question the judgement of the
Catholic Church in receiving Bu-
denZ back into the fold. Nor has
he the slightest authority to imply
that Fordham University (where
Mr.. Budenz teaches) has employed
as teacher a Communist who is
parading as Catholic"
The Catholic News of New York
said:
Senator Chavez has put him
self on the side of the Redsa in
their attempted villiflcation and
attempted smearing of Prof. Bu-
denz. He has been guilty of an
act utterly unworthy of his posi-
ton as a United States Senator
and of his responsibility as a
Catholic"
The Catholic Standard and
Times of Philadelphia said:
"The unprecedented and singu-
larly vicious attack. must have
come as a shock to every sincere
Catholic"
Senator Mccarthy is expected to
address the Catholic Press Associa-
tion at its meeting this week in
Rochester, N. Y.
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