Evening star., 1951-10-29
All Saints Pastor
Favors Naming
Vatican Envoy
Not Religious Issue,
Declares Dr.. Lowry,
Episcopal Minister

Episcopal Minister
The Rev. Charles E. Lowry
minister of the All Saints Epis
copal Church. has parted with hi
fellow Protestants and declared
he is in favor of the United State
being represented at the Vatican
in Rome by an Ambassador.
Delivering his Reformation
Sunday sermon yesterday, DR.
Lowry startled his church con
gregation by stating:
Il believe that we should b,
represented there and in the mos
worthy and effective manner pos
sible."
He declared the question O.
diplomatic representation at tn,
Vatican is mot a religious ques'
ton in any direct sense" HI
summed it up as a matter q
expediency. pointing out that tn,
Vatican is probably the best lis.
tening post anywhere in tn.
world today.
On Uneasy Ground"
The minister entitled his ser.
mon. Should America Be Repre-.
sented at the Vatican? An Epis.
copalian Viewpoint" He said hi
upon the uneasy
ground" of this subject without
the desire to attack any one mol
to force on any one his opinions
Il do not want on Reformation
Sunday to pour fuel upon tht
flames of existing intolerance.
do not want to make a red-hoI
any hotter. My prayer
is rather that of John Wesley
o Lord. give us light. not heat
DR.. Lowry said he had the i'm.
preston that during the past 81,
years, there has been a stead,
and progressive boiling up of tn,
passion Of intolerance, especial,
between Catholics and Protes
tants." in the United States.
when President Truman. +,
Baptist from Missouri and a per
sonality as characteristically ant
indubitably American as any VIII,
in the 100 odd years of it's exist
ences has presided over tn,
destinies of this republic, an
nounced without warning the ap
pointment of Gen. Clark as Am
bassador to the Vatican. the bull
letin burst upon an unpreparet
public with the force of an atom
bomb
Protestant Ministers Shaken.
Catholics could not believe tn,
bountifulness Of the news. Protes
tant ministers. already at worl
on Reformation Day sermons
were shaken to the depths Of thei
professional and theological being.
WAS the President right. no
necessarily in the details or man
ner OF the appointment, but in tn,
hard core of his action? Or is tn,
President a traitor to Protestan
principles? Is his action also +,
violation OF the American tradi
ton Of the separation of Church
and State. and a contradiction O
the Constitution of this country?
DR.. Lowry said these are grea
issues. vital to America and tn,
world. He said he was going t,
give his answer as IAN American
a Christian and an Episcopalian.
The question of diplomat,
representation at the Vatican |,
not a religious question in an,
direct sense" he declared. "It i,
an issue of expediency, a prag.
matte question, a problem O,
American interest and welfare"
80 Nations Represented.
"Why are 80 nations now rep.
resented at the Vatican. Is o1
them with. ambassadors and II
with ministers? The remainine
five have charge d'affaires.
These nations maintain full,
accredited representatives at the
Vatican for one reason and one
reason only. They think it is IL
their interest and in that of the
world generally to do so. Thi.
should be the test of American
policy-1s it in the national in.
terest: is it in the interest O,
Christian civilization; is it in thu
interest of humanity that we have
a representative at the Vatican?'
He traced the relations of Eng.
land with the Vatican, pointins
out that the King of England ane
the people "are presumably still
under the sentence of ex-com.
munication pronounced by Pope
Plus v in 1870 in the reign o.
Elizabeth" The Church of Eng.
land is national church, estab.
lished by law, he continued, ane
for all these reasons England
might be leary of diplomatic re.
lations with the Vatican"
1--WE can be sure they woule
never have been re-established il
there were any direct religion.
issue involved" he said.
He continued:
II am convinced that this viev
of the case is correct and unas.
Sailable unless one is so unhis,