Evening star., 1952-08-24
The Week in Religion
By RELIGIOUS News Service

Vatican circles are reported cool
to q pastoral letter issued late
last week by Pedro Cardinal Sc
guray Saenz, Archbishop Of Seville,
calling upon the Spanish govern
ment to clarity the juridical posi-
ton Of nom Catholics in Spain.
Cardinal Segura complained In
the letter that his previous warn
ings Of the spread Of non-Cath-
olic religions in Spain had not
found much response. The card
inal said he was panied to see
the tolerance shown towards non
Catholic sectS In his country and
the indifference Of Catholics to-
ward this question. He even
limited that Catholics were not In
sympathy with his position.
Vatican sources said Spain must
show the same spiriti Of tolerance
towards mont Catholics that they
said is found in other major Cath
olic countries. This reflects the
views Of many Catholics In the
United States and elsewhere who
have been irritated by Cardinal
Segura's extreme views on Pro-
teStantism and other non-Cath-
olic religions in Spain.
Pr0testants Sensitive.
Protestants are particularly SEN
sitive to what they consider viola
tionS Of religious freedom. A re-
port recently issued by q group
of world Baptist leaders who met
In Denmark said there are "in-
tolerable impositions" upon the
religious conscience in many lands
and menacing threats to religious
Liberty in not a few others.
The Baptists said political
totalitarianism" is waging a re-
lentless war upon all freedoms,
particularly religious freedom.
The Baptists had in mind not
only restrictions against religious
freedom in some predominantly
Roman Catholic countries but in
Greek Orthodox. Moslem and
even Protestant nations.
In Greece, leaders of Protes-
tant and other on-orthodox
groups have complained for some
time against alleged restrictions
of their religious liberty.
Pr0selytism Forbidden.
The new Greek constitution
forbids religious proselytism, and
a number Of Protestants have
been arrested on charges Of vio-
lating this provision. Protestants
claim that they have been barred
from organizing meetings and
opening new churches or welfare
institutions. The Old Calendar
sect, a schismatic Greek Ortho-
dox group. has been declared lille
gal and some Of it's leaders
imprisoned.
Lately. however, several moves
to relax these restrictions indi-
cate that a change may be in
1.-THE offing.
The Greek government recently
freed the head Of the Old CAL
endar sect, 84-year-old Archbish-
op Chrysostom, from solitary
confinement in a Mytilini Island
monastery to which he was SEN
fenced last year. Il
Sweden, a predominantly Lu-
theran country, has only lately
removed certain restrictions on
Catholics as well as on other
Protestants. For many years nom
Lutherans in that country were
subjected to various disabilities.
Apologies to MennOnites.
In Switzerland recently DR.. D. A.
Koechlin, president of the Swiss
Church Federation, apologized to-
Mennonites of the world for the
10th century Protestant intoler-
ance" that drove their ancestors
into remote mountain businesses
and far-off lands.
Elsewhere in Europe, ProteS-
tant leaders say that while the,
Italian constitution grants reli-
gious freedom to all groups, local
authorities in many communities
have been requiring a special
license for the erection of a build
ing for public worship.
Italy's Minister of the Interior
has promised to look into such
violations when they are brought
to his attention.
Religious tension In Colombia,
South America, has disturbed both
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