Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-05
The Week in Religion
Peron Believed Ready to Let
Dispute With Church Drop

President Juan D. Peron.
It followed a morning mass in
the cathedral at which a pastoral
letter on the dispute was read.
The letter, signed by all Of
Argentina's bishops, was the
hierarchy's first. announcement
on the dispute.
Even before the reading, Presi-
dent Peron hao made his reply"
to the pastoral. which had al
ready been published, in a speech
that struck somewhat con-
ciliatory note
i Denies Church Quarrel.
The president denied the exis-
tence of a church-state quarrel,
asserting that the conflict was
merely one between certain
clergymen and "the peoples or
CARNATIONS. The latter phrase
apparently referred primarily to
Argentine labor unions.
/ Catholics in Argentina and
throughout the world were hope
full that special significance could
be attached to the Peron state
ment, II do lot think anything
more is going to happen"
The hareup in church state
relations already had resulted in
the arrest of several priests, the
shutdown of several Catholic
centers, designations of Catholic
officials in some areas and re-
peated press attacks on the
hierarchy for their alleged in
reference in political, matters.
The dispute, which had been
developing since September,
broke into the open November 10
when. in a broadcast speech, the
president accused three bishops,
a score of priests and certain
Catholic action groups of infil-
trating the Argentine labor
movement and working against
the government.
Three Called Enemies.
He called the three prelates
enemies of the government"
They are Archbishops Nicolas
Fasolino of Santa Fe and Firmin
Lafitte of Cordoba and Bishop
Froilan Ferreira Reinafe of La
Rioja.
On the same day, the General
Confederation Of Labor, one of
the presidents most important
sources of political power, urged
it's members to be vigilant
against what it called infiltration
of key union posts by Catholic
leaders.
Within a week a half dozen
priests were arrested and vari-
ously accused of spreading
alarming rumors or disturbing
the peace. Most of them were
released after being questioned
for a day or two, but two were
given five-day summary police
Jail sentences.
A few days later the Rev. Ro-
dolfo Carboni, pastor of Buenos
Aires Santa Rosa de Lima
Church and spiritual adviser to
the Association of = Catholic
Workers, was seized.
He was arrested in his parish
house following a morning mass
kat WHICH he preached a sermon
slikening the position of the
church in Argentina to that in
Nazi Germany.
30-Day Sentence.
Father Carboni was sentenced
to 80 days in Jail for causing a
disturbance" which police said
took place during the sermon
because of the priests remarks. |
In the early stages of the con-
troversy, the church's highest
leaders withheld comment. Then,
a week ago. the hierarchy drew
up a letter to President Peron,
asking that he spell out the
charges against the accused
clergymen.
The President had maintained
throughout that his quarrel was
not with the church but only
with individual priests and bish-
ops. But he did not say how
the clergymen were working to
undermine his government.
In its letter. the bishops
acknowledged that the clergy's
mission was spiritual and that
neither priests nor organizations
working for the church should
interfere in party politics. But
their letter deplored Gen. Peron's
branding of the three prelates
as enemies"
Primary Duty to Church.
The letter was followed by
the pastoral. Read in all
churches, this document re-