Evening star., 1955-06-15
PreIates ExiIed
In Argentina;
Priests Raided
CurdinuI's Aides
Reported Expelled.
En- Route to Rome

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina,
June Is (P1. Well informed
sources said today that two
Roman Catholic prelates accused
in connection with last week
ends disorders have been ex-
PEELED from Argentina.
They are the Right Rev. Man
uel Tato. vicar general and
Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires,
and the Right Rev. Roman Pablo
Novoa, canon deacon of the
archdiocese.
Informed quarters said they
were escorted to Ezeiza Airport
by Federal police and placed
aboard an Argentine plane which
departed for Rome. Both are
natives of this country. They
had been taken yesterday to
police headquarters for ques-
tioning in connection with the
disorders, in which more than
a score were injured.
Fired From Posts
Shortly before they were taken
into custody the government
issued a decree designed to dis
charge them from their church
posts. This invoked the old
Spanish claw of the Indies"
which gave secular authorities
power to dismiss or suspend
priests held to have violated
their duties. the government said.
The semioficial newspaper
Democracia demanded expulsion
of Msgr. Tato and Msgr. Novoa
in an editorial published Mon
day. 1t said they and "ail mon
signors who, hide their anti
Christian diatribes under their
robes must go forever" to allow
the country to live in peace.
Msgr. Tato as auxiliary bishop
has been in effect mead of the
Catholic church in Argentina
during the Illness of Santiago
Luis Cardinal Copello, prinate of
the country.
No Official Statement
There has been no official an
nouncement concerning the prel-
ates since they were taken to
Federal police headquarters late
yesterday.
Early this morning Federal
police staged a series of raids on
residences of parish priests, ap-
parently seeking evidence to sup
port the government contention
that the clergy melted the
clashes between supporters of
President Peron and the church.
Unofficial reports said there
were no arrests this morning, but
that careful searches were made
OF priests homes and some
handbills defending the church
in the controversy with Gen.
Peron's government were seized.
In suburban ,Nunez police
pasted a CLOSED" sign over the
front door of a parish house and
left a uniformed officer on
guard beside it.
7-MOnth Quarrel
Since the quarrel between the
government and the church be-
gan seven months ago, 78 priests
have been arrested. many on
charges of disrespect to the
President and other government
officials. Most have been re-
leased after brief detention.
Also released last night were
95 Catholic laymen, men and
boys. who were among the 438
arrested Sunday in the palace of
Buenos Aires archbishop where
they had taken refuge after
rioting in the Plaza de Mayo.
Catholicism is the state re-
ligion in Argentina but the
Peron government is trying to
end its privileged position.
Vatican Concerned
In Vatican City, church sources
said Argentine authorities would
incur accommodation If the
dismissal order impedes the two
prelates from continuing &C.
clesiastical functions to which
they were appointed by the Pope.
These sources added, however,
they would have to await clarifi-
cation of the government order
before they could be certain from
See PERON. Page Al