The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1956-12-28
THE CATHOLIC TIMES
Friday, Dec. %, 1886

-
soil Of the US. Lesstion In
Budapest, but unable TO conn
nuniests with his flock. None
fhsless, the Bishops and their
recple-eonsfifvtins iwo.thiFda
OF the population - seem 70
have more religious freedonf
than they had . year age.
Czechoslovakia has remained
stronghold of orthodox COM
despite its proximity to
the valiant Hungarians and tri-
umphant Poles. The spiritual
leader of the Czechs and Slovaks,
Archbishop Josef Beran of
Prague. has been interned since
June of 1949, and there is no
sign that the Reds plan TO set
him free.
Ten million out of Czeehoslo-
population of IA million
are Catholics but, 3s is the COM
munist norm, there is no free Ca
thollc press and Catholic educa-
tion is suppressed. However, un.
like the situation a few years
ago, Sisters now venture on TO
the streets. The people crowd
their churches for Mass - even
on weekday feasts. But the only
free Bishops we're forced to takean
oath of allegiance to the COM
munist regime in 1851, and even
they are under constant surveiI.
lance.
East Germany
The Church in the Soviet
Zone Of Germany has been sub
lected to increasing preSsures
from the communist regime. The
Reds have stepped up their cam.
paign to replace the sacrament Of
Confirmation with pagan youth
Initiation rites glorifying the
communist state. Last spring,
shortly after the Bishops of East
Germany had joined their broth
ers of the Federal Republic in q
joint pastoral letter warning of
the "monstrous danger" of athe-
lstlc materialism, the Reds in
Berlin made new moves against
religious instruction. They BAN
ned all religious teaching in the
high schools, and made it virtual
ly impossible for elementary
school children to attend reliT-
ious classes.
Poland
The bright spot in the old Stall
mist empire is Poland. With the
nationalist revolt in October that
brought Wladyslaw Gomulka to
the helm of the Polish communist
hierarchy, a seemingly genuine
thaw set in. The groundwork was
laid on August 26, when at least
million Poles journeyed to their
shrine to Our Lady in
Czestochowa in spontaneous
demonstration of their faith aft
er ten years Of Marxist repres-
sion. Some 10000 persons re-
.eived Holy Communion. Wheth.
er symptom or cause, the govern.
ment ruling the nation whose
population is 90 per cent Catho-
lie was in for radical changes
within two months.
His Eminence Stefan Cardinal
Wyszynski, Archbishop of Gniez-
no and Warsaw ana Primate Of
Poland, was released after three
years Imprisonment. The govern
ment has agreed to restore relig.
Ious instruction in the schools. At
ease three Catholic publications
are being restored to the Church.
The Cardinal -Primate has virtual.
ly free hand in the filling Of
posts.
In short, the Church appears
to have gained more freedom
than she has had since the com
munists took over.
Communist party first secre-
tary Gomulka is an old line Red.
But under him the Polish press
has shown freedom it hasn't
in decade, or perhaps
even before World War II. 1t is
said that the collective farms are
being broken up, with the peas
ants taking over as private own
ers.
There still exist communist
laws fostering divorce and abort.
ion, and others inimical to Chris
tian morality.
Who can say that the turn OF
events in Poland is not the re-
suit of prayer? Father John Cliff.
ord, So. asked on reaching
San Francisco after three years
IN ioiI 10 Dad China