Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-12
Why Do Catholics
VoteforC Communists?

move. His semi Official newspaper,
LOsservatore Romano, reported
from Vatican City that the Sacred
Congregation Of the Holy ONCE
had issued a new decree on March
IS.
Terms OF the Decree
According to the decree, Roman
Catholics would not be permitted
to give their votes to ANY parties
or candidates who cooperate de
facto with the Communists and
support them by their actionA
even If they do not profess princi-
Piles which contrast with Roman
Catholic doctrine or attribute to
themselves the qualities Of
Christians"
Parish priests in Palermo and
other spots in Sicily openly en-
tered the political battle.
One was quoted by the New
York Times as telling his parish
toner's:
1T is sinful to vote for the Reds
or those who directly or indirectly
help them. even If they call them
selves ChriStianS-you know who
they are. 1t is a sin also not to
vote and thus to fail in ones
Christian duty to keep the Com
munists from Selling power"
The reference to those who call
themselves Christians" was meant
for the Christian Social Union,
which Mr.. MilazZo headed. It had
been collaborating with the Com
munists and RightistS for eight
months in Sicily's semi-autono-
nous government.
With this strong Catholic ad-
monition in the almost unani-
mously Catholic island of Sicily,
the 2.5 million voters still were
able to deliver 81 of the 80 seats
in the Regional Assembly into Red
hands.
How could good Catholics do it?
First, there are some statistics
that need explanation. The census
takers who proclaim that France
and Italy are more than 81 per
cent Catholic are no doubt re-
ferring to the number of persons
baptized in the Catholic faith. But
there are large anti-clerical fac
tons in both countries which in
their later years openly oppose
the church. The percentage of
practicing Catholics is thus some
what overrated.
Second, there are among real
Catholics the devout and the less
devout Catholics. Some can find
it in their hearts to defy Catholic
doctrine to vote for a politician
who they think can help them
in a materialistic way.
Third, there are voters who do
not take Communists seriously.
They do not believe all Commu-
nists and Communist fronters are
anti-Christian. No doubt they are
right in some instances.
In Europe, in other words, there
are poor Catholics" and poor
Communists" both of whom ap-
pear on the election rolls as Red
votes. The hard core of COM
munism thus also appears to be
overrated.
Europeans, of course, take all
this more philosophically than
their concerned American friends.
They point out, for instance,
that families in Italy often cancel
themselves out at the polls. The
father may vote Communist, with
his union or political group. But
the mother. a devout Catholic,
votes the Christian ticket. And
the mother carries most of the
voting age children with her,
usually all the daughters. As the
sons grow up there may be a few
OBJECTIONS" to the Communist
cause; but the frequent effect in
side the family of a Communist
father is cancelling out of pro-
Red and anti-Red votes.
The Front Reconciliation
Italians and French also have
been known to indulge in ration
alization. They reason that when
they vote for Communists under
front" labels, like the "Sicilian
Christian Social Union" they are
not voting Communist and thus
stay within the Catholic Church's
edictS.
Pope John XIII moved against
this last April when he included
"fellow-traveling" parties among
those prescribed for Catholic votes.
To summarize. the puzzlement
about Catholics voting Communist
appears to be based at least partly
on belief that France and Italy
are more solidly Catholic than
they may actually be.
Nor is Communist policy in
Europe now StresSing the elimiria-
ton of Catholicism.
And despite two Popes' edictS
against Catholics voting Commu-
mist, there is as yet no known
record of an accommodation for
voting Red.
The ballot is secret in Europe,
as it is in the United States.
Catholics who secretly vote
Communist can confess their sin,
of course. But the priests who
hear their confessions cannot re-
veal the offenders identity. The
cases must be referred (anony-
mously) to the Holy See for for
giVeneSS.