Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-29
JIM BISHOP:
REPORTER
Lesson in Tolerance Recalled

%@SSOn uI ObSA w
Hasn't the time come for
us to quit thinking of our
public officials in terms Of
their religion?" writes Sem
ator Paul H. Douglas in the
current Catholic Digest. II
think 1t has" It's a nice
sentiment, but not binding
on the electorate. A Gallup
poll last autumn showed that
Is per cent of the voters
would not cast a ballot for a
Roman Catholic.
I remember the Alfred E.
Smith campaign Of 1928. He
was the first Catholic to be
nominated for the presidency.
When the votes were counted,
he had lost the South and he
had lost his own State Of New
York. Some prominent Cath
olicS attributed his defeat to
the fact that Smith favored
repeal Of prohibition ahead
of his time" Perhaps. But his
religion was no asset.
I'm a Catholic. A practic-
ing Catholic, if you please.
Not a good one, but I try. In
thirty years of reporting, l
have had ample opportunity
to talk to sincere opponents
of Catholicity. They, too, are
trying to find the front door
to Gods house and, in their
churches-Baptist, Lutheran,
Episcopalian or other-they
believe that they have found
it.
THEY RESENT the atti-
tude of the Catholics, which
is that they have not only
found the door, but hold the
key: Thus man fights, not
only with himself, but over
the matter of which sect has
a prior lien on Gods affec-
ton and mercy. Sister Maria
Eustelle of st. Patrtck's
School in Jersey City, once
set the graduating class
straight on this matter when
she said:
over the week end, I sat
at a convent window and
watched the minister of the
Protestant Church across
the street mailing shingles on
his roof. He didn't have the
money to hire a carpenter,
and, while I do not subscribe
to the tenets of his church,
I couldn't help but think how
pleasing his action must be
in the eyes of God. won
dered If, someday when you
Catholic children have to
face Him, you might be sur
prised to find the minister
ahead of you at the gates Of
heaven"
1t was a lesson. A good one.
1t should work both ways.
The world is big enough for
all of us. I find myself in
sympathy with the plight of
Senator John Kennedy of
Massachusetts,, who must &C
cept the barbs of bigots and,
at the same time, face the
sings Of the narrow-minded
people of his own church, who
want to know if he's ashamed
of being a Catholic.
A Catholic owes nothing to
his Church and his Pope ex-
cept goodness. He must obey
the Ten Commandments.
Everything that the Pope does
as head Of the church lies
within the framework Of
those commandments. The
infallibility of His Holiness
lies only in the field of faith
and morals. If he says that
the Dodgers won the pennant
last year. he is as wrong as
the man who bet on them.
However, if he says it is a
sin to chisel on your income
tax. he is right because this
is a matter of morals.
WE HAD TWO Catholic
Chief Justices-E. D. White
and Roger fancy. They found
no conflict between their
country and their church. We
have Catholic Governors.
Senators and Mayors. We
have had Protestant Office
holders as high and higher.
We have elected officials
like Abraham Lincoln-who
profess no church. Their souls
did not hurt their American
ism. No church asks a COM
municant to do wrong.
People who go to Rome
are avid to see the Pope. I
went there in 1855 and stood