FIGHTING COMMUNISM

Chronicle (Levin), 22 April 1948, Page 5

FIGHTING COMMUNISM

' (N.Z.P2A.-

■Reuter.

Pope's Lead In Italian Election

Covvright)

Received W ednesday, 7 p.m. - LONDON, April 21. Reporting an mterviev? with the Pope, the Daily Lxpress foyeigii editor says: t£Notnmg' he said upsets my beiiei" that tne Vatie^n has thrown down in reeent weeks, a challenge of profound importance in-our time." Cdmmenting that the .Pope has ihe priviiege of a sovereign nevor ea be yuoted, he continues.; "Italian -Communists who, until th eleetions, were the most powerfin Communist pai-ty in Europe, are full of helpiess fury at what has happened. . They deelare that ii, as seems likeiy, the nation 's verdiet goes against them, it is because, for the first time, the ehureh has eome out openly on the election platform. With the start oi' the election eampaign war was uneqnivoeally deelared. The ver dict will be for all to see. 4 ' The ^ Pope himseif fived the first shot with a speech that startled Italy. 'The hour of Christ endom has struck,' he cried. He that is not with me is against me\ "In Atcide de Casperi — the Premier had thrown the Commnn ists out- of his Coalition Govern ment— -fhe Pope reeognised a pala(iiiFgf the faith. Jf Italy was to be made the proving ground Oi comnmnism in the west, then war aid niust go to de Casperi, "The Communists, sensing defeat, pointed bitterly to de Claspert posters some of " which said (juite simply 'Vote Christian'. They railed at priests who denied absolution to those voting Coin-

munist. They denounced meessant clei'ical intervention in politics — 'A Christian Democrat in every pnlpit' — and eertainly some of the sermons preaehed in Italy painted the perils of communisni in more vivid eolours tlian. any danger of hell tire. "Finally the Communists sneerI ed angrily at the s ulden erop of "political miracles' which has shocked country folk into renewed piety. "And what, they ask, is the rneaning o-f Father Lonibardi, who j plays the part of Peter the Ilermit in this twentieth eentury crusade, setting alight tlie tridustrihl north with anti-Communist speeches for which lie claims divine inspiration? What, the Communists idemand, can they do to eounter this uew oft'ens'ivp of what has so suddenly become, in all senses, the cluirch militant? "Palmiro Togliatti, . Popular Front leader and number oue Coniniunist of Western Europe, decided bel'ore the election that he w(?uld win over churchgoers with appeasenient. But the citadel oi' j world catholicism will not f all tp ! gui'e and when, at the last liour, J Togliatti switched to a fear camI paigii, threatening that they would know if the people voted j anti-Communist, the Christian Demoerats whipped out the slogan 'God sees vou inside the polling booth. Stalin doesn't'. "Most of the credit for bringI ing tlie church out of its tradij tional n.on-politieal role belongs to • the personality and skill of the I present Pope. Pius Twelfth, formerly Cardinal Pacelli, still acts as his own Secretary of State or policy maker. He works from C a.m. to 3 a.m. — a 21-hour day — and 1akes all major decisions for himseif." »vws/wv\aaaaywwa^aaa/vna/s^aaaaa/s/vv