WRECKED CHURCHES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2995, 5 February 1917, Page 6

WRECKED CHURCHES

GERMANS' WANTON DESTRUCTION

REPORT BY BISHOP CLEARY

In a circular letter to his diocese Dr. Clcary, Itoinan Catholic Bishop of Auckland, who has been in France as a chaplain, says:—"ln some places formerly occupied by the Germans thereis difficulty about finding accommodation for the Catholic soldiers at Mass on Sundays, as the German troops seem to have made the destruction of churches —there are only Catholic churches here —something like a systematic practice. So far as i havebeen able to learn, the Hun method of dealing with our churches went generally along the following lines in the region of France. When a retreat from a village or town seemed to them an early likelihood, they requisitioned all the kerosene and benzine round about, introduced inflammable materials into the church, piled lip chairs, gorms, etc., and flooded tho place aiuljts contents as best they could with the liquid, and then set the.whole thing alight. In many cases, it was quite evident to the most casual observer that the building was quite useless for purposes of observation or offence —being without tower, spire, or other such feature, and being overlooked —in some cases which I saw —by. taller buildings, such as factories or town halls. Occasionally one sees only ono building in a village burned down —it is, of course, tho church. Moro numerous still are tho churches destroyed by German guns firing high explosive shells. In one sniall area visited by mo , close to our lines, six churches were destroyed, only two of which could have been of the slightest use for observation purposes, and they —it seemed to me —not in a, good situation for overseeing tho scene of actual conflict. Two of the priests were killed in these churches, and a third had an extremely narrow escape. Mention might be made of a practice commonly followed by the Germans in destroying the churches by shell-fire in this district. After a vigorous, accurate, and destructive bombardment of one church ■ only—other buildings around being left comparatively intact —tho firing suddenly ceased for a time, until tho people—a very pious population hereabouts—felt sure that the troublo was over. The parishioners then assembled in and' around their church to see and estimate the damage done. Then, without warning, tho German guns broke out again in a furious storm of ,■ shrapnel and high explosive, with the result to the civilian population —almost exclusively women, children, and old men —which you can well imagine. 1 was informed of this method of attack by the local clergy, villagers, peasants, and—as regards ono considerable centre—by some of our own officers who were present, as well as by one of our A'ew Zealand Catholic chaplains, who was also present, and witnessed the destruction of ono church of great beauty from his billot in the same square."