ARCHBISHOP'S ATTACK

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 129, 2 June 1937, Page 18

ARCHBISHOP'S ATTACK

"WORST FORM OF PAGANISM"

(To the Editor.) Sir,—"Constantine," in Saturday's issue of your paper, closes his eyes to the tragedy of religion in Communistic countries —Russia and Mexico. He conveniently does not mention the fact that in Russia both Catholics and Protestants have' been persecuted; thousands executed and thousands of clergy, laity, and Nuns are still in prison, their crime being their belief in the One Whom "Constantine" quotes, Christ. As a Christian, I deplore both Nazism and Communism, but as I face facts I come to the conclusion that as far as religion is concerned, of Nazism and Communism, Communism is the worse of the two evils. Perhaps New Zealanders are being lulled into a false sense of security, due no doubt to the decided manner in which the Communists were dealt with at the last General Election. Nevertheless, it behoves all Christians to take the remarks of the Archbishop of Westminster seriously. The question of the so-called "Loyalist Government" in Spain being properly constituted is equally on a par with the German Government being a pro-perly-constituted Government; neither would be accepted in British countries. Finally, why does "Constantine" not tell us something of religion in Fascist Italy?—l am, etc.,

ANTI-COMMUNIST Ist, ANTINAZISM 2nd, ANTI-FASCISM 3rd.

(Xo the Editor.) Sir,—As a Christian,apologist, "Constantine" would be rather lonely in his opinion that Fascism compared with Communism is the worse of two evils, it being the general verdict of Christian thinkers that.while the first is certainly un-Christian, the other is militantly anti-Christian. One could quote reams of evidence in support of the Archbishop of Westminster's denunciation of Communists as "Christ's declared enemies." "Atheism is an integral part of Marxism," wrote Lenin (in his book "Religion"). "Christian charity . . . is the greatest enemy of Communism," wrote Bukharin (in "Pravda," 30/3/34)..

"Constantine" should beware of labels, the use of which is always ruinous to thinking. It is tactics on the part of the extreme Left to apply the tag "Fascist" to everything anti-Commun-istic. Thus, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Portugal are all so labelled, though their Governmental aim and purposes greatly differ. While Portugal, for example, is approaching the Christian ideal of the Corporate State,.the Hitler regime is admittedly National Socialism, and is therefore very Leftist. Yet even this member of the socalled "Fascist bloc" does not admit atheism as "an integral part" of its policy. Furthermore, Nazism would need to make up a lot of leeway before it could parallel the religious persecution and social oppression inflicted on Russia in the name of Communism.

To anyone conversant with both sides of the conflict in Spain, it is laughable to read "Constantine's" view that the present is "a revolution engineered against the established Constitution of Spain as deposited by popular election in the hands of the Republican Party." In the'first place, the Republican Party gained only 75 seats out of 473, the largest single party being the C.E.D.A. (Catholic) with 94 seats. Instead ol "Republican Party" we must read "Popular - Front"—which means that Socialists, Republicans, Communists, and Anarchists joined in a United Front—tactics recommended by the famous Dimitrov six months previously at the VII World Congress of the Communist Internationale. In an election marked by violence, which no doubt contributed to the,fact that three million out of twelve million electors, refrained from voting, this United Front gained 263 seats, though it polled/554,00» fewer votes than the Opposition—hardly a "popular election." Impartial witnesses have attested that the Government made little or no attempt to administer justice, or to control those extremists who, in the four months between the elections and Franco's outburst, killed 269' persons, destroyed. 160 churches, attacked or destroyed 43 newspaper offices, 69 Clubs, and 316 other buildings, as well as promoting 223 partial and 113 general strikes. The Popular Front positively contributed to this anarchy by releasing thousands of Communists ■in a general amnesty to "political prisoners." But —"there were only 16 Communists in the Parliament of Spain," your correspondent protests. It matters little if there were only two, Sir. Dimitrov, on the occasion already mentioned, made more than a mere statement when he said, "Only the Communist Party is at bottom the initiator, the organiser, and the driving force of the United Front" —in regard to Spain it was a prophecy.

Franco has repeatedly refuted that he is, (or ever was) a Fascist and the only form of Government he has yet declared for is a Christian corporate State. I trust, Sir, that "Constantine" has already reconciled his "broad Christian principles" with the following cable message sent to the Anti-God Congress at Moscow in February. of this year by the Minister of Bducation for Spain's Popular Fijont Government: "Your struggle against religion is also our struggle. It is our duty to make Spain a land of militant atheist."—l am, etc., CHRISTIAN UNIONIST, j

(To the Editor.)

Sir,- —"Constantine's" contention that' Fascism is a worse form of paganism! than Communism will not bear examination. In every country where a Communist form of Government has been brought into vogue there has been adopted a deliberate anti-God programme accompanied by active persecution of worshippers, both clergy and lay folk. This has occurred and is occurring in" Russia, Mexico, and "loyalist" Spain, and when Hungary was under a Red dictatorship headed by Bela Kun, the same applied there. Excepting in Germany, Fascism has never persecuted religion. Fascism dictatorships in one form or another exist in Turkey, Italy, Rumania, Yugoslavia, and a few years ago there was a Fascist dictatorship in Spain. In none of those cases has there been religious persecution, although churches in some instances have been refused State recognition. Germany seems to have its own particular brand of Fascism. Even so the Germans have not attacked God in the same way as the Communists have done. Hitler on assuming power endeavoured to bring the Protestant churches under the domination of the State, demanding that they should teach according to the dictates of th * Government. There was immediate trouble. The Catholics naturally also refused to base their teachings on the Nazi version of Christianity. Like the Jews the Catholics in Germany are today facing persecution of a most vicious kind. We do not want either Communism or Fascism in New Zealand, and are not likely to have either of them, but from a Christian point of view Fascism is the least of the two evils and should not be judged by the German brand, many of whose excesses are frowned upon by the best elements in the country.—l am, etc., - I RIGHT .WING. ! [These letters have been abridged.. We cannot admit more on the wmr ' lines.—Ed,! '