CHURCHES LOOTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 May 1922, Page 5

CHURCHES LOOTED.

JEWELS, GOLD AND SILVER. SOVIET SUPPORTS ACTION. By Telegraph.—Press Assn—Copyright. Received May 14, 5Ji p.m. Rome, May 13. The Pope® interyention at Genoa is connected with the Soviet’s wholesale looting of Russian churches and monasteries, Catholic as well as orthodox suffering. After the Soviet had used up two milliards of roubles taken from the gold reserve, which was used for revolutionary propaganda abroad, the Government decided to raid the treasuries of the churches. Dedicatory jewels from ikons were sold abroad, and precious metal was melted down by the people’s commissionaries. Systematically they visited every town and village in their collection of many tons of gold and silver; thus 223 milliard roubles of silver were collected. The people in some towns, including Smolensk, supported by the clergy, opposed the plundering, and riots followed. There were a number of casualties elsewhere. The Bolsheviks called a meeting of workmen and explained the necessity for confiscation, which was due to the famine. The workmen then set to work themselves rifling churches and rormastpries. Five days’ work in Krasniapresna resulted in five tons of silver and much gold being collected from 51 churches. The Patriarch issued a malediction upon the looters, but it had no Result. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.