POPE AND AUSTRIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 April 1938, Page 7

POPE AND AUSTRIA

CARDINAL INNITZER GIVEN LONG AUDIENCE

DISCLAIMER ON BEHALF OF BISHOPS THE RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES OF THE CHURCH By Telegraph.—Press Association, Copyright. (Recd This Day, 10.25 a.m.) VATICAN CITY, April 6. Cardinal Innitzer, accompanied by Cardinal Pacelli, the Papal Secretary had an audience lasting 75 minutes with the Pope. This is without precedent, as cardinals and bishops usually see the Pope alone.

Before returning to Vienna Cardinal Innitzer made the statement that the Austrian Bishops’ declaration of March 18 obviously was not intended to be an approval of that which was imcompatible with the laws of God and the liberties of the Church. The declaration did not impose a duty of conscience. The Austrian Episcopate demanded that all questions covered by the concordat should not be modified without the Pope’s agreement. Parents must retain educational rights, but the Church must not be deprived of the right of propagating the faith and moral instruction among youths. Also anti-religious and anti-church propaganda must be prohibited.

A solemn declaration by the Catholic Episcopate was read in churches throughout Austria on March 27. It advised Catholics to vote “Yes” at the plebiscite on April 10. The declaration stated: “We issue this appeal without apprehension because the Fuehrer’s delegate, Herr Buerckel, has informed us that his policy will be guided by the words, ‘Render unto God that which is God’s and unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.’ ”

The Pope’s deep resentment of the Austrian bishops’ exportation to, Roman Catholics to support the anschluss plebiscite was revealed in a sensational broadcast in German from the Vatican City station condemning the bishops’ intrusion in politics without authorisation. A later message stated, however, that a semi-offi-cial news service disavowed the broadcast , asserting that it was of a private character and made without reference to or the knowledge of the Secretariat of the Papal State. Nevertheless there has been no official disavowal of the broadcast.