Consolation, March 13, 1946
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Contents
The Fight for Freedom in Italy '
The Bloody Record of Oppression
1929 Concordat with Fascism
Suppression of the Truth
The 1943 Break for Freedom
The Hierarchy Campaigns for Votes
1 Garbless Nuns Will Vole Too
Have We Time for Study?
Transmitting News in Wartime
What Medical Journals Say About Vivisection 15 “Thy Word Is Truth”
The Old-fashioned Ghost
Watchtower Bible College
Graduates Sixth Class
The Name Jehovah
Donald Tells the Priest
“Our Lady of the Pillar at Saragossa” 21 New York Admits That It Is Big
Magnesium Paper Is Evidently Coming
News from Alaska
Filthy Lucre’s Dirty Hand at Jerusalem
“Living Costs in World "War II”
Carried Away with Self-Admiration
Automobilism
“Our Hidden Asylum System”
The Punishment of Two Bad Crows
In Utah and Washington
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Published avery other Wednesday by WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY, INC. 117 Adams St., Brooklyn 1, N. U. S. A. OFFICERS President N. H, Knorr
Secretary W. E. Van Amburgh
Editor Clayton J. Wood worth
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In Brief
The Devil Back of the Blanchette
♦ To us here in England it is a great privilege and blessing from the Almighty God to receive the Consolation again. One small article in the August If), 1945, issue attracted my attention as soon as I opened it. Tt was the account of the two young girls who were worried about the planchette board. I could not help thinking, “Poor little things!” for’ as I entered maidenhood my attention was drawn to similar things, and I well remember the mental struggles 1
-had because thereof. I recall one evening, at the home of a “Salvationist”,
' all the time we were using the thing, I kept looking back to see who was there. I know now who it was !
The best advice 1 can give js to put the whole trouble before the Lord, and remember that the Devil is always, all the time, trying to entrap and ensnare those who arc trying to walk in the way of the Lord and who show a tendency to bless His name.—From one who hopes for a -place in the New World of righteousness.
The Storm Brought Back Her Hearing
♦ It was at Hammond, Ind. Mrs. Ignatz Spogis had been deaf for three months.
■ It was summer. A thunder shower came up while she was sitting on her porch. Her home was struck by lightning; but no harm was done, apparently, for when the storm had passed Mrs. Spogis found that she could hear a watch tick. Her hearing had returned.
Japanese Permitted to Commit Idolatry
♦ In the year 193S the pope gave permission to Japanese Catholics to bow in worship before the emperor, who then claimed to be of divine origin. This was done in spite of the fact that, according to the ex-priest L. H. Lehman, any such thing had been forbidden for centuries by Roman Catholic doctrine.
CONSOLATION
“And in His name shall the nations hope.”—Matthew 12:21, A. *9. V.
Volume XXVII Brooklyn, N.Y,, Wednesday, March 13, 1946 Number 691
The Fight for Freedom in Italy
THE history of Italy is one of suffering and misery. It is the record of an oppressed people trying to free themselves from the fetters of bondage and gain a measure of the liberty enjoyed by other nations. Today, as the struggle continues, it is manifest that Italy needs a strong centralized power that will lead its people in their fight for freedom. Many, no doubt, will point to pope Pius XII as the man of the hour.
Speaking to the College of Cardinals on the eve of the first postwar Christmas this spiritual leader of 92.12 percent of Italy’s population said,
State totalitarianism is incompatible with a true and healthy democracy. Like a dangerous germ it infects the community of nations and renders it incapable of guaranteeing the security of individual peoples. It constitutes a continual menace of war.
The future peace structure aims at outlawing from the world every aggressive use of force, every war of aggression. Who could not greet such an intention enthusiastically, especially in its effective realization?
But if this is to be something more than a beautiful gesture, all oppression and all arbitrary action from within and without must be banned.
Is there not found here a man who will fight for “true and healthy democracy” for Italy? One who will root out the “dangerous germ” of totalitarianism that is a “menace of war” to the nation ? Is there not found in Pius XII a champion of liberty who will fight for freedom in Italy and destroy “all oppression and all arbitrary action from within and without”? Is this not the man with the necessary determination, ability and power to pull Italy out of the fascist swamp ?
The Roman empire was not built by the passionate speech-making of some Caesar or Mark Antony. Neither should we be hasty in concluding that a Utopia of blessed liberty in Italy will be ushered in because the pontiff of Vatican City has thus spoken. The prudent and wise thing would be to first examine this statement of the pope in the revealing light of former encyclicals and measure it by the record and history of the organization which he heads. Only then shall we be able to assay the merits of the claim that this “strong man” and his organization are courageous and gallant fighters for freedom.
Take down the history books, and, after brushing off the accumulated dust of several centuries, open them up to the year 800 (A.D.). There it is recorded that Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the “Holy Roman Empire” on Christmas Day in the city of Rome. That was the beginning of a thousand-year reign of church and state, which period is spoken of as the “most glorious” in the history of the Church, when the pope of Rome ruled with supreme authority. Never was there a more splendid opportunity afforded the Church to demonstrate its reputed virtues as the defender and protector of the cause of freedom for the common man.
Yet, what do we find recorded in this history from the ninth century onward? Is it a story of.the Church educating the masses of people to read and write so
that they could publish and circulate their opinions among fellow creatures? Does it tell of the people’s freedom to . speak and express their opinions openly in public? Or does it describe how the people enjoyed the fundamental freedom , to worship according to the dictates of t their conscience ? a .
The Bloody Record of Oppression
No, the account lacks any description of such,freedom and liberty being grant-, ed by the Church of Rome. Instead, our eyes are blurred by the criminal record of a pornocracy when reprobates occupied the papal throne. Down a dark and slip-eroad we are taken into an abyss of an slime and suffering that beggars description. But stop! We can read no farther. We are up to the period of the Inquisition and the pages of this chronicle have turned a scarlet red, red with the blood of millions of poor innocent .ones that became the victims of a cruel, beastly and ruthless totalitarian system of oppression. Indeed, the whole history of church and state is that of an iron rule. There was no freedom of education; no freedom of publication and circulation; no freedom to read and study the Bible and worship God as He commanded- The rule and rage of the Church was as unmerciful and cruel against those who held opinions differing from her own as any modern totalitarian regime.
It may be argued that the evils of that infamous period of wedlock arose from submission of the Chureh to the temporal power. An examination of the encyclicals and pronouncements of the Church, and the doctrines and teachings of her clergy, will readily disclose whether it was the ■ temporal power that suppressed freedom or whether it was the Roman Catholic Hierarchy themselves. Such background or declarations of the Hierarchy will also permit us to see whether the pope of Rome is today qualified to champion freedom’s cause for the Italian people. .
The "infallible” popes, Alexander VII, 4
Clement VIII, Benedict XIV, Pius VI, Pius VII, Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI, and Pius IX, all prescribed rules and issued injunctions against freedom of the press. The famous Syllabus of Pius IX issued december 8, 1864, constituted an abstract of or reassertion of all the claims of the papacy of medieval time's. That Syllabus contained condemnations against 80 current doctrines'of the day, claiming that they were heresy. Numbers 45-48 denounced secular education. Number 79 condemned freedom of the press. And Number 77 was directed against liberty of worship.
Cardinal Pecci, who later became Pope Leo XIII, in 1878, deplored the ‘licentiousness of the theater and the press, and the continual snares laid to surprise pious souls, to undermint’ faith by circulating infamous pamphlets and heterodox writings”. That was not a denouncement of obscene literature, but rather was a railing against writings of Protestant organizations that endeavored to enlighten the people on the Bible.
Continuing, Pecci says, “Nor is it left to the free will of man to refuse it, or to fashion for himself a form of worship and service such as he pleases to render;” And again he wrote that it was impious and monstrous to think that “the human conscience is free to adopt whichever form it pleases, and to fashion out a religion to suit itself”. By thus expressing himself against freedom of the press, worship and conscience Pecci took his stand with his predecessors and showed that he was triply qualified to become a pope.
While denouncing the free use of the press as a. vehicle for publishing the truth the Hierarchy itself uses the press to spread propaganda in an effort to suppress the truth. As an example, Lord Robert Montagu, at one time Catholic member -of Parliament, published a 428-page book entitled “Popular Errors Concerning Politics and Religion”. This book had the Hierarchy’s approbation; on every page is found the Jesuit stamp. To
quote only a few lines:“The pope can not sanction mdifferentism or liberty of worship', nor civil marriages, nor secular education; he can not concede liberty, or rather license, of the press; nor recognize sovereignty of the people; nor admit the necessity of the 'social evil’; nor legalize robbery and murder.” Here is a monstrous claim by a papist that democratic principles of freedom of worship, freedom of the press and sovereignty of the people are crimes as great as robbery and murder. Does anyone honestly think that an organization that has taken such a position in the past can be trusted to establish democratic freedom in Italy today?
Richard W. Thompson, one-time secretary of the United States Navy, after carefully considering this subject in his book, Footprints of the Jesuits, asks some very pointed questions: When “did religious toleration exist in Rome? What pope ever gave it the sanction of a papal decree, or recognized Protestantism as worthy of anything higher than his fiercest anathemas? Let the millions of persecuted victims of pontifical and inquisitorial vengeance, Albigenses, Wal-denses, Huguenots, and'Netherlanders, answer from their graves”.
The Vatican’s Secret Weapon
The greatest progress toward the establishment of free democratic institutions has been made in Italy since 1870. In that year, on September 20, liberal forces, in launching an attack on Vatican City, wrested from the pope the temporal rule of Italy and put the religious power in its proper place. Following this triumph great strides were made in education of the people, and with education in reading and writing came liberties in addition to the.freedoms of breathing and thinking (freedoms “granted” even when the Church ruled). In other words, the people were now allowed freedom of action to express their thoughts to others.
But such new-born liberty was destined for a short life. The papal technicians got-busy and designed a new weapon to use against Italy’s youthful freedoms, a secret weapon, which has become known as Fascism. At first many were deceived by its apparent anti-cleric shape. This made it possible to utilize the power of the radical element to launch Fascism. Once started, however, the momentum was accelerated by the Vatican forces concealed within, and as a result the Hierarchy was rocketed to a new height in world affairs.
When Mussolini made his coup d’etat at Rome October 30, 1922, no one would have ventured the opinion that Fascism was merely a new hood on an old wolf. Not until it opened its mouth to devour civil rights were the old Vatican fangs visible. Among the first victims swallowed by this beast were the Freemasons. Says The Encyclopedia Americana, “The suppression of Freemasonry in Italy by Mussolini was regarded as a move to gain favor with the Church, which had long been at war with secret societies.”
It became very manifest, as time went on, that this totalitarian rule was merely a revival of the church and state reign of the Dark Ages. The Report of the Foreign Policy Association, January 15, 1944, in showing the “very evident similarity of form between the authoritarian church and the totalitarian government”, continues and says,
The fascist government of Italy, in fact, carefully cultivated this resemblance and flattered the Church by copying its externals rather closely. The device by whieh the Fascist Grand Council was to select a successor to the Duce bears some resemblance to that whereby the College of Cardinals elects a pope. The pattern of the corporative state borrowed heavily from the guild-like institutions suggested in Rerum Novarum, and' Pius XI was prompt to acknowledge as much in his own encyclical Quadragesima Anno.
Also in the matter of religion, the doctrine of the totalitarian state is basically the same as that of the Catholic Church. This statement may seem startling at first, but a careful study will show that in both the true worship' of God is replaced by a worship of the state, on the one hand or on the other, a worship of creatures, Pius XII in his encyclical letter, Summi Pontificatus of 1939, calls attention to the religion of the state:
Once the authority of God and the sway of His law are denied in this way, the civil au-i thority as an inevitable result tends to attribute to itself that absolute autonomy which belongs exclusively to the Supreme Maker. It puts itself in the place of the Almighty and elevates the state or group into the last end of life, the supreme criterion of the moral and juridical order. •
But is such religion of the state any different in design from that of the Vatican ? In a spiritual sense the Roman Catholic Hierarchy have done exactly what they accuse the state, of doing, namely, exalting and placing itself in the position and stead of God. In doing so it has become the “man of sin, the son of perdition” mentioned by the apostle Paul: “Let no man deceive you by any means, for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth, and is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God.”—2 Thessalonians 2:3,4, Douay.
So, then, in many different aspects it is seen that the Fascist totalitarian rule was very similar to the Catholic authoritarian system. Both were modeled after the same pattern, cast in the same die, hewn from the same tree; perhaps by the hands of the same Jesuit craftsmen. Both are harsh, cruel, oppressive of human rights, and intolerant of all opinion, belief and thought other than their own brand. Both crush out the basic principles of human rights, namely, freedom of speech, press and worship.,
1929 Concordat with Fascism
Having such a close resemblance in structure, and parallelism in purpose, it was not surprising that Fascism and Vaticanism sought to join forces in a formal pact. Senor Farinacci, secretary general of the Fascist Party in 1926, speaking of Mussolini, said: “He cherishes the ambition to arrive at an amicable compromise with the pope on the Roman question in return for the moral support of the Vatican for his own foreign and internal policies in general and his Imperialistic programme in particular.” Such ambition was crystalized on February 10, 1929, with the signing of the concordat known as the Lateran Treaty. Thereby all doubt was dispelled and it was clearly7 seen that Fascism was a scheme launched by the Hierarchy to win back ground they had lost to the common people in the way of freedom and liberty. This new magnetic force became known the world over as the southern pole of a totalitarian Axis around which it was hoped the whole world would be forced to rotate. (Mention may here be made that Mussolini received the pope's blessing!)
The concordat resembles others of its kind.
It recognizes the position of the Church and the rights of the clergy, defines ecclesiastical jurisdiction, provides for state approval of new bishops, recognizes the validity of religious marriage, provides for religious instruction in state schools “according to a program to be agreed upon”, and recognizes Catholic Action, the body of Catholic youth organizations, provided these organizations’ take no part in polities. Article 43, for example, states that Italy “recognizes the auxiliary organizations of the Azione Cattolica Italiana inasmuch as these, according to the regulations of the Holy See, carry on their activities independently of all political parties and under -the immediate direction of the Hierarchy of the Church for teaching and practice of Catholic principles.” (Foreign Policy Report, January 15, 1944)
Let none be deceived by the stipulation that Catholic Action organizations were to take no part in politics. Such Action groups were like similar groups in other countries; they “were under the immediate direction of the Hierarchy” and needed no political name to enable them to apply pressure wheresoever the Vatican directed.
Suppression of the Truth
Jehovah’s witnesses, observing the rise of the totalitarian monster in Italy, appreciated hqw helpless the people were to free themselves from the fetters that so tightly hound them. If such humble ones were to be aided, then help would have to come from an outside source. So in 1932 Jehovah’s witnesses living in the neighboring country of Switzerland printed, a large supply of the booklet The Kingdom, the Hope of the World. Twenty brethren from Switzerland traveling at the expense of the Watchtower Society went into the principal cities of Italy to distribute these booklets to the truth-hungry people, with the following results:
In some cities the police gave verbal permission to proceed with the work, and within ten days 300,000 copies of the Kingdom booklet had been distributed. In the middle of the week the enemy was aroused, and upon the order from Rome the permission to'distribute was withdrawn.
It was all right with the local officers, who, for the most part, were individuals sympathetic toward the needs of the common man. But “when Rome speaks” all free announcement of the truth must cease 1 The Vatican cannot stand to have the people enlightened about God’s blessed kingdom. Nothing infuriates those Pharisaical rulers more than to tell the people that the Theocratic Government is the only hope for suffering mankind. So, as soon as word filtered through that Jehovah’s peace messengers were in Italy, immediately an alarm was sent out and the work had to cease.
It seems like a small thing, the distribution of 300,000 booklets among the vast population of Italy, yet such seeds took root and bore fruit and many who were freed from the bondage of religion began telling others the truth. As to be expected, all such activity met with violent persecution at the hands of the truth-haters. Quoting from the 1936-Yearbook of Jehovah’s witnesses'.
Without a doubt the Vatican and Mussolini are in full accord and have a clear understand- ■ * ing as to the operations of both. Because of this combined opposition it is impossible to conduct a regular work of publishing the , Kingdom message within the borders of Italy. Only two brethren have been able to do any work in that country during the year, and they have^worked under great difficulties. Often the literature is taken away from them and they are thrown into prison. One pioneer was shot dead. The Catholic Hierarchy even manifested its venom toward the Lord’s people in interfering with the decent burial of this pioneer, who was witnessing for the Kingdom....
The clergy prevented the corpse of this brother from being taken to the funeral rooms* the body being left in an old shed without proper attention. People, upon hearing of this outrageous treatment, were incensed, and this furnished an opportunity to give them a witness to the truth. Because the deceased had relatives in that neighborhood, they were outlawed by the clergy and were threatened by . fire and brimstone because they had given shelter to a “heretic”, thus showing the same infamous spirit as shown in the early days of Italy, when the Inquisition was at its height.
One brother still operating in Italy is able to give out some literature. Often the literature sent to him, however, never reaches him, ’ being confiscated by officials under the direction of the Hierarchy.
A late report tells how the tight for freedom in Italy increased in fury during the war. In 1939 the Vatican-Fascist gang made a special raid on the homes of Jehovah’s witnesses in an effort to silence these truth-tellers once and for all. More than 1.50 men and-women were arrested, twenty-six of whom were given severe sentences ranging all the way from five years’ imprisonment up to the death sentence. Among the seven charges leveled against these Christians, which “crimes” were adjudged worthy of death, was this one: “e) Charged with the crime referred to in article 8 of the Treaty of
Italy' ’with the Holy See, in relation to .article 278 C.P., for having publicly and by means of the printed page offended the sovereign pontiff.”
t Remember, this incident did not hap-'pen in the Dark Ages or in the nineteenth century. It did not occur under
K the direction of former popes whd have , 1‘ long since died. It has happened in; our * day and age; it has happened since -Pacelli was crowned Pope Pius XII in 1939. Unbelievable! you say, that in this twentieth century one is considered worthy of death who proclaims the truth as contained in the Bible. But remember all such things are possible in a country dominated by a religio-political Hierarchy.
The Hierarchy Loved Fascism
* Some will contend that the Catholic Hierarchy supported Fascism in the beginning on the grounds that it could be used as an instrument to establish unity in Italy and settle the Roman question to the satisfaction, of all. But did the Vatican withdraw its support and fight against Fascism when it became openly manifest that such was only a cruel, wicked totalitarian rule that ruthlessly disregarded the rights of men?
Article 20 of the 1929 concordat required the bishops to swear an oath of allegiance and fidelity into the hand of the Fascists. This oath was never repudiated, but was continued in force up to the very last. Moreover, the Hierarchy went farther and signed concordats with Hitler in 1933, and with bloody Franco in 1941, both of which required the bishops to give an oath of allegiance similar to the one sworn to Mussolini.
. If the Vatican was looking for an opening to withdraw its support of totalitarianism in favor of democratic principles of freedom and liberty for the common people, then there was no better opportunity afforded than the Ethiopian war. However, Professor Gffitano Salvemini, in his publication No Friend of Democracy, lists 7 cardinal archbishops, 23 archbishops, and 44 bishops, all of the Italian Catholic Hierarchy in addition to the pope, who supported Fascism and were in favor of the wanton rape of helpless Ethiopia.
Says the Foreign Policy Report (January 15,1944), “The invasion of Ethiopia, far from driving the two ^powers apart, actually improved their relations and demonstrated to an astonished world how far the Church would follow Mussolini in his expansionist policy.” Continuing, that article further says, ,
When all was over the pope in his address to the world exhibition of the Catholic press (May 12, 1936) referred to "the triumphant joy of a great and good people” over the conclusion of the peace, thus dispelling all possible doubt of where his real feelings lay.
World domination was the ambition of both the Vatican and Fascism; together ■ they thought to obtain it.
Neither was the support of the Fascists limited to the clergy of Italy. The members of the Hierarchy in the so-called “democratic lands” also were outspoken in expressing their approval and praise of Mussolini’s program so destructive of human rights. Cardinal Hayes, of New York, and Cardinal Dougherty, of Philadelphia, both spoke in favor of Fascism in Italy when it was at the height of its glory. The late Cardinal O’Connell, of Boston, said, “Italy was in process of undergoing a marvelous transformation since Benito Mussolini had seized the reins of government ... I see perfect order, cleanliness, work, industrial development.” Also Archbishop Hinsley, of England, who was created a cardinal in 1937, was reported to have said about Italy, "If Fascism goes under nothing can save the country from Chaos: God’s cause goes with it.”
Thus is shown the love and devotion of the Vatican!tes for Fascism when it was on the verge of gaining world domination. Only when its glory began to . wane did the Hierarchy diplomats appear on the scene to condemn it. The world in general may have been fooled with this adroit move, but Italians who had lived close to the scene were not deceived by this change of policy on the part of the Vatican Fascists. Mr. Hayden, a close assistant to the president of the Foreign Policy Association, in commenting on this, says: “Critics both friendly and hostile have forecast a period of unprecedented anti-clericalism in Italy, believing that the long association of the Vatican with fascism will reap its harvest of hatred and even of persecution.”
The people of Italy may not be informed on the historical record of persecution made by the Catholic Church, due to the Fascist educational system, but Italians do have a firsthand knowledge of the last twenty years and its heart-breaking events. And as these people continue their struggle for freedom they will not forget the long and intimate association of the Hierarchy with Fascism.
The 1943 Break for Freedom
■ Suddenly there was a change in the whole picture. No longer do we see the Fascist! standing in the Piazza Venezia shouting Viva II Duce. Mussolini himself has passed out of the picture. Fascism has cracked up. An armistice has been signed between the acting Italian government and the Allies.
Among other things the surrender terms contained some very important provisions in favor of the freedoms expressed in the Atlantic Charter. “All Fascist organizations and the secret police will be disbanded, all laws discriminating against persons on grounds of race, creed, color or political opinions will be rescinded and those persons held for punishment under such laws will be released.” (From A,F.H.Q. Commentary, .New York Times, November 7, 1945) Like a beacon light of freedom such “Bill erf Rights” appeared to throw its beam down a new road of opportunity for the buffering people of Italy to gain their long-desired liberty. But when we look up from reading this important document and face the realities that exist in Italy itself our eyes are confronted with a different picture, one of confusion, to say the least. '
There are at least six political parties in Italy each having a different formula on how to run the government. These six parties are grouped into two general divisions, which, for the want of a better name, are called “Right” and “Left”. The right wing is composed of the “Christian Democrats”, Liberals and Labor Democrats, while the left wing is made up of Communists, Socialists and Actionists. If it wrere only a matter of choosing between these two divisions it would be comparatively simple, but instead there are at least six contenders for the honor of controlling the government and the people.
All such are antagonistic toward each other and are willing to make concessions only as they see in the move an opportunity to gain an advantage for their own interests in the end. So, at times they hang together in a somewhat disjointed fashion in the form of a coalition government, while at other times they are in open rebellion among themselves. When one side is charged witli containing the “germ of fascism” it immediately makes the counter-charge that fascism exists in the ranks of its opponents. .
Politically speaking, Italy is very sensitive and unstable; the least spark is liable to cause a conflagration. Already five cabinets have fallen, and the sixth one is none too firm in the saddle, for it will automatically be dissolved when the promised election materializes. Signor Parri, when resigning as premier of Italy, warned that an undercurrent of fascism was tugging just below the surface. He passionately cried out: “Now that I am leaving office I must warn my successors to beware of civil war.” (New York Times. November 25, 1945) .
Again, when a bomb explodes outside ' the Communist headquarters the charge is made that it was caused by the Fascists. But more disturbing than the ex' plosion of bombs are the repercussions caused by Guglielmo Giannini’s weekly publication, I'Vomo Qualunque (“Comr mon Man”).Milton Bracker has described ^Giannini as an admitted ex-Fascist and mas pointed out that although he has blamed Mussolini for strategic mistakes yet he has never criticized his general policy. Most of the readers of his paper, which number around 800,000, although not active Fascists, make up the potential bloc for neo-Fascism. Notwithstanding Giannini’s claipis of “democracy” he predicts that his movement will spread “all over the world” and when once his men gain control of Italy they will remain in office for twenty years, and their government will not be called Fascism but will be given a “new name”. One has only to recall the boasting of Benito when he aspired to dominate the world to see the similarity between the two. Little wonder that reference was made in the House of Commons to I’Uomo Qualunque as “Fascist or neo-Fascist”. Says the New York Times, “More and more Italians were asking whether there was not someone behind Signor Giannini, and if so, who.” For the answer they should take their eyes off this dark figure and look at “St. Peter’s” dome in Vatican City, which casts its fascist shadow over the land. Indeed, those who hate fascism and all that it represents are up against a formidable foe in their fight for freedom.
The Hierarchy Campaigns for Votes
The fascist interests of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy are too much at stake for them to remain passive toward the political struggle that is now going on in Italy. So we see the Vatican right in the middle of the swirl of six political parties with all claws flying. Not only does she openly support the “Christian Democrat” Party, to which Dr. Alcide de Gasperi acting as both premier and foreign minister belongs, but also the Vatican exercises her power in other ways. For example, the bishops in the Vento region sent out a letter entitled “Catho- ■ lies’ Duties to Face Present Dangers” to be read in all the churches. An AP dispatch says:
The letter asserted that the separation of church from state would mean that the state would become “atheistic and agnostic” and the result would be the “enslavement of the church to the decisions of lay authorities”. Should communism control Italy, it added, there would be “no real guarantee of freedom of religion”.
To claim that where there is separation of church and state (as in the United States) there is enslavement is the same as saying that where there is a joining together of church and state (as in Mussolini’s Italy) there is freedom. Nonsense! It is not necessary to refute such "infantile reasoning with the facts; for it appears on the face to be a distortion of the truth. Black for white, d la Jesuit.
One very interesting point is that only 7 to 10 percent of the population belong t'o political parties. The masses desire freedom and liberty all right, but evidently they are not convinced that any one of the political parties is wholly interested in establishing these basic principles, and so they are prone to take an indifferent attitude toward the whole matter of politics. It is from this large population that the professional politicians solicit support.
An ill omen is cast over freedom’s future by the announcement that the most adroit and foxy politician and campaigner, one who heads the greatest Fascist organization in all Italy, namely Pope Pius XII, has personally taken to the field. Starting off his campaign for votes, Pius appealed to the women of Italy to get out and “pack” the ballot boxes. An INS report says, “Catholic, women, to whom the pontiff particularly addressed himself, were delighted he had said; ‘Your hour has struck.’” Experience gained by this organization in other countries has shown that it is very easy to control the vote by using Catholic women voters. No mention is made in this regard as to the part played by the parish priests, it being so obvious.
Garbless Nuns Will Vote Too
The forth-coming election will be the first free vote cast in Italy in more than twenty years. Knowing that the fighters for freedom will put up a real battle .to obtain democratic liberties the Vatican is putting forth every effort to retain the strangle-hold on the people that she gained with the help of Fascism. Even the nuns are being regimented to vote, a thing unheard of before in Italy. Says the New York Times: “The dispensation whereby nuns will not have to wear their habits is probably related to the continuing subtle friction over church and state in Italy, with.the possibility that sisters who appeared in conventional garb might be embarrassed.’" Not only would they be “embarrassed” but, no doubt, their lives would be endangered if they were to appear at the polls in their benighted hoods; for the Italian people have not forgotten how the nuns and priests worked with the Fascists in oppressing the people.
All this activity on the part of the Hierarchy showTs that the fighters for freedom are up against the same foes even if such leave their fascist hoods at home. We are reminded of what Mr. Bracker of the New York Times said: “It is impossible to live in Rome many months without having a man on the street and in public buildings and homes identified in a whisper as ‘a famous Fascist’." ,
The face lifting and plastic surgery done on the fascists of Italy during recent months have not been a total success. Many of their old brutish features are still visible to those who have their eyes open. Signor Parri, of the Actionist Party, in resigning as premier of Italy’s fifth cabinet called attention to this failure of the surgeons when he said, “There are rumors that Washington and London had no trust in me. The real reason for this lack of trust is that Italy has only a fragile front of anti-fascism. The Allies know what’s in back of it."
Official circles in Washington and London know that the power back of Fascism was the Vatican. They know that the “Church" supported Mussolini in all of his bloody wars against defenseless people at home and abroad. Well-informed people know all too well that the pope of Rome and his Hierarchy, the driving force back of Fascism, still remain to run . things very much to their own pleasing. Fascism has been destroyed in name only; in practice it is still very much alive.
The Real Bone of Contention
But why is there such a to-do over whether one party or the other is elected in Italy, whether the Hierarchy’s candidate is chosen or rejected ? If the results were peace for Italy and freedom and liberty for her people there would - be little more that could be asked for. However, these are the very things that are now in the balance. If the ex-Fascists regain their hold on the people, no matter by what name they call themselves, there will be little relief extended to the people. If the union of church and state is continued freedom of worship will not be tolerated. The bone of contention, in this struggle, then, is whether the concordat that protects the Catholic Church and suppressed all others will be continued.
In speaking oiuthis subject of freedom in Italy Hr. Cacciapuoti struck at the real core of the whole matter when he pleaded for freedom of worship. The New York Times (November 13, 1945), in reporting his talk sponsored by the American Committee of the World Council df Churches, says,
A plea for aid in procuring religious freedom in Italy was made here yesterday by Dr. Bernardo Cacciapuoti, professor of physics at the University of Rome, who said the position
■ of Protestants had suffered severely even before the war because of the concordat of February, 1929, between the Vatican and the Italian government.
. ’ As a result of the signing of the concordat, “Roman Catholics and Fascists were united in their efforts to restrict our liberties and our 1 religious work,” Dr. Caeciapuoti declared at 4 a luncheon of thirty Protestant leaders. . . .
The Rev. P. J. Zaccara and the Rev. Robert W. Anthony, who spent three months in Italy this year as representatives of the National Evangelical Committee for Relief in Italy and 'the Federal Council of Churches, respectively, agreed with Dr. Caeciapuoti that religious freedom could be obtained in Italy only with the help of the outside world.
When a telegram was sent to Truman by a group of Protestants asking for dissolution of the concordat, because it discriminated and suppressed freedom of worship, the Hierarchy got busy and explained that Protestantism was not mentioned specifically in the concordat and that Protestants in Italy have religious liberty under civil law. What is that? Are Protestants no longer considered “heretics” worthy of death! Has the leopard changed its spots! No, not at all. Shortly after this “explanation” Pope Pius XII, on December 13, 1945, sent a letter to the archbishop of Trento in celebration of the opening session of the Council of Trent 400 years ago, which council was called for the very purpose of combating the rise of Protestantism. This letter was to serve as a reminder and warning to Protestants that the Vatican has not forgotten that breach through which thousands escaped the clutches of the “Church” and obtained freedom and liberty to study the Bible and worship God.
Yet, why make such a fuss over the fact that Protestants are suppressed, who make up less than eight percent (some say less than one percent) of the population! For this all-important reason : the basic principles of freedom and liberty demand that the minority, whether eight percent or one-eighth of one percent, be permitted to enjoy the same rights and privileges as the majority. The philosophy that teaches that the majority shall rule, right or wrong, and the minority shall be overlooked is entirely false. The last twenty years proves it. The driving wedge of Fascism that suppressed the minority made it an easy matter to enslave the masses.
•All of this controversy over the concordat would have been avoided and the fight for human rights would have been simplified had the armistice terms been carried out, particularly those provisions which stated that 'all Fascist organizations will be disbanded, and all laws discriminating against persons on the grounds of creed will be rescinded’. These terms of the armistice must be among those referred to by Anne O’Hare McCormick, correspondent of the New York Times, as being “annulled in practice1’. They have become mere scraps of paper.
Whence Cometh Help? ’
Until the concordat that puts the Roman Catholic Hierarchy in the place and stead of God is broken there will be no freedom of worship in Italy. And if there is no freedom to worship Jehovah God there will be no opportunity to enjoy other liberties. So, then, where can the people look for help in their fight for this freedom! If they turn to the political parties on the right hand, they find the ex-Fascists who advocate for a continuance of the concordat. If they look to those on the left, the Communists under the leadership of the shrewd Palmiro Togliatti, they find no relief, for, while Saying they favor private property, individual liberty and religious freedom, the Communists show their inconsistency by also announcing that there will be "'no change in the Lateran Treaty with the Vatican” and the concordat will continue. Surely there is no “political party truly representing the great mass of people”, says Sforza, whom some have characterized as “one of the best-informed political experts in Italy”.
Sforza also says “the Italian people . . . hate monarchy”. “Why,” asks Mr. Churchill of United Feature Syndicate, “is there so much hostility today toward the House ,of Savoy [the monarchy]?” The reason' for this hatred and hostility is that the House of Savoy was one of the three main straws in the Vatican-Fascist-Monarchy totalitarian house of “wood, hay, stubble” that the Jesuits built. The masses of the people do not desire monarchy, nor do they want Communism or Fascism. They want freedom from all of these dictatorial forms of government. But, alas I how will they obtain their desire?
The “Commander to the People”
The people of Italy cannot pin their hope on any sinister politician as their leader even if he bears such flattering titles as “primate of Italy”, “pontifex maximus,” “vicar of Christ,” etc. After considering the record no honest person will hail the pope of Rome as the savior of Italy. Neither will they say that his organization is qualified to redeem for Italy the liberty and freedom that she needs so much. Notwithstanding that Pope Pius XII is the strongest man in Italy, still he is not the “Commander to the People”.—Isaiah 55:4.
There is, however, one who rightfully bears this title. His name is Christ Jesus, and because He has been given all power in heaven and earth He is the true Commander around whom the fighters for freedom may rally. This One is fully qualified and capable of clearing out all traces of Fascism from Italy, both political and ecclesiastical. Men of good-will w’ho follow such Leader not only will be brought out into freedom’s open and airy spaces but also w’ill be given life under righteous conditions.
At present Christ Jesus has His witnesses in the earth and they are commissioned to “proclaim liberty to the captives”. (Isaiah 61:1) In the due time their great Commander will see to it that this army of witnesses is sent into Italy, the stronghold of fascistic Catholicism, there to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”. (Leviticus 25:10) The 1946 Yearbook of Jehovah's witnesses gives assurance of this when it says, “By the Lord's grace, the Society will do everything it possibly can to aid” not only Jehovah’s witnesses in Italy but also their good-will companions and will, therefore, “establish an office in that land some day.”
So rejoice, ye groaning Italians, and be glad with Jehovah’s witnesses. (Bomans 15:10) For when the righteous rule of The Theocracy is in full swTay over the earth, then it will be said with jubilation that the fight for freedom earth-wide has been won.
Have We Time for Study?
^QTUDY to shew thyself approved,”
O is the admonition of the apostle Paul. But in these, the last days, when time is so precious and so short the Theocratic minister cries, “Study? When?” None of us can say we have any time to spare before six o’clock in the evening whether in secular work or performing our commission in the full-time service. Even then, at least three nights per week are taken up by meetings and the rest of the time occupied by book studies, street witnessing, at the doors, public meeting advertising, etc. For most of us it is nine o’clock or nine-thirty before we can call our time our own.
And We Are Tired ,
But there are talks to prepare, book studies to look,up, Watchtowers to go over, Consolationstc peruse, So in despair we put our heads down and attempt to discipline our weary brains into an hour or ninety minutes of hard study. Result: eleven o’clock or even twelve we stagger to bed dead tired, our brain in a turmoil, so much so that we are unable to settle down to sleep until one in the morning. Comes the dawn and we wake up, not refreshed, but tired and heavy. This affects us for the rest of the day.
“But,” we cry in amazement, “if we do not study at night, when can we do so Well, how about this:
Let us assume that we arrive home at nine-thirty and retire immediately after a light supper; about ten perhaps, not later. Being happily tired because we have had a day full of privileges of service we go of? to sleep quickly, a sound, restful sleep. We have set the alarm for six o’clock a.m., and by that time have enjoyed some eight hours of refreshing relaxation. So at once on waking we arise. Our first act is to prepare a hot drink. Tn the meantime we have opened the door and are taking deep, full breaths of fresh air (see page 70 of Theocratic Aid to . Kingdom Publishers, dealing with correct breathing). '
Having had our hot drink we can then settle down to sixty or ninety minutes of quiet, uninterrupted study. Our brain is fresh. We have all conditions in favor of absolute concentration, and even at the end of the study period we are not in any way fatigued or mentally weary. The mind has been stimulated rather than overloaded. One hour of such study is worth twice as much done at night.
This is not the only time we can utiliae. There is the lunch time. Usually most of us have an hour and take up only a quarter of it eating; the remaining time is excellent for reading The Watchtower, Consolation, or that new publication. The bulk of the studying, however, has been done in the early part of the day, when we were at our best.—Contributed from England,
Stake, Stake, Who’s Got the Stake?
ONE comical thing that occurred during the war was the action of the Northern Baptist Convention at Atlantic City, May 25, 1944. The original resolution started off with the statement, “God has a stake in this war.” The resolution wTas presented by “Reverend” Daniel J. Poling, pastor of the Philadelphia Baptist Temple and president of the World’s Christian Endeavor Union. The next day the convention removed the statement “God has a stake in this war”. They weren’t sure. The only thing certain is
that the Baptists want it known that in time of peace they are for peace, but in time of war they are for war. But whether God has any stake in either the war or the peace, they manifestly do not know. And, of course, never looking in the Bible to see what Almighty God is about to' do, and for that matter is actually doing, they will never.find out until the advent of Armageddon how they have been deceived and how they have deceived others, to their mutual ruin and destruction. ' ।
Transmitting News in Wartime
DURING World War II, in their eagerness to get news while it was still “hot”, more than forty war correspondents were killed and more than one hundred were wounded. This shows devotion to their work.
It w’as hard to enforce censorships after the shooting ceased. It was so hard,
' in fact, that the. Associated Press sent
■ out tile story of Germany’s surrender
twenty-four hours before it was released officially, and the organization has had to issue apologies and explanations galore ever since that took place.
The general cry for a free press went up everywhere as soon as the war was over. Newspapermen chafed at conditions in lands under control of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, such as Eire, . Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany. In Portugal, for instance, none might mention the Roman Catholic dictator Salazar at all unless they praised him as an outstanding statesman and humanitarian. Newsmen found it hard to get any dependable news out of India or China.
*What Medical Journals Say About Vivisection
AYS TAe Medical World:
Animal experiments, as performed in physiological and pharmacological laboratories today, call for serious criticism by the medical man who is actually engaged in practicing medicine. We submit that the majority, if indeed not all, of such experiments arc distinctly misleading as to the deductions drawn from them. It is undoubtedly the experimenting physiologist and pharmacologist who give the lever to the anti-vivisectionist. Can we wonder at this when we read of the endless experiments performed on animals under the guise of medical research that either yield no praetieal results whatever, or merely erroneous conclusions?
In a recently published book on Insulin by the lecturer in Chemistry at University College, Exeter, we read of an experiment performed in which three dogs were employed. Between two of them a double carotidjugular anastomosis was established, while the body of one of them was kept alive by artificial respiration. Between the latter and the third dog a pancreatic-jugular anastomosis was established. This experiment was an attempt to prove that the secretion of insulin is under control of the vagus centre which depends for its stimulation on the hyperglycaemic condition. This is an ingenious and weird experiment, but what conclusion could be drawn from it? The dogs were in a totally abnormal state throughout the whole experiment. And yet the experimenter expects the practising physician to accept conclusions drawn from such a ghastly piece of laboratory research. Is it not time that the medical profession declare their total disapproval of such experiments? . . .
We firmly believe that only when we get away from the physiological or pharmacological laboratory, and go back to the bedside, will we begin to ad<t to our knowledge of disease in man. Professor Hastings Gilford wrote in the British Medical Journal (Jan. 20, 1934); “There is much to be said for the belief . . . that the chief cause of this new obstacle to progress is the present dominance of experimental research over clinical and pathological investigation.” We commend these pertinent remarks, which we thorougldy endorse, to those who still pay homage to the animal experimenter.
Says The Medical Times: ■
Students are trained to believe that a knowledge of the results of animal experiments is a sine qua non to successful practice. As a matter of fact, such experiments are more frequently misleading in their results than otherwise. No, it is clinical and praetieal knowledge that counts when the former student goes out into the world to deal with patients. Tie may know what is the action of certain drugs on the pregnant uterus of the rabbit, or the effect of destroying the spinal cord of a frog and then dropping a solution of nicotine on the sinus venosus; but when face to fate with a postpartum hemorrhage, or a case of threatened heart failure, his knowledge of these experiments will be of no use whatever.
TliyWORD is Truth”
-John 17:17
The Old-fashioned Ghost
“ghost” is just a venerated carry-
VT over from the old Anglo-Saxon word gast, meaning breath or spirit, and Corresponds with the modern German word geist, meaning spirit. The generally accepted thought among religionists is that a ghost is a spirit person. Do not the clergy of “Christendom” teach that their so-called “holy ghost” is the third person of a “triune god” I With that idea, doubtless, the producers of the popular King James Version of the Bible used the word ghost in their translation, as did also the translators of the Roman Catholic Douay Version Bible. Sensible modern translators who wanted their readers to understand their translation used the words holy spirit and dropped ghost.
The spirit of the Lord God Jehovah is invisible to man and is powerful. It is His active force. It is properly called “the holy spirit” because all His active force is holy or applied to righteousness. The holy spirit is not a person or being, and no Bible text authorizes such a religious conclusion. When God puts His spirit upon a creature, that creature is clothed with power and authority to act as the representative or agent of Jehovah God. God put His spirit upon David, as His witness, and David said: “The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23: 2) Likewise the Lord God put His spirit of wisdom upon Israelites who were directed to build certain things in connection with the sacred tabernacle. These men were clothed with authority and qualifications to serve the Lord God.—Exodus 35.
Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah, who wrote: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to pro-, claim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” (Isaiah 61:1,2; Luke 4:18-21) This scripture shows that the holy spirit is the active force which God conferred upon Jesus as evidence of His authority. God commissioned Jesus to represent Him and to speak with authority in His name. Concerning Jesus the Lord God says: “I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 42: 1) This was pictured in the anointing oil that was poured upon the head of the Jewish high priest, whereby he was clothed with authority. Now Jehovah God had placed His spirit upon His beloved Son, thereby anointing Him to represent His Father, Jehovah God
Concerning Jesus’ being anointed with the holy spirit it is written: “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Hebrews 1:9; Psalm 45:7) It is also written: “Even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the holy spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”—Acts 10:38, Am. Stan. Ver.
These quotations definitely prove that the holy spirit is not a person and is therefore not one of the religious “gods” of a heathenish “trinity”. It is proof that the holy spirit 'is the holy active force of Jehovah God, conferred upon His beloved Son and upon others whom God authorized to represent Him. These and other scriptures expose the falseness of religion’s doctrine of trinity and disclose that the clergy of “Christendom” have misrepresented the Lord God and do willfully misrepresent Him.
The appearance of a dove at the time that God poured out His holy spirit upon Jesus is no proof of a trinity of “Father, Son and holy ghost”. Jesus was then a perfect man, the only perfect man that ever lived upon earth, aside from Adam when he was in Hden. Jesus then stood upon the banks of the turbulent Jordan declaring His devotion to His Father and God. There God put His holy spirit upon Jesus and clothed Him with full power and authority to speak in His name. There He was beginning His mighty work. He was perfect, holy, harmless, and apart from sinners. Says the prophecy to Him: “Thou art fairer than the children of men ; grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee *for ever.” (Psalm 45:2) He was the very embodiment of truth, meekness rfnd righteousness. With frankness and boldness He spoke the truth. “Never man spake like this man.” (John 7:46) The reason was that He was a perfect man entirely devoted to doing Jehovah's will and He came to speak the message which His Father had given Him to speak. Said he: “I have not spoken of myself; hut the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what T should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so 1 speak.” (John 12: 49, 50) God sent Him into the world to speak the truth, and He did speak the truth. He said: “To this end was I horn, and for this cause came T into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” (John 18:3?) Tt follows, then, that those who contradict or deny the words of Jesus do not speak the truth.
Hear now the words of Jesus and note that He brands the teachers of the dogma of the “trinity” as the sons and agents of Satan, the greatest liar that ever existed. To the clergy of His day, who then refused to hear and abide by His words, Jesus said in plain phrase: “If God were your Father, ye wmuld love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speak-eth of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:42-44) The clergy, who have taught and yet teach that the “holy ghost” is a trinitarian person equal to God and Jesus, refuse to hear and obey the Bible truth, and thereby put themselves in the same class to which the Pharisees were assigned by Jesus.
Such trinitarians say: ‘God, Jesus and the holy ghost are one, co-eternal, of the same identical substance and alike in gower.’ Jesus said: “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) He did not say, My Father is greater than my fleshly body, but He referred to himself as the Son of God, to mean that the Father is greater than the Son to whom He gave life. The clergy' say, in effect, by their “trinity” doctrine, ‘Jesus was and is his own father.’ Those clergymen do not speak by the spirit of God and do not tell the truth. The true relationship between God and Jesus is that of Life-giver, or Father and Liferecciver or Son, and this relationship Jesus always acknowfl edged. He said: “The Father loveth the Son, and shew-eth him all things that himself doeth.” (John 5:20) Jesus never taught His disciples ‘to believe in a holy-gliostifsh person; that is, Tie never taught that the holy7 spirit of God is a person.
CONSOLATION
Left to right: First Row: Akmakjlan. 8.. Everett. B. L., Frans. E. M.. Johnson. J.. Bulsnet. N. A.. Ferrari. A. M. Wetsler. J. E., Schnell, F. A. L.. Sutton. M. L.. Tetslaff, M. A.. Lubeck. T. M.. Hitch. R I. Second Row: Taclak. .M A.. Shepard. M , Fcnncma. R.. Skwara. A., Sorrell. M. P.. Orlman. J.. Davin. L I.. Ballentine. L. M.. McCumber, M. C., George. L. G.. Wlsstnan. I. M., Hare. J. M.. Watkins. W. M. Third Row: I-am pert. L.. Toelk. R.. Guslk. G. H.. Blluard. A. G., Nelson. F. G., Kern, V. M., Lubeck, E. A.. Yeatts. H. I., Lauck. E. E., Shaffer. E. K.. Flnken. G. A.. McKenile. J R.. Estrada. O. Fourth Row: Carlson, E. M., Repka. P. D.. White, R.. Roper. H. L.. Roper, M. L.,
…