Churches Ban Sale of Social Justice Following Disavowal by Detroit Archdiocese

A number of distributors of the anti-Semitic magazine Social Justice were barred today from their posts in front of many churches, where they usually sold the publication every Sunday, as a result of the announcement by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit this week-end disavowing the mouthpiece of Father Coughlin.

In order to make clear that Social Justice, which is formally owned by the parents of the radio priest, is not a Catholic paper, the Catholic Archdiocese published an editorial in its organ The Michigan Catholic in which it disassociates itself from the anti-Semitic publication. The editorial reads.

“A Catholic paper is, by definition, one that is published under the supervision of proper church authority. Social Justice is not under such supervision and is, therefore, not a Catholic paper. Moreover, for nearly two years back–since Father Coughlin’s latest withdrawal from responsibility for Social Justice with the issue of May 27, 1940–no priest of this diocese has asked or received permission to contribute to Social Justice and no priest of this diocese has been authorized to associate himself in any capacity with its publication or circulation or to the knowledge of this office, has actually done so. In a word, the Archdiocese of Detroit has no responsibility, direct or indirect, for Social Justice Magazine.”