Highest Communist Party Body Halts Forcible Closing of All Places of Worship

An order urging the discontinuance of the policy of closing places of worship in the collectivized regions was issued today by the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Emphasizing that the local Communists had proceeded to extremes in fighting religion, the official Communist party order is addressed to every party branch throughout the country.

It declares “the Central Committee of the Communist party finds it necessary to point out the absolute intolerable crippling of the party line in the fight with religious prejudices by forcibly closing places of worship without the consent of a majority of the population. The Central Committee thereby instructs you to discontinue the complete closing of places of worship by administrative measures with the excuse of an alleged voluntary demand by the population.

“These places may be closed only where a majority of the residents really want them closed and even then the consent of higher authorities is necessary before closing them. For rude acts against the religious feelings of a population the guilty will be punished.”

The order also cautions against compelling the peasant to join the government grain farms against their will and also not to collectivize cattle and dwellings and to allow free trade in the villages by reopening the fairs and street markets which were recently closed and by not disturbing the peasants in selling vegetables and dairy products freely and privately.

The order further urges a revision of the list of kulaks who were expelled from their villages and a return of land and confiscated property to certain categories of kulaks.