Italian claims that Saturday’s accord between the Fascist Party and the Catholic Action definitely removed the racial question from the Church’s jurisdiction were given further denial tonight by the Osservatore Romano, authoritative Vatican organ.
In support of Pope Pius XI’s renewed attack Sunday on “exaggerated nationalism,” the newspaper asserted: “Facism is not a political argument, but on the contrary, remains within the competence of the Church because it is a world danger.”
Fascist commentator Virginio Gayda had declared in Giornale d’Italia that the “racial theme belongs entirely to politics and remains beyond all control and any censure of the Church.” This opinion was republished in many newspapers abroad, particularly French and German. The latter had asserted that the Catholic Action had recognized the limits of its action.
Osservatore Romano refuted this thesis tonight and termed such conclusions “fantastic.” The Vatican newspaper declared: “It suffices to note that racism, such as the Pope considered it, does not constitute a ‘political theme’, but represents perils to the great human and Christian family essentially of a spiritual, moral and religious nature, properly belonging therefore to the pastoral solicitude of the Pope and the church.”
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