The German Caritas Union has a special department which deals with Catholics of non-aryan extraction who suffered so ter ribly during the Nazi regime. These people are in an especially bad position as they had to stiffer for racial reasons under Hitler and now do not receive the benefits from Jewish organisations which others enjoy.
Now, as a token of gratitude to her—and to Caritas—by the Jewish Community, she is in England as guest of the former German Chief Rabbi, Dr. Beck.
♦ • • The German Caritas Union have produced a full length musical film Answer of the heart which shows the working of Christian charity in modern circumstances. The premiere will take place in Munich in the middle of December. Those who attended a pre-view said that this, in a different way. was the German counterpart of Monsieur Vincent.
The film. which runs for 90 minutessis available for both small and full range projectors.
As the text is less important than the picture and music it will be suitable for use in other countries. It will be shown in 1950 at the International Caritas Exhibition in Rome and.it is hoped that it will be seen in England, too.
There are still several hundred thousand German p.o.w.s in Russia detained as slave workers. In addition to ordinary soldiers who are slowly being released there are the members of the S.S. and other Nazi-organisations who are regarded as criminals and kept back without trial or even the pretence of a personal investigation, In some cases the whole of the members of some divisions of the regular army which the Russians especially dislike are being held back without any hone of return.
The surprise was therefore all the greater when a short while ago a group of some seventy S.S. menthe most hated group—arrived in a Bavarian camp for the demobilization of p.o.w.s.
The reason for their release, how ever, was typical of the Soviet system; the fact that no return could ever be hoped for had so lessened the output of the slave workers that a few were sent home as an incentive to the others.
Caritas. the German charitable organisation has elected to its vicepresidency, the Federal Minister for Refugee questions, Herr Lukaschek. Herr Lukaschek was formerly Governor-General of Silesia, the entire German population of which has been expelled.
• e • The death is announced from Leutesdorf of the founder of one of Germany's most successful and popular modern missionary societies, Fr. Johannes Maria Haw, the Superior General of the Missionary Society of St. John Baptist, and the sisters of St John and Our Lady Queen of Heaven.
Both branches of the new foundation use modern methods in the apostolate, and the sisters wear no distinctive religious dress. The two societies have an astonishing number of novices compared to the older religious orders and congregations.
The huge concrete •air raid shelter near Dusseldorf which was converted into a church mostly by the voluntary labour of the parishioners was recently consecrated and is now in use as a parish church.