UNITED STATES BISHOPS WARN AGAINST

EUROPEAN ENTANGLEMENTS
" LET US PRESERVE AMERICA AS THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, WHERE WE KEEP THE ADVANTAGES OF CIVILISATION, SO THAT AFTER THE INEVITABLE BLOODY WAR DESOLATES THE RACES OF EUROPE WE CAN UTILISE THESE ADVANTAGES FOR A NEW CIVILISATION."
These were words used by an American Bishop, one of four who have recently been spreading among American Catholics the view that America must not take part in a European war.
Particular emphasis is laid on the Those who spoke against intervention were Cardinal O'Connell, Archbishop of Boston, Mgr. John A. Duffy, Bishop of Buffalo, Mgr. Michael J. Curley, Archbishop of Baltimore, and Mgr. Gerald Shaughnessy, S.M., Bishop of Seattle.
Most forthright of the four statements was Bishop Duffy's, in which the Buffalo prelate declared Its would urge the young men of his diocese to refrain from military service if the United States entered into an alliance with Soviet Russia.
Mgr. Duffy repeated this declaration at a more recent occasion, and enlarged on it to warn that war would mean an American dictatorship.
Said Mgr. Duffy : " France is a dictatorship now. England will be to-morrow, and the United States must become a dictatorship to win because to win a war under, conditions of modern warfare you must give up all liberty of belief; you must be regimented.
" By becoming a dictatorship, America will lose its prized ideals, grand privileges, and will become a part of a coalition with Russia, the most ' brutalarian ' nation that exists in the world.
Resists Link With Russia
" The idea at the bottom of all is the subservience of the individual and the destruction of the works and dignity of man for the aggrandisement of economic or territorial power," the prelate continued.
" At the moment the Jew is the victim, although at other times the Catholics were the victims. The purpose always has been the same."
Mgr. Duffy then repeated his warning that he would urge Catholic young men to refrain from service along with Communist allies: " I again publicly state that I will oppose any movement In which America would join with an atheistic government, and I would be ready for any consequences which might result to myself for such a stand."
Expressing the opinion that America could not Influence Europe, Mgr. Duffy favoured a rigid isolation in his conclusion.
" Let us preserve America as the ark of the covenant, where we can keep the advantages of civilisation," he said, " so that after the inevitable bloody war desolates the races of Europe, we can utilise these advantages for a new civilisation. Let us preserve America since we cannot help the perverted mind of Europe."
Message to Knights
In a message to the Knights of Columbus, given at Boston, Cardinal O'Connell, of that city, recalled the advice of George Washington, " Avoid foreign entanglements," and went on to say: " Washington counselled caution in approaching the problems which involve our nation in the affairs of other nations. Washington counselled prudent and calm ' consideration of those problems, and bluntly told us as a nation to mind our own business and not to meddle in the affairs of other nations.
" What Washington said to the citizens of his day is good, sound, patriotic advice in these days. This true patriotism — the patriotism of Lincoln and of Washington — is not so evident to-day."
Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was singled out for attack by Archbishop Curley of Baltimore in a sermon to the Post Office employees of that city at their annual Communion breakfast.
" Did Christ have any part in the so-caned Peace of Versailles?" Archbishop Curley asked. " Was the voice of His Vicar heard in the halls that drafted that so-called Peace? No, God was banished from Versailles. They did not want Him nor did they want His Vicar. The name of God was not mentioned in the Versailles Pact. The heads of the nations felt they could do without God. They cannot do without Him. In their pride the rulers of nations rejected Him, and to-day they see the world in chaos, crushed tby war or trembling at the thought of war. Puny men have tried to supplant God. Without God there can be no peace, no sanity, naught but ruin."
Propaganda
Sounding a warning against war propaganda, Archbishop Curley turned his guns on the European democracies, saying : " I ask you to-day not to be swayed by war propaganda. Many of us recall the propaganda of 22 years ago in this country and other countries. I am speaking particularly now of this country. We were asked to make the World Safe for Democracy. What democracy? Our country was not invaded then; it is not being invaded now. We shall willingly and courageously defend America if needs be, but there is no reason why we should fight the battles of war-mad countries in Europe. We have done nothing to stir up strife in Europe. We are not responsible for what is
danger of an alliance with Russia.
going on over there. We want to live in peace and we must be determined to live in peace.
" Where are the democracies in Europe which we are called upon to save? I am not an exponent Of totalitarian states, but again I ask, where are the democracies in Europe?"
" Bogus Democracy "
A more detailed attack on the European democracies came from the pulpit of Bishop Shaughnessy of Seattle, a prelate who has become widely known throughout the country for his forthright sermons and statements on social questions.
Bishop Shaughnessy, one of the few American prelates to belong to a religious Order, took Russia, France and England to task for their pretensions to democracy in these words : " Shall we save the democracy of the Russian Bear? What Is the democracy that she exemplifies? It is the democracy, if you must call it that, that suppresses all religion.
" It is the democracy that imprisons priests and bishops. It is that system of so called government that enslaves the worker and deprives him of all his natural rights. If we must go to war, let us at least not add to injustice the perhaps greater sin of hypocrisy by posing as the saviours of democracy in a country which is ruled by atheistic Communism.
" Are we justified in taking up arms that that system shall be maintained? Again, 11 we are asked to fight side by side with democratic ' France against the dictators of the world, let us remember that France has, in preparation for the conflict, distinctly and categorically actually named its real ruler as dictator and granted to him those powers that it decries in other rulers.
Attack On British Empire
" And finally, if we are asked to save again the great British democracy,' let us first analyse how that democracy works throughout the immense possessions that it has gathered unto itself and upon which, it boasts, the sun never sets. Oh! ask the hill tribes of India what brand of democracy is meted out to them by that great democratic nation that looks to us to-day to destroy the peace of Christ on earth. Let us ask the gold and diamond workers of South Africa to tell us the story of the blessings of democracy that they enjoy.
" Let us ask the Catholics of the six counties ' of Ireland to come forward and proclaim the inestimable blessings of democracy bestowed upon them by the crushing British Government. In a word, my dearly beloved brethren, if you will but match nation and nation you will find that for the most part the so-called democratic nations that call to us for help are but wolves in sheep's clothing. They must not pull the mask down before our eyes again."
Catholic Paper Disagrees The Pittsburgh Catholic, diocesan organ for that city, expressed a sentiment somewhat in disagreement with some of the views of the prelates quoted. The Catholic, in an editorial column entitled " To The Point," took issue with those who claim that " the Catholic position " is one of " total isolation."
Says the Catholic, " The complete implication of these ideas cannot be reconciled with the Catholic position."
Arguing for a prudent but friendly neutrality which might enable Europe to settle its problems with American aid, the Pittsburgh Catholic praises President Roosevelt's peace message to the dictators. The Pittsburgh paper adds that the United States should seek to avert war in Europe " as a matter of self-interest, as well as in the name of humanity."
While the Pittsburgh paper praises Roosevelt's message, it sharply criticises the secular Press for distorting Osservatore Romano's comments on the message, and then proceeds to take the American Press in general to task for Its sensationalism in handling war news.
C.A.I.P. Policy Another instance of difference of opinion among Catholics over the issue of neutrality versus intervention was revealed in comments on the Easter conference of the Catholic Association for International Peace.
The current issue of Wisdom, a hi-monthly published in New York, reveals that the Catholic Student Peace Federation, which was organised by the C.A.I.P., wished to adopt a resolution putting the Federation on record as favouring a rigid neutrality.
According to the Wisdom report, this attempt was squelched by C.A.I.P. officials, who appear to have favoured some form of intervention. It is known that the former president of the C.A.I.P., Dr. Charles G. Fenwick, favours collective security, and in general supports the New Deal foreign policy.
As a supplementary to this correspondent's earlier report on Catholic views on American neutrality, or isolation (the latter term has given way to the former), it may be said that sentiment for rigid neutrality is growing.
One may also detect, as in the Pittsburgh Catholic's comments, and from other sources, that the minority opinion, favouring some form of guarded intervention, is growing in strength and influence. Collective security, in the form of a coalition of the democracies, has exceptionally few, and rather hesitant, supporters.