Bishops of Germany Concerned for Christianity in Occupied Europe

Last December the German Bishops, in a special petition, the text of which has not yet reached here, called on the Reich to end Nazi persecution of the Church, particularly iii occupied lands. This summary was issued by the U.S. .0thee of War Information at Washington.
The special plea of the petition is to ask the German Governotent for relief against' "measures of officials of the (Nazi) Party and Government that are directed against the Church and against Christianity." and of " violations of the free practice of the religion of Catholic Christians in the territories that recently have Come to Germany."
Asserting that "'around Germany, in all the occupied territories, a rampart enmity is tieing of bitterness and
erected," the Bishops declared that this was largely due to the " ruthless interference of the officers of the Party and the population."
ALSACE-LORRAINE In Alsace-Ldrraine, the statement said, the German Government " has enforced in a much more rigorous form the anti-Church laws which In 1919 the French Government did not venture to carry over from France itself to Alsace
lenrraine," Then were cited " such incisive, ruthlessly executed measures " as the expulsion of large numbers of priests, dissolution of church organisations and endowments and widespread confiscation of property.
Even worse, said the Bishops, was the "hostile rejection of all Germans " in Luxembourg, because of the " ruthlessly executed closing of monastei ies," restrictions of the work of the priests, and " the placing of numerous respected Luxembourg citizens in con centration camps, which frequently resulted in the death of the person placed there within a short time.
POLAND
" Even more cheerless than in the West is the religious situatiol) in the newly-attached Eastern territories." the document declared, In Polaad, particularly in " all the Warthegau," clergy have been arrested and sent to concentration camps, churches plundered and used " for profane purposes," and the 'Church left " entirely without rights," even " those Polish clergymen who had shown themselves absolutely friendly to the Germans by race."
THE UKRAINE The statement describes the widespread expulsion of priests " into 10Wer Ukraine " and the confiecation of Church property. This treatment, the Bishops asserted, has caused any enthusiasm for Germany that existed among the deeply religious Slosenes to turn into hatred of the Germans. " Thus guerilla warfare has come about there, which in turn has brought about bloody counter measures, ashich are driving to despair the portion of the population that is still quiet."
Expressing " deep anxiety for the good name and the welfare of the Fatherland." the Bishops added, " we beg the Government of the Reich to put a stop ro the unre sir anti-religious agitation of Peru' vofficers and to the destructive measures against the Church and Christianity. which are unwise politically and display scorn of all mankind."
T petition, signed by all the Bishops in conference at Fulda, was sent at the time of its issue with a special letter of transmission to the Minister for Church Affairs, the Education Minister, and to the Chief or the Reich Chancellery.