"Depressing Nordic Heresy

—Says Cardinal Schuster
"STOCK-BREEDING"
—Van Roey
Mgr. Downey's Address At Non-Religious Meeting
MEASURED CONDEMNATIONS OF '1'HE NEW RACIALIST HERESY HAVE BEEN UTTERED RECENTLY BY CARDINAL SCHUSTER, ARCHBISHOP OF MILAN; CARDINAL VAN ROEY, ARCHBISHOP OF MALINES; CARDINAL VERDIER, ARCHBISHOP OF PARIS, AND THE CARDINAL PATRIARCHOF LISBON, MGR. CEREJE IRA.
Mgr. Downey, Archbishop of Liverpool, has also denounced the doctrine of Blood and Soil at a crowded meeting in the Central Hall, Liverpool.
Cardinal Schuster, preaching in Milan Cathedral, denounced this " depress ing new Nordic heresy " which, moreover, he claimed, was " anti-Imperialistic and un-Roman."
He contrasted it with the true Roman Imperialism of Augustus who transcended racial differences in his conception of the Roman citizen.
This outspoken sermon has created a deep impression in Italy where Cardinal Schuster is known as a fervent supporter of Fascism.
Signor Farinacci has replied to Cardinal Schuster, in his newspaper Regime Fasciata, protesting his Catholic orthodoxy, and claiming that, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, Jews should be kept in a state of perpetual slavery.
to Cardinal Schuster's denunciation of Racialism, declares that the Cardinal is "one of the most intelligent Prelates of the Church." and observes that " we (Fascists) are violent in our doctrine but human in practice, and we have never been so severe (on the Jews) as some of the Fathers of the Church, and especially St. Thomas Aquinas."
Signor Farinacci says, with regard to St. Thomas: The gifted Cardinal Schuster is undoubtedly a student of the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. So am I, though with less authority for my interpretation.
St. Thomas, " Anti-Semitic" " For that reason we recall that St. Thomas wrote in the opusculum to the Duchess of Brabant:
" According to law, the Jews are and should be maintained in a state of perpetual slavery; and thus temporal Sovereigns can take as their own the property of the Jews and dispose of it, as long as they pay due regard to moderation and do not deprive the Jews of the fundamental necessities of life.'
" It is necessary," says Farinacci, in conclusion, " for us to say something else and that is that independently of what has been for thousands of years and what is still the attitude of the Church, the racial problem is exclusively political.
" And in politics a State has its rights independently of anybody. A State which is truly sovereign adopts the attitude which will best safeguard its. people from hostile influences. Just as the Church thunders away with the Encyclicals of the Popes and with the Pastorals of Bishops, so we strike at those who are the creators and the elite of Communism—the Jews."
Safely Orthodox In an earlier editorial, Signor Farinacci describes his speech at Milan on the race theory as being of " safe Catholic orthodoxy." and attacks at the same time the courageous Catholic daily of Milan,
L'Italia had suggested that before certain people venture to tell the Church what she should teach they should first know their Catechistn, and in his reply, Signor Farinacci endeavours to convey to his readers the impression that he holds always close to his heart the Church's teaching (but only on doctrinal matters).
BELGIAN PRIMATE REFUTES RACISM
Cardinal van Roey, Primate of Belgium, has refuted the racist theories of the totalitarian states. The text is published in the November number of the Mechlin Diocese Review, Collectanea Mechliniensia.
What the racist theory is, the Cardinal first shows by quoting the definition given by Rosenberg in his book, " The Myth of the Twentieth Century."
Rosenberg writes:— " Blood is the source of life . . . . Every quality of race and individual springs therefrom. . . Blood is the essential link uniting race and making it one homogeneous and exclusive whole. Blood is the exclusive principle of right. That which suits race, is just. That which harms race is unjust."
What Are We To Think Of
" Now what are we to think of this doctrine of blood and race?" asks Cardinal van Roey.
It is not proved that the racial purity of blood is a condition of progress, the Cardinal writes. On the contrary, many learned men maintain that the crossbreeding of races contributes to their development and favours the advancement of humanity.
History and science also show that all laces, excepting such as are arrived at an irremediable degree of decadence, are capable of becoming perfect.
To convince ourselves of this truth we need only look at what is happening in
the Belgian Congo. There, the most primitive peoples are giving proof of marvellous aptitudes, and out there Christian civilisation is making admirable progress.
None the less, goes on the Cardinal, the racist doctrine most obviously reflects the most abject materialism.
" From the Blood"
For to consider not only the physical qualities of the race but still more the highest values, such as are called spiritual, the intelligence, the will, right, moral and even religion, as deriving from the blood, is this not to reduce everything down to material elements and forces?
This doctrine destroys the traditional notion of Right. the absolute concept, superior to one's interests, in one common measure for all individuals and for all peoples.
They have. for instance, arrived at the stage of obligatory sterilisation of persons, sick, degenerate or merely inapt to reproduce healthy and useful offspring to the race.
Simply Race-Hygiene
In a general way, from the moment moral is at the service of the race and has no other role to perform but to assure and promote the purity and vigour of the blood, it becomes simply racial hygiene: it lowers itself to do for men what stockbreeding (raising) does for animals.
FRENCH CARDINAL'S CONGRATULATIONS
Cardinal Verdier. Archbishop of Paris, congratulated Cardinal van Roey, Primate of Belgium. for his spirited and learned study on racist theories.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Paris writes: " You show with perfect clearness what is arbitrary and dangerous in these new theories of blood and race.
" The happenings which we are witnessing today and which so deeply shock our human sensibility and discontent our reason loudly proclaim that individuals and peoples are already obeying these strange convictions.
" Like Wild Beasts" " Quite near to U.s, in the name of the rights of race, thousands upon thousands of men are being hunted down like wild beasts. stripped of their goods. and as veritable pariahs, are seeking in vain in the bosom of civilisation a refuge and a morsel of bread.
"Such is the outcome of the racist theory. And, if recently a crime, stupid to be sure, but a crime one cannot too severely reprove, has over-excited all the passions of a whole people, it is quite certain that these violent attitudes are due particularly to the new philosophy which is being propagated and exploited,"
Mgr. Downey on "Blood and Soil"
Mgr. Richard Downey, Archbishop of Liverpool, denounced Germany's " savagery " when speaking at a non-sectarian i and non-political meeting n the Central Hall, Liverpool.
The meeting, called to protest against the treatment of Jews in Germany, was also addressed by Dr. David, Anglican Germany's friends in Europe and America (and she had many), said Dr. Downey, were distressed for her, because she had broken with her own past, with her great cultural and humane tradition, and set out to blaze a new path, the path of Blood and Soil, which, in reality was the narrow path of intolerance.
Every foreign influence, every spiritual and cultural importation was held to enfeeble the German soul and corrupt the nation. Hence the persecution of the Jew as an alien, and, after that, the persecution of the Christians because Christianity, like Jewry, was " not of the blood and soil," There was nothing Teutonic about it— away with it!
Portuguese Cardinal's Denunciation
The Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Mgr. Cerejeira, has condemned German racialkm in a speech to members of the Portuguese clergy.
In Germany, he said, they are trying to replace Catholicism by a religion of the German community.