Dutch Bishops claim right of a Catholic Press

Once more the Catholic Bishops of Holland have issued a pastoral letter, which was read in all Holland's Catholic Churches on July 16.
From the fulminations against this document over the Nazi-controlled radio, it is learnt that the Bishops have protested against the fact that there exists no longer a Catholic press in Holland, since " the present authorities arc making it practically impossible to defend Christian Truth, to view problems and events in the light of the eternal principles of the Gospel and the Instructions of the Church regarding the education of the people and the restoration in Jesus Christ of personal and general social life.
The Nazis allege that Maasbode (Catholic national daily, forbidden x0011 after the occupation) had since 1933 ivied to express its Catholic character solely in an open, one-sided, negative light against Germany."
In this connection it is of interest that the Maasbode reappeared a few months ago underground. Holland had already several Catholic underground papers, such as Christofoor (Christopher), Kalholiek Kompas (Catholic Comps). At the same time, Catholics
are also actively taking part in the production and distribution of a large variety of secret papers, in particular of Je Maintiendrat (I shall maintain, the motto of the Royal House of Orange).
TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
The Catholic underground press has for some time paid particular attention to the question : " Is one national Catholic political patty still necessary?" a question which has been subject of active underground discussion among Dutch Catholics during the occupation, This influential secret paper, which makes a plea for a two-party system after the liberation, states: " Under a two-party system Catholics would have to divide themselves between these two main political groups, and the pre-war Catholic State Party ' should be dissolved like the other fornier parties." This paper expresses the view that the circumstances which led to the necessity of forming political parties on a confessional basis do no longer exist to the extent that would justify the continuation of parties as they had developed before the war."
Other Catholic circles in Holland, though favouring a new system of political grouping on a non-confessional
basis, make the reservation that " true and hearty co-operation after the war between Catholics and non-Catholics will only be possible on condition that anti-Papism " will not reappear again" (from For the Future of the Netherlands, autumn, 1943).
EXECUTIONS INCREASE
The Dutch underground papers have just revealed that Mr. T. J. Verschuur, chairman of the Catholic State Party at the time of the occupation and of the ensuing dissolution of all political parties, was recently sent to a concentration camp in Germany, together with the leader of the Socialist Party and other prominent politicians.
All these men had been kept as hostages in camps in Holland since 1942. The removal to Germany of large numbers of Holland's former political leaders is part of the German policy to sap Holland's intellectual strength. It coincides with a fresh Gestapo drive against the active resistance movement and against Holland's 100,000 to 120,000 young and older men, who are in hiding C' dived under " as the phrase goes in waterlogged Holland). Once more the number of executions is on the increase.