U.S.A.
Interviewed, the Archbishop of Baltimore, Mgr. Michael Curley, said : " The world can very well say on ha knees, 'Thank God.' " Mgr. Ready, General Secretary a the N.C.W.C., said: " We should all be grateful that the circumstances of the fighting indicate that the city was taken over withoult any destruction of the religious historical centres which a full-scale siege would have entailed."
MEXICO Services of thanksgiving and prayers foethe Pope are being said in aR churches.
NEW ZEALAND Church bells have been rung and sirens sounded throughout the country.
AUSTRALIA The Army lvlinister stated that the Commonwealth Government associated itself in a well-deserved tribute to the self-sacrifice, gallantry, heroism and force of the United Nations."
SPAIN Madrid generally is relieved and pleased that Rome has suffered no damage. The Allied occupation of the city without any major destruction is considered a big triumph. This general feeling is very much at variance with the official comment of Halo Oficial Del Lunes, whose military critic writes: " The fall of Rome has lost all political and diplomatic value owing to the lapse of time since military operations began. The Allies are now faced with the arduous pro blem of feeding the defenders. The German disengagement converted tbe Allied thrust into a battle in which the attackers were weakened and eahausted."
PORTUGAL The news was unexpected; Placarded outside newspaper offices during Sunday night, the news flew through Lisbon and caused the greatest sensation, particularly in Church circles.
VATICAN CITY
Hasty withdrawal of the German Ambassador, Baron von Weizsaecker, front the Villa Bonaparte in Rome to quarters in the Vatican City. Envoys of Japan, Hungary, Slovakia. Rumania and Finland followed soon after.