Again "Roman Question"?

Members of the Italian Fascist Party number 1,564,000. Members of the Italian League of Catholic Action number 500,000.* In Rome last week the newspaper Lavoro Fascista ("Fascist Labor") charged that the Italian League for Catholic Action (Azione Cattolica) is no longer nonpolitical, has become in fact the mechanism for putting into action a Catholic political plot. This plot, II Lavoro charged, was discussed at a recent conclave of Azione Cattolica, addressed by Monsignor Pizzardo, Under Secretary of State of the Papal State. He advocated, according to Il Lavoro, action by Azione Cattolica to seize the Italian State and set up a "Catholic dictatorship." What happens in hot-blooded countries when they are highly organized soon happened. A marching column of young Fascists pounced on a Papal State mail truck, halted by their parade in the square directly in front of Premier Mussolini's offices. One hot youth promptly attacked the truck driver with a stick, fetched him a blow on the arm. That night Catholic Christendom rang with the outrage. Catholics stated that some of His Holiness' own personal mail was in the truck. (It was delivered safely.) Next came an editorial in the Papal daily Osseroatore Romano complaining of ''Fascist outrages" in general, but particularly alleging that Fascist students had publicly burned copies of an address by Pope Pius XI, shouting as they did so, "Down with the Pope! Death to the Pope!" L'Osservatore also complained that the button-badges worn by members of the Catholic College Men's Association have in some instances been "forcibly torn from their buttonholes" by Fascist bullies. Il Lavoro retorted: "Catholic parish priests pray against the Fascist regime! They prevent from entering their churches little boys in the uniforms of the balilla" (Fascist Boy Scouts). At the Vatican it was announced that "particulars of 35 recent acts of intimidation" of Catholics by Fascists had come to the Holy Father's ears, caused him sore grief. Thereupon Fascist youths gathered around the Catholic Students Association House, hurled stones, broke windows even as high as the fifth floor. Other irate Fascists mobbed a Catholic publishing house, hurled from its windows copies of the best-selling book Papa (The Pope). Wrenching from the wall a portrait of II Papa they dashed it from window to pavement crying: "Here is a traitor to his country !"/-

Upon the prostrate portrait of His Holiness, the Fascist youths stamped, tramped. Italian police, present by this time in large numbers, made no arrests but gradually, persuasively dispersed the tramplers. Next day it was known that Il Duce had frowned an awful frown upon such hot deeds. But high words continued in the press.

L'Osservatore, harking back to Il Lavoro's original anti-Fascist "Catholic plot," printed a denial by Monsignor Pizzardo that he had ever incited the Italian League for Catholic Action to any action other than religious action. The Bishop of Andria, present at the Catholic Action meeting in question, confirmed Monsignor Pizzardo's denial "before God and in the presence of witnesses."

Il Lavoro retorted: "Before printing our allegations we checked them point by point. . . . L'Osservatore Romano lies, knowing that it lies!"

In an insultingly humorous vein II Lavoro concluded: "Count Dalla Torre [editor of L'Osservatore Romano, close lay friend of the Pope] will not find a single priest at the Vatican to give him absolution, since he sinned against the Eighth Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness."

Two days passed quietly. Italian police then raided the 300 Catholic clubs in Rome. Policemen took an inventory at each club, gave a copy to Catholic club-men, padlocked all clubs "in the interest of public safety." Also closed by the police were Catholic playgrounds in Rome financed by the U. S. Knights of Columbus. Plainly Il Duce, onetime atheist, now rumored a professing Catholic, believed in and was resolved to crush the "Catholic plot."

One of his first acts on assuming power in 1922 was to crush the Italian League of Free Masons (Protestant) numbering 300,000, whom he thought threatened his dictatorship.

In Vatican City, which Italian police were sent to guard last week, Pope Pius XI resolved with characteristic energy to forestall what His Holiness understood would be Dictator Mussolini's next act: a decree by the Italian Government dissolving throughout the land all chapters of Azione Cattolica. The Pope, observing that this was "one of the saddest days of our life" (it was his 74th birthday), decreed: "The bishops of the respective dioceses will assume personally and immediately control of the Catholic Action and will guide it in accordance with instructions emanating from the Holy See.

"The directors [of the Catholic Action ] to whom the Holy Father desires to address a word of particular eulogy and benediction, will obey their respective bishops in all matters."

Thus in dignified fashion Pope Pius XI, Vicar of Christ, Bishop of Rome, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, took Azione Cattolica under his protection, offered to Dictator Mussolini the maximum defiance which could be offered short of breaking diplomatic relations between the Papal State and the Kingdom of Italy.

Outside of Italy non-Catholics were somewhat puzzled by such extremes of threat and action. They were surprised to realize that since March neither Il Papa nor Il Duce has consented to receive the diplomatic representative of the other. Harking further back (two years), they recalled the surprise of many observers that II Duce, of all people, should have been the Italian Premier to solve the 59-year-old "Roman Question" by acknowledging Pope Pius XI as the Sovereign of the State of Vatican City and making him large money grants. The Italian Treasury is actually paying into the Papal Treasury approximately $2.500.000 a year.

The paradox of the Lateran Treaty (which set up the Papal State) has been slowly breaking down ever since it was signed (TIME, Feb. 18, 1929). Fulminations by both parties have been frequent. The Vatican or the Quirinal must now back down; or both must cool down; or the buried "Roman Question" will rise from its tomb in a new aspect, more dangerous than before it was solved.

Next step by the Italian Government last week was not the expected decree dissolving all chapters of Azione Cattolica but a circular telegram to provincial prefects (all Fascists) granting them "discretionary power" to close Catholic clubs and Azione Cattolica headquarters "if the situation warrants." Zealous, the Fascist prefects at once closed a total of some 15,000 Catholic centres throughout Italy. No Y. M. C. A. or Y. W. C. A. was closed.

To the U S. Embassy in Rome went Boston's Edward L. Hearn, European director of the Knights of Columbus, vowing: "I am going to demand simple Yankee justice!" But Ambassador Garrett did not demand last week that Rome's padlocked K. of C. playgrounds for children be reopened. It could not be ascertained that Mr. Garrett had done anything. State Department officials deplored this situation: "Is Ambassador Garrett going to intervene informally between Church and State in Italy as Ambassador Morrow did in Mexico?"

In Vatican City troubled Pius XI finally called 24 cardinals, conferred with them in secret. Next day L'Osservatore Romano and Il Lavoro Fascisti abruptly ceased their tirades. As "cooling down" began, the Vatican and the Quirinal both issued conciliatory communiques. The Church intimated that it has no wish for a rupture of the Lateran Treaty. The State soothingly observed that Catholics had permitted the closing of their clubs "without incident." In Bologna, where four bombs had just been exploded (killing one carabineer), a most soothing statement was made by President Augusto Ciriaci of Azione Cattolica. "The attacks," said he, "were partly due to the exceptional solemnity with which we celebrated the anniversary of the Papal Encyclical Rerum Novarum [TIME, May 25, June 1]. Somebody has evidently seen in these manifestations opposition to the Fascist corporative system, but there was no reason for such suspicion."

Neutral observers hoped that Church and State could continue on some such cool middle ground as Signer Ciriaci seemed to have discovered.

* The population of Italy: 41,173,000. Most are farmers.

/- Born an Italian, Achille Ambrogio Damiano Ratti, Pope Pius XI lost his Italian citizenship and became a Papal State citizen when the Papal State was created by the Lateran Treaty with himself as its Sovereign. By "his country," the Fascists clearly meant to imply Italy; but the Pope is in fact an original citizen of a new country.

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