Protestants v. Pope

All winter and spring Editor Charles Clayton Morrison of the Christian Century has fought like General Grant on one line: against President Roosevelt's appointment of Myron C. Taylor as his special ambassador to the Pope. Last week Dr. Morrison had fresh ammunition--a letter from Mr. Roosevelt to Dr. George. A. Buttrick, president of the Federal Council of Churches, Dr. Buttrick, quoting a report from Rome, had tried to pin the President down as to whether Mr. Taylor had a permanent status, warned him of "a growing [Protestant] disillusionment which augurs ill for interfaith comity." Last week the Federal Council published the President's reply. Ex-Tycoon Taylor (U. S. Steel), said Mr. Roosevelt, "is in Rome as my special representative. This appointment does not constitute the inauguration of formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican." Both to the Federal Council and the Christian Century these seemed weasel words. Said the Council's executive committee: "The unwarranted interpretation of this appointment . . . has not been explicitly denied." Wrote Editor Morrison: "Mr. Roosevelt will only confirm the opinion now held widely throughout the country that he wishes the ambassadorship of Mr. Taylor to be regarded by Catholics in one way and by Protestants in another."

Fortnight ago scholarly, purse-lipped Dr. Morrison in a lengthy editorial branched out into broader aspects of the Taylor controversy: "Protestantism is the majority faith in the United States. The so-called interfaith movement derived its initiative from Protestantism. The movement arose be cause Protestants said: We who are the dominant faith in American democracy ought to exercise tolerance toward Catholics and Jews. . . .

"The reciprocal responsiveness of Jewry and Protestantism is one of the finest and most grateful developments in contemporary American culture. ... As between Protestants and Catholics the situation stands otherwise. In terms of reciprocity, the results are negligible. The Catholic contact with this movement has been hardly more than a discreet gesture with the finger tips. ... Its reserved cooperation in the interfaith movement has been utilized more for purposes of placing Catholicism in a good light before the general community, and especially of breaking down Protestant 'prejudice,' than for self-examination as to whether it might be, here or there, taking unfair advantage of the liberty of the democratic process which it was enjoying in this country as the historic gift of Protestantism."

The strength of Editor Morrison's language was significant. It seemed more likely than ever last week that such potent U. S. denominations as the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians would soon make official protest.

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