In Madrid

For once, Spain's Dictator Francisco Franco found himself in the same boat with President Harry Truman. Franco, too, was being accused by church leaders of violating the Constitution to favor a religious minority. Franco's needlers were Roman Catholics who claimed that he was coddling Protestants.

Members of the Communion of Navarre (an organization of crusading Catholics) had sent an open letter to all the bishops of Spain. No less than 34 new Protestant chapels, the letter claimed, had been opened in Spain with Government sanction between Nov. 26, 1945 and Dec. 2, 1946--a strange interpretation indeed of Article Six in the Spanish Bill of Rights: No one will be molested for his religious beliefs, nor in the private exercise of his cult [but) ceremonies and manifestations other than those of the Catholic religion will not be permitted.

Even more disturbing to the Communion was the recent statement made by Franco himself to a U.S. admirer, Publicist Merwin K. Hart. Franco told Hart that "other faiths which are not Catholic enjoy liberty in Spain. . . ." Said the letter of protest: "It is evident that the chapels about which the Chief of State spoke . . . constitute public exercises of cult, against the letter and spirit of the formula accepted by Rome. . . . These facts constitute a new attack on Catholic unity. The argument given that these declarations are necessary because of the campaign abroad by elements opposed to our country must be rejected. It is not admissible that political tolerance can be bought by religious tolerance. If this principle is admitted, concession after concession would be made until our spiritual patrimony would be lost."

On Halloween an Anglican chapel in Madrid was vandalized by unknown anti-Protestants ; since then Protestant chapels have been guarded by armed police during Sunday services. Explained one of Madrid's most active Catholic laymen last week: "Out of 27 million Spaniards, there are only 25,000 Protestants in Spain--most of them foreigners. We Catholics lived peacefully with the Protestants while they limited themselves to the practice of their cult. But when they tried to convert Spain into a land of missions, we Catholics are obliged to go on guard and ask strict compliance with the law on behalf of internal peace."

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