Church and State

The entente between the Vatican and the Government has been strengthened by the events of the past weeks, and in the weeks ahead Mussolini will have the most conservative and powerful organization in the world at his side rather than at his back.

The Vatican correspondent of the Paris Temps denied an amusing report that the Pope intended to leave the Vatican and make Vienna the seat of the Church, and eventually to reconstitute the Papal States.

" The Pope will never quit Rome," said the Temps, " if for no other reason than that Catholic dogma precludes it. The church is Catholic, Apostolic and Roman"

Fascisti recently raided Labor and Catholic Clubs in Pisa, Florence and other cities, in retaliation for the Socialist and Catholic opposition to the proposed Fascist electoral law. Mussolini issued orders for the arrest and expulsion from the Party of the perpetrators of these acts.

The Popular Party has crumbled rapidly since Don Sturzo was ousted (TIME, July 23). The Popular group split on the recent vote of confidence in the Government; the majority abstained from voting, but nine Populars voted in favor of the Government's program. The Executive Committee restored discipline only by the extreme measure of expelling the unruly members. The Parliamentary strength of the Party is reduced from 100 deputies before the Fascist revolution to 70.

Cardinal Gasparri, Papal Secretary of State, wrote Cardinal Mam, Archbishop of Pisa, expressing, in the name of the Pope, regret at the destruction of the Pisa Catholic Club by "malefactors masquerading as Fascisti."

Mussolini telegraphed the Prefect of Pisa to apologize to Cardinal Main for "the foolish violence against Catholic clubs, and express to him my profound sorrow."