Enemy of Fascism

At a time when the Italian Government is dropping courtesies to the Church of Rome and the latter is significantly but coldly observing the amenities, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Maffi, Archbishop of Pisa, chose to issue a pastoral letter to his flock on the subject of "Thou shalt not kill."

The Fascisti took the matter to heart, would not permit the letter's publication. They objected warmly to a passage:

"Oh, Dynasty of Cain, continue if you will, but know that where men fail, God comes to the rescue, incessantly pursuing the culprits and carrying out the sentence: Accursed."

They were super-angry at a more direct rebuke: '

"You, my dearest children, have always execrated crime when you unanimously condemn two atrocious assassinations." [Referring to two deaths in Fascist riots at Pisa.]

At a time when the State is beneficently inclined toward the Church the Cardinal's attack on the Fascisti seemed unfortunate. It, however, showed that there is at least one Prince of the Church who is unalterably opposed to the temporal sway of the Italian Government in the former Papal States. Great importance is lent to the attack by the sole fact that that particular Prince is one of the greatest powers in the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

His Eminence Cardinal Maffi is 67 years of age. Like the Pope, he has a hobby-- Science, in which he is extremely well versed. In appearance, he is a typical Romano-- high forehead, heavy overhanging brows, full mouth, quantities of white hair which was once jet black. His ideas are modern, too modern for some of his followers. Not long ago, he proposed at his own expense to erect a statue to Galileo, famed scientist, equally famed as a heretic. Pisa went mad. Nevertheless, he is extremely popular and is known as the "War Cardinal" because he advocated a fight-to-the-finish policy. He is a great friend of the Royal Family and it is rumored that Premier Mussolini once suggested making him a Senator, an unprecedented occurrence since 1870, which would have gone far to heal the long quarrel between Government and Pope.

In Rome, the Osservatore Romano, official loudspeaker for the Vatican, printed extracts from Cardinal Maffi's letter; no other newspaper dared follow suit for fear of suppression. But the Osservatore Romano, in its turn, did not deem it politic to ignore the sage words of one of the mightiest Princes of the Church.