Ambassador, Tobacco, Papers

PAPAL STATE

Ambassador, Tobacco, Papers

Absorbed though they were last week in spiritual news from the Eucharistic Congress at Carthage, citizens of the Papal State perused with interest accounts of not a few important temporal doings by members of the Church:

Ambassador. Alarmed by President Hoover's appointment of Presbyterian Motorman John North Willys to be U. S. Ambassador at Warsaw (Mr. Hoover had previously designated Methodist Alexander Pollack Moore, who died before he could take the post) the Polish Catholic Press Agency last week sent out as news a story that "Mr. Willys finances anti-Catholic fanatics, mostly Methodists."

Special significance was attached to this incident by Poles, because the present Pope was formerly Nuncio at Warsaw, maintains closest touch with prominent Polish Catholics. The daily Gazeta Warszawska said editorially: "Ambassador Willys must cease to be a Protestant missionary while he remains in Poland."

Tobacco. The supreme Pontiff made known at the Vatican that in the Papal State the privilege of dealing in tobacco will shortly be constituted a government monopoly as in Italy.

Papers. On the British Island of Malta the local Roman Catholic archbishop last week announced that until further notice it shall be a sin: 1) To read either the Daily Malta Chronicle or the Sun; 2) To sell copies of either paper.

Asked to explain, the Archbishop said he was acting "from motives which must be evident to anybody who has the least Christian sentiment."

Key to the Maltese situation: the island is divided between several Catholic factions, one led by Archbishop Maurus Caruana who is pro-Italian, another by the Chief Minister (virtual ruler of Malta, offspring of a Maltese mother and a British father), stalwart Baron Strickland of Sizergh, who of course fights tooth and nail all propaganda to restore Malta to Italy.

Some months ago Archbishop and Baron both appealed to the Pope, who found their dispute so complex that he sent to Malta as an apostolic visitor, Father Paschal Robinson, who today is Papal Nuncio to the Irish Free State.

After a thorough investigation of the Maltese squabble, Father Robinson reported back to Rome in such terms that the Supreme Pontiff became vexed with Baron Strickland and, leaning toward his opponent, made it possible last week for the Archbishop to announce that either reading or selling of pro-Strickland papers is a sin.

Archbishop Caruana's brother, Bishop Caruana. was the last Apostolic Delegate to Mexico prior to former President Calles' drastic break with the Church (TIME, Feb. 22, 1926, et seq.).

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