Oath Explained

Ever since Italian schools opened this year Catholic teachers have been writing to Pope Pius XI. What was the Holy Father's opinion, they asked, of the Italian requirement that every school-teacher take an oath of allegiance to "the King, his royal successor, and the Fascist regime," when His Holiness in his encyclical of last July had condemned the Fascist oath of allegiance and urged Catholics to take it "with mental reservations."

After deep thought the Holy Father pointed out that the oath as administered to teachers was different from the regular oath of allegiance to the party, therefore this oath could be taken with no reservations "except those always expected of Catholics regarding the rights of God and the Church."

Fascism in turn gave way to the Vatican last week. Giovanni Giuriati. long in bad odor with the Papacy, resigned as Secretary of the Fascist Party, was succeeded by his assistant. Achille Starace.

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