Interdict Lifted

On Palm Sunday, perennial prelude to the solemnity of Holy Week and the joyousness of Easter, Roman Catholics thronged thousands of churches, took home millions of blessed palm leaves. But palmless as a Quaker meeting house was Holy Redeemer Church in Cleveland. For nearly a month its parishioners had been under an interdict, deprived of the sacraments because they had refused to accept a priest assigned them by. Archbishop Joseph Schrembs (TIME, March 4). By last week they had had enough; they were thoroughly penitent. Wise Archbishop Schrembs let it be known that Easter week would be a good time to call quits; that he would visit the parish on Tuesday evening.

The church bell rang, the church hall flashed with electric-bulb crosses, 1,500 Italians overflowed the building when Archbishop Schrembs arrived. "Hooray for the bishop!" cried his people, scrambling to kneel and kiss his ring. Inside, they wept to hear him say: "I have been a priest for 51 years, and in all my service to the Church and God I have never had anything that broke my heart as did the unfortunate rioting. ... I come to tell you that I forgive you. I'm glad you realize today we can't govern the church by rioting or by rebellion. . . . I'm going to call on you to say now the words of the act of submission. Whoever repeats it after me will be forgiven, and the interdict will be lifted. ... I, a member of Holy Redeemer Church, humbly beg pardon. . . ."

The last pardon begged, Archbishop Schrembs sprang a pleasant surprise. Holy Redeemer Church would get not the pastor the Archbishop had assigned it, nor certainly the one the parishioners had riotously demanded--but a popular Italian, Father Achilles Ferreri. It was too much for church manners: everyone cheered. Two days later, on Maundy Thursday, a packjammed Mass was celebrated in Holy Redeemer, for the first time since the punishing interdict had been imposed.

For an immeasurably larger "parish," the vast following of the Rev. Charles Edward Coughlin, Easter was a notable feast. Some Catholics last week voiced a new theory about the radio priest: reason the Church does not crack down on him is that he now represents the sole source of spiritual sustenance for thousands of Catholics. Taking him away might very likely jeopardize their souls, send them to Hell when they die. Lately, during Lent, this theory has been given more point. Ever since Father Coughlin returned to the air after an unexplained absence last month, he has preached not on "Jewish Communism," not on silver, not on the Christian Front, not on the New Deal, but on Religion.

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