Four Centuries Late

Many U.S. Roman Catholics were as riled as their Protestant fellow citizens by the Archbishop of Seville's recent attack on Spain's hard-pressed Protestant minority (TIME, March 17). Said the Indiana Catholic and Record in an editorial widely quoted last week:

"If the surprising remarks of the Spanish Cardinal Segura have been reported accurately, they are sure to strain the charitable efforts of Americans--Catholic as well as Protestant--to understand the Spanish mentality . . .

"It seems to us that Cardinal Segura, Dictator Franco and others in Spain should take a look at their history books. Not only could they discover that the Protestant Revolt actually did happen and had rather considerable repercussions all over the world, but they might also notice that any persecution--short of extermination--has invariably strengthened the persecuted religion in the long run. Catholics should be the last to forget . . .

"Protestantism is the wrong dragon today. Any lances that can be spared from the anti-Communist battle had better be tossed at other targets than Protestantism. A second lesson from current history might be derived from a comparison of the vitality and vigor of American Catholicism flourishing in a Protestant stronghold with the protected and overadvertised brand of Catholicism in Spain.

"To some, these remarks may smack of religious jingoism, but we feel it is past time for American Catholics to be relieved from the oppressive burden of our Spanish brethren. We have spent weary hours cleaning up the blood the Spaniards overzealously spilt in the Inquisition. If they wish to call the cops on the Protestants four centuries late, they can take the blame themselves."

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