From Our Vaults 79 Years Ago: April 5, 1944

by Admin · April 20, 2023

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War austerity in the Vatican

Pope Pius XII is feeling the world war with his flock, the recently published Vatican “Yellow Book” reveals. According to the book, which chronicles events in the Vatican and the pope’s activities, the pontiff instructed that heating in Vatican buildings be suspended indefinitely. The suspension, ordered at the beginning of winter and scrupulously obeyed, includes the papal apartment. Food rationing has been introduced at the Vatican and ration cards have been distributed. Pope Pius has also denied himself holidays at the papal summer residence Castelgandolfo since 1940, and has left the Vatican only to console air raid victims.

Old church to be replaced

The oldest permanent church in the Transvaal, built in Barberton in 1886 during the goldrush on the De Kaap Goldfields, will soon be replaced at a nearby site. For the last ten years the small Catholic community has collected funds, and on March 19, Mgr Johannes Riegler, prefect of Lydenburg, blessed and laid the foundation stone for Barberton’s new church of St Anthony.

Archbishop evades arrest

Despite condemning human rights abuses in a sermon to 20,000 people, and having himself been denounced by the pro-Nazi press in Yugoslavia, Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac of Zagreb has not yet been arrested. Instead, 82 priests have been detained for circulating the archbishop’s sermon.

Editorial: Let films inspire

In his editorial, Southern Cross editor Fr Owen McCann applauds the American Legion of Decency for its “wonderful work by warning us against unsuitable films”. However, to utilise the powerful medium of film as a way of combating indifference among Catholics, movies must be made which are neither indifferent themselves nor “definedly Catholic”, but depict the life of Catholics and yet “reflect the dogmas on which that ordinary wholesome Catholic life is built”.

Previous “From The Vaults” articles. See larger images from the issue