From Our Vaults 84 Years Ago: September 6, 1939

by Admin · September 22, 2023

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

Hitler rejects pope’s peace plea

In spite of Pope Pius XII’s desperate attempts to avert a calamity, Adolf Hitler “has unleashed the dogs of war in Europe”. Through diplomatic channels, Pope Pius had called for a truce between Germany and Poland, and a conference to discuss a revision of the Treaty of Versailles, a collective pact of non-aggression, and a new statute of Europe. The Southern Cross advises South African Catholics to side in this war with the allied democracies who are fighting a just war “that was wantonly thrust upon them”.

Bishop out of German danger

South African Catholics have been relieved to learn that Bishop Francis Hennemann of Cape Town was no longer “in the danger zone in Germany” but safe in Holland. The news came in a letter sent by the bishop from the Netherlands.

New Durban church

Bishop Henri Delalle will dedicate the new church of St Peter on Point Road in Durban. Fr Martindale, who led its building, said it will be the first ecclesiastical building to be seen by travellers arriving from the sea.

Hitler’s ugly heresy

In his editorial, Mgr John Colgan discusses Pope Pius XII’s pleas for peace, noting that Adolf Hitler’s claim to be guided by Providence is an “ugly and dangerous heresy…which explains the brutal attacks on the Catholic Church” in Nazi Germany.