26 FEBRUARY 1965, Page 15

`The Representative'

is obvious that the Vatican, in its present

efforts to prevent the stage performance in Italy of The Representative, has a most guilty conscience over the refusal of the late Pope Pius XII to con- demn the inhuman Nazi atrocities against the Jews in the recent world war. The Catholic hierarchy. quite understandably, would like to stifle any derogatory reference which might tarnish the reputa- tion of its recent 'Vicar of Christ' on earth. Such outrageous attempts to suppress the free expression

of thought and opinion call for vehement and un- compromising resistance by all sections of Italian democracy concerned in the propagation of the truth.

The Vatican is at present engaged in an ecumenical venture to exonerate the Jews from the age-old accusation of being the crucifiers of Christ. The average Jew resents these patronising efforts which, even if successful, can never bring back to life the millions of Jews martyred and murdered throughout the ages on account of a historical fabrication which has for thousands of years saddled them with the responsibility for guises death. It is the whole Catholic Church which beari the major blame for the dissemination of Christian anti-semitism with its inevitable consequence of Inquisition, Jew murder and unholy Crusade. The Vatican has never yet publicly expressed its contrition or its moral repudia- tion of the countless Jewish massacres and slayings encouraged by its medieval Popes. in the name of 'Christian love.' Naturally, such an admission would retrospectively impair the image of divine 'in- fallibility' which Popes have ever arrogated to themselves. Before the Catholic Church graciously condescends to seek to remove the fiction of the Jew as Christ-slayer, it is for the Church herself to express solemn atonement for the innocent blood of generations of Jews which was shed at her instiga- tion and with her approval.

69 Cannon Lane, Pinner, Middlesex

S. WARSHAW