Catholics and Armaments Au important and valuable declaration on disarmament
has been framed by Roman Catholic societies in English- speaking countries. It quotes various Papal declarations on the subject, notably the appeal of Benedict XV in 1917 for a simultaneous and reciprocal diminution of armaments to the level necessary for the-preservation of internal order in each State ; points to the creation of the Permanent Court of International Justice as modifying the right of any State to resort to war or prepare for it ; and ends by calling on Catholics of all nationalities to promote an international agreement for the reduction of the armed forces of the As orld. Rather singularly the reading of this declaration by Lord Howard of Penrith at a meeting in London on Tuesday was followed by a speech by Cardinal Bourne who, in the interests of realism, justified France's reluctance to disarm, on the ground that the League of Nations could not guarantee security, asked how Poland could disarm in view of the menace on her eastern frontier, and sug- gested that Great Britain had already disarmed to the limit of safety. If that is the realism of the Church where is the realism of a Disarmament Conference going to lead us ?
Previous page
