3 SEPTEMBER 1937, Page 2

God or Herr Hitler ?

The church conflict in Germany may be regarded as a permanent feature of the National Socialist regime ; but the manifesto read in all the Evangelical churches in Germany last Sunday is one more sign of how critical the position has become. The manifesto was drawn up by the leaders of the Lutheran and Confessional Churches at Cassel last June ; it fully admits the legitimate claims of the State, insists on the loyalty of the churches, but protests once again at State interference in purely religious affairs. The manifesto was published only after the Government had rejected a petition asking that direct negotiations should be opened with the Church leaders. Their appeal is the more reasonable because the system of neutral committees has broken down ; the Evangelical churches are thus left face to face with the State, while the Reich Ministry and the German Christians have now taken over direct respon- sibility for ecclesiastical administration in many districts. Unless the Evangelical churches can obtain some com- promise they will lose their last vestiges of administrative authority. Thus the manifesto warns Christians to be prepared for martyrdom if the conflict continues, as it will ; and it should be remembered that in their struggle they are fighting almost alone not merely for religious liberty but for the rights of " private conscience " in the totalitarian State.

* * * *