CHRISTIANITY AND COMMUNISM [To the Editor of THE ,SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—If,
as Miss Rose Macaulay says, talk of idols, images and idolatrous processions is 'an odd throwback* to Militant._ Protestantism and an insult th others' religions,' ay I can say is that the authors of the Books of the Bible—and especially of the Old Testament ones—are one and all a rude and insulting body of men. Miss Macaulay should read through the indictments in the Book of Ezekiel or the first chapter written by that abusive old man, the Prophet Isaiah ! Does she not feel that the words in the Book Leviticus (xxvi. 30) "And I will destroy your high places and cut down your images and Cast your carcasses upon the- carcasses of your'
idols," have a very real significance today '2- - - As regards bringing the English Church under Roman obedience, there is overwhelming proof that this is the ultimate
aim of Anglo-Catholics. Bishop Knox wrote in The Spectator of August 24th, 1935: "It (The Tnietaria.n Movement) led to the formation of a party within the Church cf England, who remain with us with the avowed object of restoring US to the Roman obedience. If my memory is not at fault, it is but a short time since a document to that effect appeared, signed by well over 1,000 priests.''
As regards Corbishley's assertion that Catholics merely pay Christ's iiiother a special form of respect, let me direct his attention to this selection of quotations:
Catholic Safeguard, Vol. ii., p. 250. "The will of the blessed Trinity and mine (Mary's) is one and the same."
St. Bernard. "All things are subject to the command of the Virgin, even God Himself" (Sermon lxi. art. i., c. vii.). Glories of Mary, Bedempkniet, Ed. London, 1852, p. 7. "All graces are dispensed by Mary. . . . The Salvation of all depends upon preaching Mary, and exciting in all confidence in her inter- cession. . . Hail Mary' to whom all Power has been given both in heaven and earth."
No one, therefore, need be deceived by Fr. Corbishley's attempt to throw dust in our eyes. His attempted analogy based on the addressing of a magistrate as "your worship" does not strike me as happy. Does he wish us to infer that the Catholics' 'glorification of the Virgin Mary is similarly not to be taken too seriously ? If so, I should like to hear some or his 'fellow Catholics' views on this theory. As to his qirotation from the Catholic Catechism, "We do not pray
to relics and images," Many leaders of his own Church flatly contradict this statement. Thus :• Father Ignatius (1837) writes "We' do confess, and gladly also, first that we use holy images in divine service ; and, secondly, that we do with reverence worship the same." (Ep. on Cased., ii., c. viii.)
The picture' of Mass being celebrated upon a tank is no fake as Lord Clonmore suggests. Furthermore, a- recruiting postcard reproducing it and sold in Milan during the Abyssinian
campaign, a. copy of which was sent by Viscount Cecil to the
. , . „
News Chronic&; &Affirms the fact of which most of the world is already aware, that the Vatican lent Whole-hearted support to the crime perpetrated' tiPim Abyssinia: Rightly did the News Chronicle denounce this recruiting • posteard an " I might add, perhaps, that it depicted the Virgin Mary,- With the infant Christ in her arms, seated on the top Or a tank and prOceedirig tO the front, surrounded by an escort Of '64:Mier's and aircraft.'
With regard' to LOrd Clonmore'S contention that, having been.ShoWn•by Fr.'-orbisliley to be So " culpably inaccurate," I ought to apologise, I am content to leave it to my readers to determine What 'amount of justification there is for this kind Suggestion.—YoUr 'obedient servant,
W. A. PowEis. (Captain).
[Though this correspondence has been closed, it has seemed fair to ,allow _Captain Powell, who initiated the discussion on this particular aspect of the subject, a final reply to his critics. —En. The Spectator.].'
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