Marshal Tito and the Vatican
It is not surprising that Marshal Tito should have reacted with some vigour against the attacks which various ecclesia- stical personalities in this country have thought proper to Take on him in connection with his forthcoming visit to London, but his decision to break diplomatic relations with the Vatican is much to be regretted. Diplomatic relations with the Vatican may be something of an anomaly, and many countries, including the United States, have got on very well without them. But this step by Marshal Tito, taken primarily as a rejoinder to the Pope's action in creating Archbishop Stepinac a Cardinal, can only further exacerbate feelings that are sufficiently wrought up already. It is the more necessary that wise restraint should be observed where it can and should be, particularly in connection with Marshal Tito's visit to this country. Certain plain facts are worth considering even by those who feel most strongly on the persecution of their fellow-Christians. That Yugoslavia is undergoing steady evo- lution under Marshal Tito is undeniable. It remains resolutely Communist, as it is perfectly entitled to, but many of the worst abuses of Communism are being eliminated. What is more, it is moving steadily away from Russia and towards the West. It must do that at its own pace and in its own way. To court Marshal Tito crudely would be futile—or worse—and no one contemplates that., But to repel him actively would be folly— or worse. At a time when Western. Europe is still in grave peril the military support Marshal Tito could give might be almost a decisive factor in saving the continent from a far more extensive religious persecution than exists in Yugoslavia today. He is coming as an invited guest to a country where, as he will not fail to mark, complete religious tolerance prevails.
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