5. Internal Panorama of  the Universal Church

It is possible that the present declaration may cause surprise to some readers. This is because the TFP, having the maximum reluctance to take the public position that we today assume, has not yet disclosed the disconcertedness and non‑conformity which is growing among Catholics in the most diverse countries as a result of the Vatican's distention toward Communist governments. Since disclosing it here would too greatly enlarge this already extensive document, for a more complete explanation of our position we limit ourselves to summarizing what is happening presently among German Catholics. An important Brazilian newspaper has provided an account of this situation written by Herman M. Goergen, a former federal German Congressman and a Catholic of serene thinking and conduct.

He refers to the publication of two books about the politics of the Vatican by German authors: Wohin steuert der Vatikan? (Where is the Vatican Headed?) by Reinhard Raffalt an Vatikan Intern (The Internal Vatican) published under the pseudonym of Hieronymus. The response to both ischer Merkur, "conservative and intransigent defender of the faith and the Popes, a criticism considered by Rome to be even irreverent," with the title: "No, Mr. Pope!" In addition, Mr. Goergen affirms regarding the ousting of Cardinal Mindszenty: "A true wave of support (for the Cardinal) has swept German Catholics." The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung spok openly of the "Christian‑Marxist dreams" of Pope Paul VI. And the Paulus Gesellschaft (Society of Paul) spokesman for the dialogue between Christians and Marxists, condemned the "Ostpolitik" of the Vatican, denouncing it as "Machiavellian" because it wants to "impose upon the world a Roman‑Soviet peace. In view of this language, the courtesy of the TFP is more easily contrasted.

We cannot close our commentary on the article of Mr. Goergen without stressing a grave affirmation made by him: In Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, the contacts and agreements with the Holy See have not impeded the progress of the intense religious persecution there. This was also affirmed by Cardinal Mindszenty regarding his country.

This brings us to a state of bewil­derment. The grand argument (insuf­ficient, according to our viewpoint) for the Vatican policy of distention, given by its enthusiasts, was the pros­pect of an attenuation of the anti-religious fight. But practice shows that such distention does not achieve this result. Cuba is another example of this. Yet one authorized promoter of this distention such as Archbishop Casaroli declares that in this regime of persecution, the Catholics are happy with their living conditions. We ask then if distention is not synonymous with capitulation.

If it is, how can we fail to resist the policy of distention, presenting to the public the enormous error it contains?

This is one more example of how we understand the resistance.