Black-out For the Vatican?

In Rome last week, good Roman Catholics crossed themselves, averted their eyes from posters which blossomed on walls here & there in the city. The posters carried a blasphemous "Prayer of the Perfect Italian Fascist," which clumsily parodied the ancient supplications of Christians: Credo I believe in England, zone of tyranny, creator of sanctions and Masonic gods, and in Eden, her son, our only axman, -who was conceived by virtue of Masonic and anti-Fas cist spirits, was born out of the League of Nations, will suffer always under the spirit of Mussolini, went down to Hell with his father. . . . I believe in the holy Fascist cause, in the resurrection of Imperial Italy of Benito Mussolini, and in the eternal light of Rome. Amen.

Pater Noster Our pirate who art British, usurper of our blood, may the massacre of sanction-ists arrive as you have willed it, on sea as on land. End for today and for always your designs on Abyssinia, repay us our debts of 1915 to 1918, as we will repay to your credit the dumdum bullets you sold the Negus. Amen.

Ave I salute you, England, full of envy, egoism is yours. May you be damned among sanctionist nations, result of your meanness. Holy Fascist cause, mother of civilization, fight for rights for the greatness of the Italian Empire, now, till the day of our death. Amen.

In the Vatican last week, Fascism had its adherents, although obviously not in any such blasphemous terms. There were churchmen who felt that the time had come to bless the victors, in advance.

Fascist partisans favored ousting Editor Count Giuseppe Dalla Torre of Osservatore Romano, even though his paper, now confined to the Vatican, had abandoned its impartial stand, no longer mentioned the word "democracies." Count Dalla Torre acquired two bodyguards.

Pius XII was reported to have sent his last peace appeal, in his own handwriting, to II Duce. Disregarded in the Vatican, denied in Washington, was a rumor that President Roosevelt had offered the Papal Court a refuge in the U. S., or transportation to any other place the Pope desired.

Spain and' Portugal were mentioned as possible havens. Although the Vatican had supposedly been assured that the Allies would never bomb Rome, it was prepared last week to institute a total blackout.

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