influence they have never had before. If this happens, it is quite   
certain that at the end of the war they would never agree to the Italian   
clergy returning to the dominant position they have long held in the    
councils of the Church. For example, at present there is only one English   
Cardinal, the United States has only four, Italy has thirty-nine. Whatever  
the outcome of the crisis through which the Roman Church is passing, it   
seems certain that it will bring far-reaching changes, much greater than   
any through which it has yet passed in all its long history. In the   
meantime, Hitler contents himself with spying into all the Pope's   
political moves, and has well-planted agents in the Vatican itself.   
Beyond allowing sadistic orgies at its expense, he has not yet declared   
full open war upon the Church. He has just contented himself with   
instilling the youth of Germany with pagan doctrines and anti-Christian   
teaching, and of making the work of all branches of the Church as difficult  
 as possible. During this particular phase, he has tried to get the best  
of both worlds. He wants to use the Church for his diplomatic moves to   
help him in rallying Europe to some of his schemes. At the same time, he   
wants to prevent the young people of Germany, and indeed of other   
countries, from being taught the Christian religion. He knows that that   
religion is the most dangerous force with which he has to contend.   
Moreover, he hates it and blasphemously reckons it a rival to his cult.   
There are those who persistently tell us that in party speeches lately   
Hitler has declared himself to be the true Messiah especially sent by the   
Supreme Power. Such speeches are care fully censored by Dr. Goebbels, who   
is too astute a man to allow that sort of talk to be known widely. It is   
certain at any rate that Hitler regards the stamping out of Christianity   
as one of the chief needs and aims of his movement. Yet, in the meantime,  
the Church has a certain usefulness in support of. this temporary policy.   
Propaganda about the Churches within the Reich now follows two main lines.   
Details are published in the Press of the financial support given by the   
State to the Church, and emphasis is laid upon the alleged freedom of the   
citizen to live whatever kind of religious life he chooses. Articles   
inspired by German propagandists appear in the foreign Press stressing  
that the regime is now favourably disposed to the Church. All this is   
being done in order to create an atmosphere in which the Church can be  
 used as an instrument of policy during the next critical phase, and to   
prevent it from helping us or weakening Italy's Axis policy. Behind all   
this, however, the repression continues. Yet the Vatican radio has made no   
comment on the subject, since the broadcast of March 30th, 1941.  
It is thought that great Axis pressure has been applied. Nevertheless, the   
Nazi Party itself seems thoroughly dissatisfied. The Schwarze Korps   
recently declared, "The clergy  write as though they wanted to spoil the   
taste of our soldiers for war. They say no word on the meaning of this war.  
 They do not pray for victory."  
Despite all persecution, there is some evidence of religious revival in   
Germany, which may, and indeed one day will prove, Hitler's undoing. Both   
Protestants and Catholics are studying the bible more than before. In 1933,  
 830,000 bibles were sold; in 1939, the number rose to 1,225,000, and in   
1940 to 1,520,000. During the year 1939-40, it is said that the sale of   
prayer books increased by 25 per cent. over the previous year, and that  
the sale of bibles was the largest since 1005. In Russia, much the same   
has been happening. No force or persecution has ever been able to quench   
that spiritual and mystical body, without denomination, the Church of   
Christ, against which it has been promised the Gates of Hell shall war   
                      but not prevail.