News in Brief Jesuits in China' and the fundamental human right to Radio Vatican reports that there are believe in God. Today, foreign religious still 123 members of the Society of Jesus ch'cles, which keep a close watch on (Jesuits) in the People's Republic of Albania, report that underground reli­ China. The Jesuits started missionary gious movements of various denomina­ work in China as early as the 16th cen­ tions still survive. (The Financial Times, tury. The source of the information was 17 March 1976, p. 6) a Chinese Jesuit living in exile. (Idea, 2 February 1976, p. 3) "Religious Survivals" in Albania Albania and Athei,sm References to the survival of religion in Albania "recognizes no religion and sup- . Albania were made in an article by ports and develops atheist propaganda Petro Dhimitri which appeared in Tir­ for the purpose of implanting the scien­ ana Bashkimi, the main Albanian Party tffic materialist world outlook" . This is newspaper, on 30 October 1975. In the one of the clauses at present being "Partizani" district of Vlora a small drafted for the Albanian Constitution. "temple" was uncovered, in which The Constitution appears to confirm some people, mostly elderly, gathered that Albania does not intend to change for religious activities and to which its position on religion. Its position was they also gave money. The "temple" stated clearly in the famous 1967 de-. was in fact a house. The son of the claration which described the country owner of the house was singled out as as the first atheiSt State of the world. the main culprit because he allowed Aq:ording to the Albanian leader, Mr. this group to continue undisturbed. Enver Hoxha, "the only.religion for an He should have reported his parents' be­ Albanian is Albanianism". Nevertheless, haviour to the authorities. For failing to not all is as clear·cut as the State might do so he was to be reprimanded, not wish. Even in 1967 the anti-religious only privately but also at his place of campaign did not advance without op­ work.. At Narta a family organized a position. In a province of central Al­ religious "memorial" feast. Relatives bania elderly vill~gers, many of them and local friends gathered for this reli­ members of the Communist Party, ob­ gious rite but no one took the initiative jected strongly to the convc;rsion of and complained about this event. The mosques into warehouses. They claimed neighbours, who knew about the pre­ that the mosque was a house of prayer parations for the feast, were part of a and to help secularize it was tantamount conspiracy of silence. Such irresponsi­ to raising one's hand against God. In bility encourages this kind of activity, Northern Albania, too, communist cam­ complains the article. Only because the paigners were told that the authorities guests fell ill with food poisoning did should distinguish between the removal the incident come to light. (]PRS, 12 of politically unreliable Catholic priests December 1975, pp. 1-3) News in Brief 53 Roman Catholic Church in Vietnam help of the Church to both North and South Vietnam have all contributed to One of the two new cardinals named by the improvement of the situation of the Pope Paul on 27 April "in pectore" (i.e. Church in North Vietnam. At a recep­ in secret). is the Archbishop of Hanoi, tion for the new Cardinal Archbishop of Joseph Marie Trin-Nhu-Khue. After the Hanoi, President Pham Van Pong wel­ successful consultations with the govern­ comed the "positive contribution of ment of North Vietnam, the Pope an­ Catholics in the war against American nounced the appointment of the Car­ aggression and towards the building of dinal Archbishop of Hanoi, who had socialism". Catholics of North Vietnam arrived in Rome immediately before the are today present in public life. Twenty consistory. After many years when rela­ of the 420 members of the People's As­ tions between the Vatican and the sembly are Catholics, among them two CIlurch in Vietnam had been severed, priests. The President of the Red Cross various recent contacts have had a fav­ is a well-known Catholic, Dr. Vo Duy ourable effect on the conditions of the Tung. The Presiding Judge of the Church in that country. People's Court in Hanoi, Tanh, and the . French TV carried an interview with commanding officer of the People's Archbishop Binh of Saigon, who said Army in the province of .Nhgo-An, that the adjustment of Catholics to the Colonel Van Diem, are both Catholics. new reality would not develop without (AKSA~ 4 June 1976.) some nervousness. Many Christians ask if co-existence is possible with others Shortage of Catholic Priests in Laos for whom atheism is not simply a vague principle. The archbishop nevertheless Bishop Thomas Nantha of Vientiane re­ believes that the healing of the wounds ported that there are only nine remain­ of the war, the Second Vatican Council ing Catholic priests in the. North of Laos and the important changes in the Church to minister to more than 23,000 Catho­ in recent years will make it easier for lics. One of them has been "deprived for Vietnamese Catholics to cooperate in a several months now of all liberty", he united effort to rebuild the country. The told the superior general of the Oblates government guarantees freedom of reli­ of Mary Immaculate, Fr. Ferdinand Jett, gious cults. Catholics in North Vietnam in Rome. The Bishop added that he be­ can practice their faith and have pos­ lieved the people's faith would uphold sibilities for deepening it. It is very valu­ them despite the removal of foreign able to have discovered that the Church missionaries from the country at Easter. can still be alive in a socialist country, (Tablet, 19 June 1976, p. 603) the archbishop continued. Although the Church remains conscious of the revolu­ Churches in East and West Germany tionary nature of Marxism, it must Maintain Contact nevertheless insert the Gospel into this Catholic and Protestant Churches have new world. It can only do this if it served as a conduit for hundreds of mil­ recognizes the value of this world, said lions of dollars in West German pay­ the archbishop. ments to the East over the past 15 years, After the unification of North and according to a newspaper report based South Vietnam it appeared that the gov­ on a series of interviews of clergymen ernment in Hanoi was interested in an from both sides. Some of the money increasing integration of Catholics into goes to support negotiations for the re­ the country. This impression was sus­ lease of political prisoners in East Ger­ tained by the open benevolence with many, but other amounts help to sup­ which the government allowed the plement pastors' salaries or contribute meeting of the Bishops' Conference of towards the building and technical sup­ South Vietnam in Saigon and the voy­ plies needed, particularly for the 52 age of the newly appointed Cardinal church hospitals in the East. The total Trin-Nhu-Khue to Rome. sum involved is calculated at 80 million The solidarity of Christians with their dollars a year. In 1975, 42 million dollars country at the time of the war, the were spent on prisoners alone. Negotia­ neutral stand of the Vatican during the tions for the release of prisoners are war, and the international humanitarian carried out with the East German Minis- 54 News ill Brief try of Foreign Trade, which sends a list East German Church League's of goods it wishes to buy in the weSt via Statement on Zionism the Evangelical .Church of Germany. Leading clerics of the member churches The operation Director, Bishop Hermann of the German ., Democratic · Republic Kunst. then buys the goods with the Church League have issued a joint state­ money offered by ·:the West German ment expressing their . "grave concern" government for the release of the pris­ at the UN's condemnation of Zionism oners. The,. Bishop's own mediator is a as racism. Their statement thus, opposes representative of a Protestant Charity the policy .of the German Democratic Agency. The Roman Catholic Church in Republic Government ' and that of the East Germany is said ·to transfer . 14.8 rest of the Eastern Bloc. "However one million dollars a year to, East Berlin, also might judge ziOIiism .in the world, . the through :the East .German Ministry for condemnation of Zionism as racism con­ Foreign Trade. So, though neither Car­ cerns us greatly", said the church lead­ dinal ,Bengsch of East Berlin nor Bishop ers. they draw attention to the period Schick of Fulda, West · Germany, can of the Third Reich, when the .Germans visit the parts of their diocese which ex­ denied the right .of the Jewish people to tend into West and East Germany res­ exist, and they point out. that their pectively, the latter can still help the Churches have always . supported the former ' by paying for the buildings, for ecumenical .anti·racism .programme. example, in which the Catholic Primate Among · the church. leaders who signed of East Germany has his headquarters. the joint statement are Bishops Schoen­ Funds · for :.new roofing, even a new hen, BraeckIein and Krusche. (Sue­ 400,000 pollar organ for the Cathedral of deutclie. Zeitung, 3 December 1976, p. 5.) East Berlin, are other ways in ,which East and weSt' German Catholics. can . , demonstrate their unity. (The New York !yew Appointments in Hungarian Times, 4 April 1976, pp, 17-18.) Catholic Church. , For ' the first time since the communist government came to power in Hungary, New Baptist Church for East Berlin all 11 ' Hungarian' Catholic dioceses are now filled.