The Work of the Church in Italy

The Work of the Church in Italy THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN ITALY
Cline R. Paden The services rendered by Abilene Christian College are many and varied. Her influence is felt in practically every field of human endeavor and in practically every nation on earth. She has been outstanding in science and psychology. She has contributed substantially to music, medicine, and mathematics. However, her greatest contributions have always been to the church.

Improvements in the arts and sciences' are considered essential to the well-being of this nation. Abilene Christian College is making her modest contributions to these fields. But these advancements are not as essential to the well-being of our nation as are the Christian principles that are taught by this institution. These are the advancements that America needs!

All of America needs to come here and sit at the feet of godly men and women, learning these Christian principles: love for God; the dignity of his word; the sovereignty of his will; the sanctity of his church; the honor of man; the purity of the home, and the value of the soul. These are the principles taught here in Abilene Christian College. And by so teaching, this institution is making a most valuable contribution to the church and to our nation.

One of the means used in making this contribution to the church is the conduct of this lecture program. There is a bit of magic in the mere pronouncement of the phrase “Abilene Christian College Lectureship.” These words immediately set the mind in motion and bring to the memory a feast of good things. One sees a great gathering of Christian people; the renewing of good friendships and the making of new ones; the hearing of inspirational messages from the word of God. For those of us who have studied here for a time, it means hearing again “the sweetest singing this side of heaven” as the students of Abilene Christian College begin to sing.

Consequently, IT am glad that there is an Abilene Christian College Lecture Program, for I know that much good is accomplished during these annual events. I know that impressions are made here that will bear fruit in eternity. I know that vows are made here that find their keeping in far-off places of the earth—vows that result in the introduction to God’s kingdom of souls that otherwise would be denied admittance to heaven in the last great day. So, I am happy for the occasion that brings us together today, grateful to those who are responsible for granting me the time to discuss with this great audience “The Work of the Church in Italy.” The Italian Man
In order to expedite matters, I think it will be necessary for me to introduce you to the Italian man. If you attempt to interpret his actions toward us, and his attitude toward the gospel in the light of American temperament and en-vironment, you will miss much of what I shall be saying. Anything that can be said of the Latin race in general can be said in italics of the Italian man. He is decidedly Latin. He is short-tempered; a lover of honor and position. He considers some sort of title as essential to his wellbeing. Pomp and show appeal to him, as well as do all things colorful and mysterious. Nearly all of these points are reflected to some extent in his religion.

Among all of his traits that affect our work, none are stronger than the fact that he is a born follower and a lover of tradition. The former manifests itself in the history of the Italian people. Though the Italian man would probably be offended if you should tell him, the fact that he is a follower is perhaps an unconscious confession of his inability to think for himself. He finds a solution to this dilemma by placing him-self (many times to his sorrow, and most times to his disadvantage) in the hands of those who are willing—but incapable—of thinking for him. I am sure that the Caesars who planned and produced the mighty Roman Empire would never have considered a program of world conquest had it not been for the assurance that they were being followed by millions of faithful, unquestioning Italians. Certainly, Mussolini would never have been able to do what he did without this trait in the very nature of his people.

Nowhere is this trait more manifest than fn matters reli-gious. Catholicism early recognized this trait and exploited it to the fullest. Nowhere is to be found a better example of our Lord’s statement concerning the blind leading the blind than in this instance. For centuries, the Italian man has blindly, meekly, and unquestionably followed his religious leaders without thought of making personal inquiry. It has obviously never occurred to him that he should “search the scriptures” for himself, or that John has warned him against believing every spirit because of the many false prophets that have gone out into the world. After all, he is a follower, and followers do not take the time for personal inquiry.

It is, therefore, a very trying and tedious task to wean him away from his religious leaders and thinkers. Not that it is difficult to show him the errors of Catholicism as opposed to the Way of Truth, but even after you have convinced him that he has been misled—it is a long distance yet to the baptistry. He is very prejudiced against breaking traditions. Those who have been converted have gone against the grain of public opinion, in itself a bitter dose. Then, when there is added to this the loss of friends, the respect of families, and the loss of means of livelihood, it is easy to see that these new born babies are subjected to trials that would test the faith of many of us who have been in the church much longer.

Mothers, enraged at becoming a public scandal because of the conversion of their children, have ordered them to seek shelter elsewhere. Brothers have told brothers that they are no longer considered as such. The peace and tranquillity of entire families have been disrupted and the Lord’s statement concerning a man’s enemies being found in his own household has become true all over again in Italy. These infants in Christ have been insulted on the streets by former friends, ridiculed from the pulpits by their former “spiritual fathers,” and not a few of them have been beaten. I wish I could say that, in spite of these trials of faith, all of them have remained faithful, but I cannot. Some have turned back. Many have been lured by jobs and positions offering them a little physical security.

There is the case of the young man who left on being offered a position in the Vatican. There is the case of the man who returned to Catholicism, and to his wife, when she made that a condition of continuing her marriage to him. There is the case, as told me by one member of the church, of the woman who became hysterical, ran to the priest and fell down before him. She kissed his hand, asking for forgiveness. She had read in the newspaper that no “Protestant” could expect to receive a housing unit, for which she had applied. This house was to be provided by your tax money.

While we have regretted to see some turn away, either because they had not counted well the cost, or because they were not willing to pay the cost, we have seen some rise to heights of heroic faith seldom reached in our day. When I consider how linked to traditionalism these people are, and how cruel the Catholic persecution has been, I greatly marvel at the power of the gospel in converting their souls, and at the courageous faith of those who have remained true. The Effects of Politics
Soon after our arrival in Frascati, the Leftist press began introducing us as missionaries of the Marshall Plan and the Atlantic Pact. Once a class was dismissed by Brother Gordon Linscott in order to avoid a Communist-inspired riot. Though it was difficult for us to put the idea across, we repeatedly announced to our audiences that the church of Christ has no political connections. We said that we believe in a complete separation of church and state; that we seek to make good citizens through Christianity; that we were not trying to make a political party of the church. “A church without politics? How strange!” But it had a ringing appeal. Soon some of the leftist elements were attending our meetings. Later, some were baptized, and this brought a new problem. Anyone who is not a Catholic is considered by them as being a leftist, if not an outright Communist. The rank and file of even tne Communist Paity in Italy are good, well-meaning people, who have suffered from Catholic oppression, and have taken this means of expressing themselves. They believe in God and can be Christians. They are neither Marxists nor infidels. They have dared to think for themselves and have been automatically branded “Communist.” For a good example of this, look at the ends to which they went in calling us Communists. Why? We are not Catholic! In Italy, one is either red or black—Communist or Catholic. We were called many times to the police station to answer charges of Communism hurled from the pulpits by the local priests. We repeated that we were “apolitico”—without interest in politics—and in order to maintain that position, it, would not be possible for us to deny admittance into our classes to Communists, if they should decide to come, anymore than we could deny admittance to Christian Democrats (Catholic Party), or members of the Catholic Action.

One of every three persons in Italy is a Communist. The Catholics claim that S3 % of the people of Italy are Catholics. This necessarily means that one of every three Catholics is a Communist. At the highest point, not more than one of each ten members of the church was Communist. At present, I am sure that perhaps less than one of every twenty members in the church is Communist. One reason for this fact is that the Communist Party has recently purged its members, and in this effort to strengthen the party, it has brought new persecutions on the few who were Communists. As a result, some left Communism, but others left the Church. So the Church lost more members. Is Catholicism the answer to Communism? Catholicism had a fifteen century start on Communism, yet look at the condition of thatf Catholic country of Italy today. The truth is that Catholicism has fostered and presented Communism to the world. We feel that these persecutions from the Catholic church, and the pressure from the Communist party, have in reality strengthened the church by taking away those members who were not able to stand “the heat of the sun.” I am certain that if 1 were given the choice between a large memoership of untested and untried Christians, and this sor t of spiritual amrmtation that has reduced our numbers by uB'ldwihg away the chaff,” that I would choose the latter. I think the Lord would do the same. He demonstrated through Cidecn that he is more interested m strength than in numbers. Our Beginning—January i4, 1949
We landed in Italy, January 14, 1949. Our numbers consisted of: Brother and lister William C. Hatcher of Detroit, Michigan; Brother and Sister Dayl Pittman of Corpus Christ!, Texas; Brother and Sister Harold Baden of Lubbock, Texas; Brother J. U. Chisholm of Brownfield, Texas; Brother Wyndal Hudson of Sea- graves, Texas; Erother and Sister Jack McPherson of Wyoming; my wife and I of Brownfield, Texas.

We were met in Naples by Brother Gordon Linscott of Montana, who helped us get on a truck and in a car to be carried to our new home in Frascati.
Frascati was headquarters for the German Army during the war, and was almost destroyed by bombing raids. Housing facilities were next-to-impossible to find. It was necessary for us to live in a “pensione” the first winter, which added nothing to our first impressions of the country, nor to the efficiency of our work. The one room we had was not equipped for heat, and our bed was furnished with a straw mattress and gunny sack quilts. There was no bath. It was during this miserable existence that we read an article in one of our religious periodicals concerning the “glamour of mission work.” We had difficulty classifying the mind that could produce such, and we prayed, “Lord, forgive him. He knows not what he does.”

I feel that the severity of that winter in such living quarters was responsible for the attack of rheumatic fever and arthritis that made it necessary for my wife to leave Italy last fall. We launched immediately into our work. Within a month, we had had an audience of over three hundred persons present. But success brought us trouble. The next Lord’s Day after our first big service, the road from Frascati to Villa Speranza was full of priests and nuns, who warned the people against attending our services. They threatened all sorts of reprisals against those who did not obey. Without the slightest idea of who we were or what we were teaching, the priests warned the people from their pulpits against attending our services. Our first baptisms were in March. Both of the young men who were baptized were faithful Catholics. One was a brother of the president of the local Catholic Action. Their conversion brought an immediate stir of excitement in ecclesiastical circles. They were denounced as having sold their faith. It was said that we had paid them 75,000 lire for being baptized. Yet, several messengers were sent to them, offering them jobs in the Vatican if they would return. Gradually, the church began to grow. Our first efforts outside of the Frascati area were centered in a little city called Montecompatri, where we sought to have an open-air meeting. Permission for this meeting was obtained from the police, and announcement was made that the meeting was to begin on a Monday night. But Monday morning, the priests were busy. They stirred up such feeling that one of the members of the church in Montecompatri rode his bicycle to Frascati and told Brother Hudson of the disturbance, advising him not to make an appearance.

It was well that Brother Hudson did not attend the meeting since a group of men lay in ambush for him. A land mine, placed in the exact spot where he always parked his jeep, was set off by a small boy, who lost a portion of his hand in the explosion. Several members of the church were injured that night when their homes were entered by the same group of men who had waited in ambush for Brother Hudson. This was our first venture in a new place. A similar treatment was awaiting us in many other new places that we entered. For instance, in Rocca di Papa, Brother Harold Paden’s new class was broken up one night by a mob of shouting, whistling, blaspheming Catholic Action members. As Brother Paden left, the building, they formed an aisle through which he was forced to walk to his jeep. This he walked alone, as they covered him with spit! Someone poured a bucket of dirty water over him. The breakline of his jeep had been severed, causing the rake fluid to drain on the ground. He realized this, in time—making a dangerous descent from the top of Rocca di Papa by using the low gear for a brake. A group of native personal workers were driven out of Rocca Priori by a priest-led mob. A stone from out of the darkness felled one of our native preachers in a meeting in Bioiana. The new class in Marino was disturbed one night by the police; who came searching for an ammunition dump that they suspected us of concealing there. Twice, in a new place, Brother Salvatore Puliga was arrested and prevented from preaching, thus creating a bad impression on the people, and driving away many of them. But there is this to report—no violence has come twice in the same city. It seems that this type of reception is characteristic of our beginning in new places. The church is meeting in many of the places just mentioned, and the people seem to accept it as a necessary evil. One newspaper summed it up this way:

“We suppose that in and among all of the dollars and food that America is sending to us, one cannot complain too much if he finds a few tanks and guns, Coca-Colas, the Reader’s Digest, and the Protestants from Texas.”

After the' priests saw that they could not rid themselves of us by staging riots or by the campaign of calumny which they so vigorously waged, they decided to try another method. They began to frequent our classes and, by their presence, drove some members away. The people greatly fear the priests, and even iheir presence was disquieting to some. In an attempt to disturb the classes, the priests continually asked irrelevant questions. We, at length, made them keep silent until the class was finished. Following the close of the class proper, we wTould have, another session with them untii the late hours of the night. When the Catholic clergy felt that they had learned enough about the church of Christ to handle us in debates, they began challenging us to meet them m these public discussions. They spoke of Alexander Campbell, and wanted to know what we knew of him. They continued to press us for a public discussion—for many public discussions. In fact, they said, it would be tneir duty and pleasure to debate us- nightly until we became so ashamed that we would leave Italy. This was repeated on the first night of the discussions, with the additional thought that they would be standing on the shore waving goodbye to us.

Apparently, they had learned that the threatening notes placed in our jeeps, warning us against extending our stay in Italy, and the signs they painted on our cars—“Death to the Protestants”—would not rid them of us. They had decided to test their doctrines against the truth in public debate. These debates attracted a fairly large audience, something more than three or four hundred persons being in attendance. We discussed a different subject each night- — such subjects as the infallibility of the pope, the primacy of Peter, the doctrine of transubstantiation, auricular confession, etc. Interest grew7 with each discussion. We were set for a showdown battle. These discussions, we considered all important.

Members of the church seemed happy to know that their new-found faith could be successfully defended against such able exponents of Catholicism as the Capucinni monks. Those who were outside of the church were becoming interested, and many of them remained each night for further clarification of certain points. The swagger and confidence with which our opponents approached each subject gave us reason to hope that the discussions would go on indefinitely. On the next to the last night of the series of discussions, our opponent used a good part of his first speech in reprimanding some of those who were present the previous night for saying that he had lost the discussion. I was disappointed in his saying what he did. I feared that our discussions might be nearing an end. I felt better when, after that session, he agreed to return the following night. The subject was announced. The audience was reminded to be present for another discussion—same place, same time, the following night.The next afternoon, however, he sept word that he could not obtain permission from his superiors to return. He stated that if we wanted to discuss the subject announced, we would have to do so in the monastery, privately.

Near five o’clock, we sent him the following message: “The audience will be here tonight, as we both requested of them yesterday. We are sorry that your superiors will not permit you to come to Villa Speranza again. Of course, we are willing to meet you in the monastery or anywhere else. If you insist, we will be there tonight, as you suggest. “However, it’s only fair that we notify you that since the people will know nothing of this sudden change in the plans oy your superiors, and since they will be here, desiring to hear a discussion on what we believe contrasted with Catholicism, we plan to send someone to discuss the question with you privately at the monastery. At the same time, we will have one of our preachers present your side of the arguments on tonight’s subject here at Villa Speranza. Another of our preachers will tear them to pieces.

“All of this will take place before the audience you invited to be present. Therefore, if you desire to see your side of the question well represented and defended, we suggest that you be present yourself.” A messenger rushed back to say that the superior had changed his mind, and that our opponent would be present at Villa Bperanza as announced.
After a rather difficult time in the discussion that night, he asked to make an announcement. It ran along this fashion: “This is the last discussion. My superiors have prohibited my return. Therefore, the debate, is over. My super- :ors have also told me to say that an> person who comes to this place for any reason in the future will automatically be excommunicated. We will not hear your confessions, administer your last rite, or bury your dead.” His superior may have asked him to say other things, but he w’as not allowed to say them. At this point, the audience was on its feet—Christian and Catholic alike— and he was “booed” to silence.

I was not listening to the announcement. I was listening to one of the Capucinni monks who had come with him—an American. When the crowd began to “boo,” this . American remarked, “They certainly didn’t like that, did they?” It w’as not until later that I realized what ne had said. Within a few days after these discussions, huge placards appeared on the buildings of Frascati, announcing a series of Bible Lectures which were to explain the difference between Protestantism and Catholicism The public was invited. A question period was to follow each lecture. As much as we wanted to attend, discretion told us that it would not be the wiser course. Italian members who attended to find what was taking place informed us that only a handful of people were present. Another interesting point to us wras that in these discussions, the terms Protestant and American were being used interchangeably.

After these lectures had continued for some time, word came to me that Don Gu.iseppe, secretary to the Bishop of Frascati, had offered to. debate me on the subject of original sin. This debate w7as to take place on a Monday night. I confirmed the report. Don Guiseppe admitted that he would be glad to do so. This was on Saturday. Within a few hours, many in Frascati had heard about the appointment. Later, however, Don Guiseppe sent word that it would be impossible to conduct the debate. I felt that it would still be necessary for me to make an appearance at the place for debate, since my absence might lend an opportunity for the boast that we were afraid to appear. (This situation had arisen previously. During a meeting I was holding in Montecompatri, four or five monks came to tell me that I was scheduled to debate in about two hours in a nearby city. Of course, I couldn’t go. Other arrangements had been made. It was then announced by them that I was afraid to debate with them.) The next day, I announced at Villa Speranza that we had been challenged to the public discussion. When I arrived at the building on Monday night, the crowd outside was so dense that I could hardly make my way to the door. As I started to enter, two policemen stopped me and told me that I couldn’t go in. I told them that I was scheduled to debate in there. Not tonight, I was told. And I didn’t. But even my appearance seemed to serve a psychological purpose. In a Catholic publication, “La Settimana del Clero,” intended for the clergy, there appeared a write-up on our activities—the debates we had had, what we believe, and what the priest should do if we should appear in their community. Shortly after this was published, we received a letter from a town on the Adriatic Sea—on the other side of Italy. It was from an archpriest who said he knew a lot about the church of Christ, but that he wanted to know more. He stated that he liked what he knew. The letter was signed G. T. Brethren, S. C. Two of our brethren went and met with him, returning to speak enthusiastically of the findings. Letters followed. And another visit, during which the priest decided to come to Frascati for further study. Thus, Brother Torrieri was baptized in December. Brother Torrieri was supported for a year by the church in Crane, Texas. Although he is now without support, he is still working effectively for the church in Milano. In September, we went to the Ministry of Education to ask for permission to open a school in the orphanage for the twenty-two boys who were then living in Frascati Orphan’s Home. We didn’t know it then, but this was to be the first chapter in a very sad story. Our asking for permission for the school in the home seemed to remind them that perhaps something could be done in a legal way to rid themselves of us.

We had asked in writing to the Vice Prefect of the Rome province what authorization was needed, and had been assured that none was required. We asked for his assurance in writing. Our request was refused. Within a few days, the police chief of Frascati ordered us not to take any more children into the home. If we failed to comply with his order, he said he would be forced to place a guard at our gate.
One week later, he ordered us to close the orphanage.

I carried a letter to him in which I appealed, in the name of humanity, that this order be rescinded. I had places for an affirmative answer and a negative one. He signed it negatively, and placed his seal of office over his signature. He said, “These are orders. Close the home immediately and send the boys away.” I replied that I realized I was a foreigner living in Italy, duty-bound to respect the laws of the land. I did not believe, however, that there existed a law, even in Italy, which prohibited the giving of food and shelter to innocent children—that I had no intention of complying with his request. . I told him I just didn’t have the heart to send them away.

“But if you can find some reason to justify your actions, you may come and get them any time you want them. We will offer no resistance. I feel I must tell you, however, that when you do come, I have a 16 mm. movie camera, loaded and waiting. I want a picture of the whole sad affair.” This was all I could think of, yet it seemed to work. He said he would have a truck come and pick them up. Many orders came after that. All said the same thing, “Send the boys away.” Although it may sound disrespectful to you now, our answer continued to be, “Come and get them any time you want-them.” We counselled with the elders in Brownfield, directors of the home, and with the Embassy. They sustained us in our stand. By these methods, we delayed them for a time during which we were frantically working for permission to stay in Italy and operate the home. On December 24th, the Police called me in for the “last time.” I was reminded of his previous orders, of the fact that our “permisso di soggiornos” were expiring in a little over a week, and that our failure to comply with his orders would greatly affect our chances of remaining in Italy. My efforts until now had been to try to save all of the different phases of the work. But if one phase, the orphanage, on which we were counting so heavily in future years, was to kill the other phases of our work, then we would have to sacrifice that part which seemed to be offending most. I told them Fd think it over.

I returned to Villa Speranza and though it was a bit late, I decided I would tell the boys the bad news. I had already made up my mind to send them away. As I entered the big room where they were all assembled, they greeted me with a noisy salute as usual. I quieted them and told them I had something very difficult to say to them. Then I told them for the first time that the police had ordered us to close the home and send them away. The time of their leaving was scheduled for the day after the Christmas presents were distributed. I had intended to say much more but I couldn’t. I went to my office and wept. We had done all we could do. Later, I went to the small house where Sister McPherson lives, to tell her to prepare a letter for the Commissario telling him that if he would permit the boys to stay until after the Christmas party on the 23rd this letter would serve as my promise to comply with his wishes. When I walked into the hall there were twelve or fifteen boys on their knees grouped around Sister McPherson, praying aloud. They were weeping as they prayed. Even though it was the climax to a perfect day of heart breaks, yet there was a thrill to know that they would weep because they had tb leave. We told them when we left that we hoped to be able to write them in a few days that they could return.

It was only a few days till the Commissario called me to tell me that the Prefect in Rome had notified him that it would be all right for us to keep the boys in the home until they had acted on a new application which we had made for the orphanage. That was December, 1949. We are still operating on those conditions. No action has been taken on that application made over a year ago.

Many problems came to a head in December of 1949. On December 9th, word was received from the customs that we could not receive any more packages from the States, and that those then in customs could be obtained only with an import license. It was quite odd that only a few day£ before, a member of one of our classes told Brother McPherson that a priest had told him we would not be getting any more packages. I shall not have time to tell you of our work with the clothing packages that you sent us, but I do want to thank you personally and to bring you the thanks of thousands of grateful Italians who were helped with your clothes.

During the month of December, in addition to the closing of the home, the stopping of packages and the expiration of ouf resident visas, there was also a riot in the little town of Castel Gondolfo. At the time, this added nothing to our worries. We didn’t think enough of it to write home about it. There had been others much worse which we had reported to the Embassy and the various news services, but they had not considered them worthy of their attention. There was really not much to it, and it was very exaggerated in the press releases.

Brother Jack McPherson had been asked by one of the members of the church in Castel Gondolfo to come over and conduct a class for her friends in her home. This class had been going on for some time and was always very modest in size. One day the local priest came and started asking questions. Brother McPherson asked him to wait till the class was dismissed and he would then be free to talk with him. The priest waited outside. When the class was dismissed, the priest informed Brother McPherson that this class had lasted long enough. Brother McPherson was told not to return unless he was prepared to defend his position in a public debate. Brother McPherson told him he was not a debater but that he was sure some of the others among us would oblige him. A definite answer was to be given on the next Tuesday at the regular time for the class. On that Tuesday, Brother McPherson, Brother Pittman, and others wrent in two jeeps to Castel Gondolfo. They were stopped outside the city by the police. The police told them that there were some 4,000 people waiting in the piazza for them and advised them to return to Frascati. However, they said, “If you want to go on, wTe will do our best to protect you, but there are only eight of us.” These brethren did what they should have done—they got back into their jeeps. As they were turning around, some 200 of the people came runnmg with sticks and stones. They began to club the jeeps and attempted to turn them over as our brethren wrere trying to turn them around. Though the jeeps were slightly damaged, none of the workers were injured. In the hasty getaway, two of the members of the church were left behind. They were forced to do as Peter chose to do, mix with the crowd and thus lose their identity. This was the story as the brethren told it to me that night. I told them to forget it since we had worse news. Our visas were expiring in a few days, and there was the great likelihood that they would not be renewed. We thought little more of it until it broke in the newspapers. For the next month our life was rather hectic. There were reporters everywhere. They came to our classes, asked us to baptize someone, anyone, so long as they could get a picture. They came into our bedrooms. They fel- lowed us to the police station. They were everywhere we went for a month. The Leftist press made hay while the sun was shining. They accused the Catholics of religious intolerance in screaming headlines. The same presses which once had called us missionaries of the Marshall Plan and the Atlantic Pact now printed our story in every publication available, even their weekly magazines. One magazine, published by Togliatti himself, gave us credit for the dismissal of Myron C. Taylor. The number one Communist in Italy called me “Bravo Cline.” The Catholics naturally felt they had to say something and, naturally, it was neither complimentary to us nor the Communists. The Vatican newspaper “L’Osservatore Ro-mano” wrote a series of articles on us saying it had proof that we were a Communist organization and that our preachers were card holders. It said that instead of preaching religion we preached that religion was an opiate of the people, just as the true doctrines of Marxism taught us to preach. These were their very words. The Minister of the Interior, Scelba, in an interview with Mr. Frank Bruto of the Associated Press accused all Prot-estant groups in Italy of aiding the Left. So the Protestants came out against us. Everybody tried to get into the show. Though, they tried to make it appear that they were answering the charges against Protestantism, they were really trying to establish or maintain their identity as being organizations separate and apart from the church of Christ, thereby saving themselves. A meeting was held in Rome of all Protestant churches in which a paper was drawn up to show that the church of Christ was not recognized by the Association of Evangelical Churches. It was prepared for publication but for some reason it was never released. For a month we were a political football, with everyone using us and nobody caring whether we bounced this way or that. Of all the charges against us, the one branding us as Communists seemed the worst. If the government actually thought we were Communists, as government and Vatican newspapers, even members of the Cabinet were saying, then our chances of staying in Italy would be greatly reduced. We went to the American ambassador and asked him to give us a statement. He refused to do so, though for some reason he did come and visit the orphanage. Finally, for some inexplicable reason the Communist press turned against us. A series of four front page articles accused us of being American spies and espionage agents. The last of this series of articles said that Sen. Tom Con- nally of Texas was the head of the church of Christ spy ring. “L’Osservatore Romano” commented on this article to say that at last the Communist press had seen the light.

We decided after the noise had died down that we would capitalize on the publicity the church had received, even though most of it had been bad. We rented a hall in the Collegio Romano which would seat 6,000 people. We printed large posters and thousands of hand bills. We worked for two weeks to prepare to tell as many as would come what the church of Christ really is. We rented office space, but lost it. On the evening before Brother Gordon Linscott was to discuss the subject “What is the church of Christ,” we received a registered letter from the Ministry of Education stating that the building was no longer at our disposition, that we would have to make other provisions. It was too late for that. We tried everything that we could, but all to no avail. The night of the announced meeting some 1,500 people stood outside the locked doors of the Collegio Romano. They had come to learn of the church, but now that they had come, we couldn’t tell them. The Questura was there, so Was the Commissario of Rome and so were the Celere, Italy’s version of the Gestapo. They must have been expecting trouble. It would be difficult to describe the feeling of utter defeat, the deep down hurt we felt at having so wonderful an opportunity within our grasp, only to have to turn these hundreds away —many of them never to know of the church of Christ. We were told to announce that the meeting would not be held, but were refused the opportunity to tell the people why.

Again the Communist press, forgetting that Sen. Tom Connally had sent us to Italy to sabotage the country, cried out “Religious Intolerance.” The intellectual leftist paper “II Paese” proposed the beatification of De Gasperi, the Prime Minister for such “Noble Deeds” done for the Roman Church.
A second hall was rented, this time from the Bank of Italy. We explained fully what had happened the first time and told them we didn’t want a duplication of our experiences. They assured us that nothing like that would happen. But it did happen, with even less notice than we had before. In both instances, we had written contracts but at neither time did we have a key. One of those standing outside the locked building said to me, “This is the second time I’ve come to hear this discussion. Why don’t you have a building of your own, where no one would bother you?” I couldn’t answer that question. The next day the newspaper said, “The church of Christ can’t have a meeting here. They can’t keep a rented building long enough and they don’t have a building of their own.” That was the sad truth. Even sadder than the reporter knew. We have been run out of ten to fifteen such buildings. We will continue to be run out until we own a building of our own. In many places of the world, even here in the United States, churches of Christ can successfully rent their buildings and carry on their work, but not in Italy. I hope that we can remedy that situation to some extent while we are here in this country. I am certain that we would have more than 25 members today in Rome, if we had had a building from the beginning. As a result of the publicity, we had received from national and international papers, we began immediately to receive letters from every part of Italy and from five European countries. These letters came from France, Switzerland, Greece, Holland, and Portugal. They opened up new doors to us that would otherwise have remained closed. In answer to the forty letters we received from Milano, we sent Brother Harold Paden to visit each of them and to stay in that city if he thought the prospects good. He left in March, 1950, with this list of forty names. He stayed on, and saw four individuals become Christians in June of last year. Since that time, twenty- five more have been baptized, with many more interested and ready for baptism.

Brethren Carl Mitchell and Howard Bybee, and Melvin Pownall, who came last year have aided wonderfully in that work in Milano. On January 9, 1951, another priest was baptized there. He was a professor in a university in Milano. Also, he is a prolific writer and lecturer. The workers believe that they have found another apostle Paul in him. From Milano, they have gone to Allesandro and Turino. In the latter city, they are working with a group of one hundred that claim to be non-denominational, whom they hope to teach more perfectly on some doctrinal points. All of this came through the publicity that we received.

Brother A. Sparagna, the ex-priest converted by Brother Ralph Graham, was indirectly made known to us through these letters. In Catanzaro, a congregation of one hundred and fifty members wrote asking that we visit them and preach for them. This group is in error, only as far as we could see, on the regularity of observing the Lord’s supper, and the musical instrument. We are hoping to begin preaching regularly for them in the near future. From Cenzenzo, a letter arrived this last month from a member of the Catholic church, telling of a group of two hundred who were appealing for us to come and “set up a church based on the New Testament,” as they said. It seems that the priest had stoleh all the gold off the idols and had done many other things. They finally locked him out of the church building, and were now waiting for someone to come and teach them how to be simple Christians. Protestants have converted entire congregations under similar circumstances. From this correspondence that continues to come Brother Hudson has under way a correspondence Bible course, based on those of the Lawrence Avenue church in Nashville, Tennessee. There are six or seven hundred students enrolled in this school. He also publishes and sends out over two thousand copies of the Twentieth Century Christian, a monthly publication. Some twenty-five hundred have written in asking to be placed on the mailing list, but our budget would allow us to send out only two thousand. This in brief, is a resume of our twenty-five months of labor for Christ’s cause in Italy. Many, many more incidents could be related, but time and space forbid.

We do have this certainty—that the church of Christ is established permanently in Italy. Whether we who have gone from America remain there or not, the church shall remain. Her trials and baptisms by fire have solidified her future—and God will furnish her increase.