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OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ARCHDIOCES
E OF PERTH.
A CATHOLIC WEEKLY
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R egistered at the G.P.O., Perth for Transmission by Post as a Newspaper.
PERTH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 1934.
NO. 2.836.
Ring
Phone B5447 SIXTIETH YEAR.
C INEMA BOYCOTT
The war on unclean fiOes in Am.:a is developing with an alarming i ty The unthought-of - ague of Decency which has the full •,aert of the Amencee Hierarchy, :"..ady numbers hutolre,;- _)1" thou::fis of members. all ef e.hum have :.mised to strive for e eurging or of only - e Cinema and the exhiO't I:olesome and decent film* Cardinal Dougherty. Archbishop of Philadelphia, recently called upon his people for a complete boreott of the cinemas until Hollyweed H prepared e give reasonable attentien to the etholic demand for cieeeler films. As a result of the be:.-eetr, which inaugurated recently .o -:xty per -nt. reduction in atter , He , • at the 'nemas has been reporoei The outcome of this ve're successCatholic protest is that 475 eine-.as in the State have declared their :ention of closing dolite, unless the . ycott is lifted. Hollywood has accepted the lesson ..: its real value and urgont. confer. eats between the leadine producers and Mr. Will Hays. the -inema industry's own censor. have been call. el to consider the /net
THE POPE'S APPROVAL Will the boycott of the cinema • which is .being exercised by American Catholics spread to England? There is a real fear among the Cinema try that the Catholic body may launch trade leaders in that couna similar Crusade to the League of Decency which now claims hundreds of thousands of followers in America.
In Philadelphia 475 cinemas have threatened to close their doors unless the boycott is lifted. The Pope has A rchbishop of Philadelphia's action in calling approved of the Cardinal the boycott.
"I am Heart and Soul With You." The Pope
In New York, a combined meeting of Catholics. Protestants, and Jews, convened by Mgr. J. Lavelle, Vicar General of New York, decided to cooperate with civic groups in a general campaign for purging the films and the stage. Father Joseph A. McCafferty, one of the Catholic representatives at the meeting,. called upon Mr. Hays to resign his office as semi-official censor
The Pope's Approval. Iecently the Pope received Cardinal Dougherty in private audience. and, expressed his complete approval of the means adopted by the Cardinal in his campaign. "You may tell everyone," said the Holy Father, "that I am heart and soul with you for the purification of the stage and for the discouraging of immoral films in the cinemas. "Many cinemas which dare to pre
sent films calculated to offencl morals and the laws of religion and mislead youth, should be avoided by Catholics. You must tell them that it is a sin to go to such cinemas." And what of England and other countries? Are they to join in the crusade for cleaner films and stage shows? The initial steps have already been taken in South Wales by the Cardiffe Catholic Action Board, and in several places in Lancashire. Clean Film Campaign in Westminster. The Westminster Catholic Federation has decided to launch a clean film campaign. The rector of every parish in the Westminster Archdiocese is to be asked to request every member of his congregation over sixteen years of age to sign a protest against indecent films. Other Catholic erganisations are to be asked to join in the campaign, and an endeavour will be made to enlist the co-operation of non-Catholic organisations A letter is to be sent to the Bishops of other dioceses asking them to take similar steps.
Los Angeles Bishop on Clean Film Campaign
Most Rev. Di. Cantwel:. when eaking to a "Standard" representaoe in Dublin, recently, _e_tid "The Bishops of the United States 7alised that out of Hollywood. the :cognised centre of the American r oving picture industry, went forth sewer of moral filth which debauchthe children of the land. Very :aurally the Hierarchy turne(l to the Pfshop in whose jurisdioti,ei lies the cilY of Los Angeles, of which Hollyl'eod is a suburb, and ast:ed that seuething should s top the ,,,,Aput of dirty be done pictures_ ."The Bishops, at their ineetina in ,ioven'iber, appointed a eontinuing :-(intriatee, under the presidency of re of Cincionati. a (el ; .::,adeArchbishop the Bishop of Los Anzeler. a H ernber of that Committee The on of the .:( ,rtirrit oe was organisati as a match qrnbers of people to tinfice Large were on! .- vatting 'r! express their disapproval of the T letures that in recent years had 'It of come Hollywood. ePort for came not the only frem the Ca people but from n,-)n-Catholics. N fethodists. Baptists, and Jews. :3 believed then, and it is be't now. that the only way to en. decent pictures is through. the -ship, which itse1 felt 10 eceipt takenmat: in at the box
of pictures shown, and asking fur improvement.
"Answers to the l tte.rs a:e new being received, and exhibitors in general assert that the difficulty everienced by them is in ob -aining clean pictures from Hollywood. am glad to think that the producers now realise that the American people. Catholic and non-Catholic, are standing on a platform of decency and intend to show the producers and exhibitors that the American people do not want and do not relish dirty pictures. am glad also to know that the Westminster Catholic Federation is more than ready to co-operate with the Bishops of the United States in purging the film industry, and the
Already preparations are being made for the departure of the Papal Legate to the Eucharistic Congress a t: Buences Aires, on October 10. He w ill leave Genoa towards the end of September on the "Conte Grande." A special apartment is being reserved f or him and special cabins for his suite on the "B" deck of -the boat. E verything' is being done to pay oroper respect to the Legate "a late ire." It is now known definitely that the Legate will be Cardinal Pathe Pope's Secretary of State, and on arrival at- Buenos Aires he will be received with sovereign hon()toes as the personal representative of t he Holy Father. a reigning monarch.
y office
alone went forth i names' of lneatres in the United owners States regnest that the local ordinarulcl E olters write a personal letter to protesting against the type
I' l
special committee to consider the programme by which the Central Conference of Rabbis can most effective. 1v co-operate with other religious groups and civic bodies in bringing home to motion picture producers their responsibility for taking immediate steps to elevate the moral standards of pictures.
For Melbourne Congress
Sovereign Honours for the Papal Legate
-- affect e! Is seenof this spnntaneous camin the anxiety of the 1 producers to give the 'ar ge Pictures pub that will be moremore 14,3( free entertaining, and frein the occasions of S
same is true of the Catholic people of Czecho-Slovakia. ••I do not know the condition of the moving pictures in Ireland. If American pictures are being exhibited uncensored it would be well to see that the idea at the back of the picture is truly Christian and not Communistic or Bolshevistic. Support for our campaign in the United States would come very graciously from the people of this country if they, too, have suffered from the uncontrolled licentiousness of Hollywood." Jewish Co-Operation. A t the annual meeting of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest rabbinical organisation in the world, held at Wernersville, Pennsylvania, a resolution was adopted recommending the appointment of a
Eucharistic Congress at Buenos Aires
etnoto any formal of the organisation, Bishops established the of Decency and urged ,e to remain away from the ther turi„and evil productions of Holly'
.t r°711
An
ing the
C ARDINAL PA
Everything, combines to make this congress a memorable one in the history of the Eucharistic Congresses. The . committee sent representatives to Dublin to study the splendid organisation of the last one, and nothing Is being left undone to give the Congress all due solemnity, The fact of the Cardinal Secretary of State being sent enhances the greatness of the oceasion, 1 11.4110-.0411.--100--41410.-4411.--.00.-111410- -OW -4/.1
MOST REV. DR. DOWNEY. The Archbishop of Liverpool (Dr. Richard Downey ). who is one of the most distinguisheil scholars and preachers of the Catholic Church, will visit Melbourne for the Eucharistic Congress during the Centenary cele?mations. This announcement roafle on the 16th. inst. bY the was organiser of the Eucharistic Congress ( the Rev. Father N. A. Clack). Be cause of the influence and personal enthusiasm of Archbishop Downey. a magnificent cathedral is at present being built at Liverpool, at a cost of £3,000,000. He will deliver a number of addresses in Ncelbourne.
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