The Pope's Five Points
The address by the Pope to the College of Cardinals on Christmas Eve, linked as it should be both with the exchange of visits between the Pope and King Victor Emmanuel and with the letter received by His Holiness from President Roosevelt, is an event of some importance. Whether or not the Pope contemplates some initiative, direct or indirect, towards ultimate peace discussions—his reference to possible mediators makes it clear that the subject is well before his mind—his own outline of the principles on which peace must be based is such as the Allies at least could endorse without reservations, and it is to be hoped that an early opportunity of indicating that will be taken. Very briefly summarised the Pope's five points provide for: the recogni- tion of every nation's right to independence and to repara- tion if independence is violated ; general reduction and limitation of armaments ; an international organisation to enforce, and where desirable revise, international agree- ments ; the protection of ethnical minorities ; impregnation of rulers and peoples with a spirit of moral justice, and " the sense of responsibility which measures human statutes according to the rules of divine right." These are only formulations of principle, not articles of a treaty, but their acceptance by neutral States as well as France and Britain (the first is a condemnation of every canon in German foreign policy in the last two years) would provide a valuable starting-point for some united action when that becomes possible.
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