Roman Catholics: Bishops in Trouble

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Although Pope Paul VI was known to be studying the Defregger dossier, L'Osservatore's editorial—the Vatican's first official comment on the case—scrupulously avoided taking a stand that would prejudge an official investigation currently going on in Italy concerning Defregger's role in the massacre at Filletto di Camardo. (The Italian carabinieri have issued a warrant for Defregger's arrest if he crosses the border, with the deferential provision that he not be handcuffed if he is taken.) "The basic problem," the paper said, "is whether [Defregger] is today, spiritually and morally, a 'new man.' " The editorial somewhat ambiguously cited "elements of interior forum" that must be considered—which some Vatican insiders interpreted as strong encouragement for the bishop to examine his conscience and then resign his post in the interest of the church. Perhaps the worst aspects of the Defregger imbroglio are its repercussions in the religious life of Germany. For the first time in years, the German Evangelical (Lutheran) Church has broken a carefully maintained harmony with the Catholic hierarchy to criticize Catholic handling of the case, and the prestige of Cardinal Döpfner has been damaged.