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Until this letter had well sunk in, Chancellor Hitler lay low last week, then sent up an amazing trial balloon. Nov. 10 will be the 450th birthday of Martin Luther. Flatly acting ReichsbischoF Müller stated that the Chancellor would then renounce Catholicism, become a Protestant and join "The National Evangelical Church." Since Reichsbischof Müller is Herr Hitler's close friend this announcement thunderstruck the Fatherland. Were even Catholics going to be dragooned into a National Church, a Nazi Church? For half a day Chancellor Hitler let the sensation sizzle. Suddenly he decided that Catholics must not be pressed too hard— just yet. In an official Government communique acting Reichsbischof Müller's words were branded as "inventions from the whole cloth and lies. The Chancellor belongs to the Catholic Church and has no intention of leaving it." Spiritually German Catholics breathed easier. Politically they were almost forced last week to give up the ghost. Utmost pressure was put on the Catholic Center Party to dissolve. Into their midst "The Doctor" stuck his sharp propaganda harpoon. "If I may be permitted," he sneered, "to give the Centrist party a piece of gratuitous advice it is this: CLOSE YOUR SHOP. There are no more customers coming your way! If we remove the Centrist party from the realm of politics we shall have done the Catholic Church a good service." Thus incited, Nazi police raided in Berlin six Catholic organizations whose headquarters they padlocked: the Catholic Peace League; Catholic Storm Troop; Windhorst League; Flock of the Cross; Peoples Union of Catholic Germany and Catholic Young Men's Association. With religious frenzy mounting, half-naked Nazis appeared in Berlin wearing strips of animal skins and ancient Teutonic horned caps. Loudly touting a return to the worship of Thor and Wodan they celebrated in a Berlin stadium the "Festival of the Swastika" (Nazi symbol), seemed to consider their acts religious. Sunday found banners with the pagan swastika or Hakenkreuz ("hooked cross") stuck up beside the cross of Christ in a majority of Berlin churches, though not in the provinces. Preaching from the text He that is not with me is against me, Hitler's fiery acting Reichsbischof Miiller thundered: "Adolf Hitler has been sent by God to save the Fatherland! On the day he became Chancellor, he said to me 'Everything seems like a miracle of God!'" While churchgoers were digesting this, 47 Nazi brides and bridegrooms marched through Berlin in snakedance formation led by a blaring Storm Troop band. At the huge Lazarus-Kirche perspiring Pastor Lenkning married them in batches, sent them off rejoicing to a Bohemian brewery where they blew froth with 1,000 wedding guests. Popping up among the brides & bridegrooms, club-footed Dr. Goebbels urged them, all at the top of his lungs to increase & multiply, bestowed on each couple "a picture of myself and family" (i. e. self, wife, daughter & stepson). But at sundown there came a sobering voice from the unterrified Throne of St. Peter. The Pope had decided to sign a "concordat" with the Nazis. And even Dr. Goebbels' Press could not disguise the fact that the "concordat" left the Pope unconditional master of his German flock in all that pertained to religion.