and the catacombs. These things are interesting for tourists and the Italians to see, and so are the ancient things of the Vatican, but the people should not be blinded to the future by always gazing into the past, nor should they overlook the realities of the wickedness of this present system of things by pointing to the evils and persecutions of Christians in the past, or the conquests that were carried on in Italy or by the Romans. We are living in the same old world under Satan that Paul spoke about in 2 Corinthians 4:4. Rome and all the world are ruled by the same invisible god, the Devil, as when Paul visited there nineteen centuries ago. Rome has no glory to be proud of over any other city of the world. It can boast in its past conquest and its gains in religious domination of men, as well as past and present persecution of true Christians, its inquisitions and its corruptness. Judging by God’s Word, its past is no glory and its present system of things is worthy of destruction in God’s sight.

Jehovah has the only message of comfort for the people. It is in his Word. That holds hope for lovers of righteousness. Jehovah’s witnesses have the privilege of declaring the good news from God’s Word in the face of all kinds of opposition, and Jehovah receives the credit for keeping the way open that the message may be heard and for giving the great increases in these last days of Satan’s rule.

The “Clean Worship” assembly in Rome brought joy to the hearts of many. All who attended were happy to have been there. Others throughout the earth rejoiced to know an assembly for clean worship was held in this stronghold of fusion religion. Dozens of cablegrams poured in from all parts of the world and all in attendance were grateful to the Lord that the assembly could be held without interference in this ancient city that has oppressed so many and kept the people of many nations in darkness concerning God’s purposes expressed in the Bible. Only by Jehovah’s power could such be possible, and it is Jehovah that sees to it that the light from his Word will shine forth in these last days and that false religion will be exposed by it. The Italian publishers of God’s kingdom show determination and zeal, and with Jehovah’s help they are certain to push forward the expansion of theocratic organization greatly before the end of Satan’s system of things comes. It was a pleasure to see them and worship Jehovah with them.

Vatican’s View of the Ambassador

● Anne O’Hare McCormick is one of the top writers of the highly respected New York Times. She is on friendly terms with many officials and reports firsthand on their views. In her December 23 column from Rome (published December 24) she shed light on the Vatican’s attitude toward the proposed American ambassador, saying: “There is surprise at the amount and violence of American opposition to the president’s move. Church officials say emphatically that it would be better not to have an ambassador than to stir up sectarian feeling and religious controversy in the United States. It is understood that this is the view of the pope himself. . . . Advocates who argue that the appointment is not to a religious leader but to the ruler of the scrap of real estate called Vatican City do not get much support here. The mission is either to the pope as the head of a world-wide church or it is nothing, it is pointed out; to pretend anything else is to make the appointment useless or reduce it to absurdity. All other countries sending representatives to the Vatican accredit them to the Holy See, and if the United States decides to send one at all it will follow the regular formula.”