§ 2.35 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they can now make a further statement with reference to the seizure of Bibles, Testaments, portions of Scripture and other books by the Spanish Ministry of Information from the headquarters of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Madrid on 24th April last.]
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS OF READING)My Lords, I regret that I am as yet unable to report any favourable developments. The local representative of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Madrid has been interrogated by a court of investigation established by the Spanish Ministry of Information. It appears that the Spanish authorities may consider that the Society's work in Spain has been on a scale suggestive of proselytism, which is held to be contrary to Spanish law. Her Majesty's Ambassador made further representations to the Spanish Government on May 21 and were informed that the matter was still under consideration. We are in touch with the British and Foreign Bible Society's representatives in London and will continue to do all that we can to help them.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am obliged to the noble Marquess for his Answer. It coincides to some extent with the information I get from the Church of England Newspaper. If the noble Marquess has not yet had his attention drawn to it, 740 perhaps he might like to look at the report in the issue of June 1. Apparently what the noble Marquess said about proselytising is in contradistinction to all the responsibility the Spanish Government take when they sign the Declaration of Human Rights. Article 18 of that Declaration is quite specific upon these matters. I should like to know, first, whether the admission of Spain to the United Nations Organisation was with the support of Her Majesty's Government; and, if so, what steps can be taken to draw the attention of the United Nations to these attacks upon religious freedom in contravention of Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights.
THE MARQUESS OF READINGMy Lords, the answer to the first part of the noble Viscount's question is that the admission of Spain to United Nations was with the assent and support of Her Majesty's Government. As regards the second part of his question, before any such steps as he suggests have to be taken I should prefer to see this matter handled rather further than it has been at present.
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, I hope that I shall not be accused of proselytising after that further question. The noble Marquess will, I am sure, agree that the Bible in several recent editions is freely on sale in Spain. I have in my hand a copy which is on sale in Spain at the present time. I am sure the noble Marquess would not wish it to be implied that in Spain at the present time one cannot buy a Bible translated by Spaniards.
THE MARQUESS OF READINGMy Lords, I do not think that anything I have said suggests anything of that kind. All I am concerned with is the fate of these particular books.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, with regard to the supplementary question put to the noble Marquess, perhaps I might draw attention to a statement quoted in a report from Madrid in this morning's issues of The Times, made by the Bishop Vizcarra, who describes the seized literature as "an enormous arsenal of Protestant propaganda." Apparently, Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights counts as nothing with them. If anything of the Word of God is preached on a 741 Protestant basis, it is illegal in Spain. The other Church of England Newspaper quotation reports that the Spanish authorities have brought a legal action against the head of the Bible Society in Spain. I do not think the existence of Spanish Bibles of that kind makes any difference to the real fact—the contravention of the Declaration of Human Rights.
THIMARQUESS OF READING: My Lords, I did not recognise any interrogation in what the noble Viscount has just said, so I think we can leave the matter there.