Franco Vs Salazar (na opinião de William Thomas Walsh)

• William Thomas Walsh, historiador norte-americano:
  
  "Franco es un hombre honrado y modesto, que no ambicionó nunca el poder: un caballero cristiano fiel a Dios y a su Patria, como proclamó el Arzobispo de Nueva York, monseñor Spellman, después de hablar con él en 1943; Franco salvó a su pueblo del cruel destino que sufren las masas esclavizadas en Rusia y de todos los países conquistados por la hidra roja. La legislación social de Franco es mucho más avanzada que la de la República de 1931, y en varios aspectos superior, incluso, a la de los Estados Unidos. A mí me gusta el régimen de Franco por los enemigos que tiene. Estos enemigos son aquellos que odian a Cristo y a su Santa Iglesia, los más blasfemos y los más hipócritas de este triste mundo. Son aquellos que, con su propaganda diabólica pretenden hacer del mote fascista sinónimo de cristiano".
  
  
  
• William Thomas Walsh in "Our Lady of Fátima" (1947), pp. 209-210:
  
  "The Republic which so long persecuted the Church and the Fátima pilgrims vanished in the anarchy of 1926. Three generals amid popular acclaim, took over the government, and by various steps set up the dictatorship of Salazar which has greatly improved things. The new government established order and peace. The Church purified by the persecutions has found time for recuperation and restoration, for training new priests, buiding seminaries, bringing lapsed Catholics back to the fold. Tremendous progress has been made in many ways under a new and vigorous hierarchy.
  
  Yet there is much evidence to support the fears of [Sister Lucia] that her people have not done nearly enough by way of reparation for the blasphemies and indifference of former times. After all the marvels of Fátima, only 4 million out of almost 8 million Portuguese pretend to be Catholics in any sense of the word. There are hardly more than 3000 priests...
  
  In the large cities there is bitter anti-clericalism, and much Communistic activity. Churches are still closed after sundown for fear of desecration; nuns do not dare to appear on the streets in their habits; and the Salazar government still retains some of the Church property confiscated by the Republic. Mr. Salazar limits his practice of the Catholic faith to a barely discernible minimum; and has one of his officials said to me, 'It is a mistake to call our regime Catholic. So far as the Church is concerned we are neutral"
  
  Nota: A edição em português deste livro (1996) não contém esta passagem na sua totalidade.