Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-17
eHuReH vERsE SITE.


New York Heuid.J
The history of The present conflict of
authority between the POntiG in Rome
and { e federated civil government of
Switzerland is Of great interest as
being illustrative Of a case in point
which demonstrates the necessity for an
exact definition Of the relations which
should exist between Church and State
under ali free governments. It may be
told in the following order Of narrative:
In the year 1854 NJ. Gaspard Mermil-
lod was appointed Roman Catholic cure
Of Geneva on the recommendation of
the Bishop Of the diocese, when accord
ing TO the law of the Canton, he took
the oath TO "Obey and to preach ODE
dience to the laws of the land The
same year, however, he received from
the Pope, and without the sanction OF
the State, the title and dignity of Bishop
Hebron, auxiliary of Geneva. Seeing
that the Council of State of the Swiss
Republic never received official notice Of
this appointment, it continued to con-
slider him only as the proxy of Mgr.
MARLEY, the head Ofthe diocese Of Lau-
same, under whose perpetual jurisdic-
ton Geneva is placed by a decree OF the
Counsel diEstat, ofNovember !, 1873.
The Conseil fd'Etat, having informed
NJ. MermillOd that ii did not recognize
his episcopal authority in Geneva, re-
I eeived.the answer that che held his
power from the Pope, and that he would
exercise it despite the authority Of the
Conseil d'E.tat.n In consequence Of
the attitude thus taken by NJ. MermiI-
Iod. the COnseil diEtat, by a decree of
the twentieth of September, deprived
him of his cure, at the same time sup
pressing the said cure of Geneva, until
the establishment of a better under
standing. BY a second decree of the
same date M. MermillOd was ~interdicted
from performing any act out of his or
binary jurisdiction either directly or by
proxy, as also from performing any act
in quality OF Vicar-G General. The Con-
sell d'Etat Of Geneva thus declared open
war with the Vatican.
There was in Olden times a Bishop of
Geneva, who, after gradually, and in
the name of the popular liberties, alb
sorbing all the feudal power of the Counts
in that city and territory, made himself
so obnoxious to the citizens, that, at the
time of the Reformation, Geneva not
only abolished the Bishopric, but became
the headquarters of Calvinism, and for
babe the celebration of Roman Catholic
worship within her dominion. In later
times, however, she extended her rule
over some Savoyard districts, the pOpu-
iation of which was strictly Roman
Catholic, and the progress of trade led to
the immigration of Catholics into the
city itself, in 50 great numberthat now
the population of the little Canton con-
sists of fcrty-seven thousand eight hun
bred and tifty-seven Catholics against
forty-three thousand six hundred and
six Protestants. The Catholic cOngre-
cations have, therefore, been admitted
to the free exercise of their religion, and
divided into several parishes, at the head
of which is the sO-called cure, or head
parish-pTiest of Geneva. Still, Geneva
was never recognized intOa new diocese,
but merely submitted, as a parish, to the
jurisdiction of the See of Lausanne. All
these arrangements were made by the
Catholic congregations themselves, with
the Joint sanction of the Holy See and
the Cantonal as well as of The Federal
authorities of Switzerland. MonseignOr
Mermillod, the cure of Geneva, or Bish-
op Hebron, is a most jealous champion
ofthe dogma of ~infallibility. 1t is pleaded
for Mermillod that he has been appoint
ed 10y the Pope first Vicar-General and
then Suffragan Bishop Of Geneva, and
finally, that the Pontiff has re-establish-
ed the Diocese of Geneva and invested
NJ. MermillOd with it; but the Swiss
Cantonal authorities deny that any such
transactions could be of the least value
without their full knowledge and con-
sent. They maintain further, that, Is
they have never received any intimatiOn
II AI,., Aharr not nplw do MT raanrnfun
NJ. MermillOd's episcopal authority, but,
in consequence of his "usurpatiOn" Of
that authority, to the prejudice of his
superior, the Bishop of Lausanne, feel
obliged to remove him from his Office as
Cure of Geneva, and to strike Off the
salary attached to his appointment in
their Cantonal Budget. The Cantonal
Council of Geneva, by which the sem
tenCe was pronounced, consists almost
in equal numbers of Pr~otestants, Cath
olics and avOwed Free-thinkers, and
they have, in this mataer, come to per-
fectly unanimous resolutions. The de-
eision of the CantOnal authorities of Ge-
neva has met with the full approval and
support of the Swiss federal authorities
at Berne. NJ. Martilley, Catholic Bish-
op at Lausanne, is apparently, by no
means as eager for open hOstilities as NJ.
Mermillod, and is not partial to his u
tramontane Suffragan; but he alleges
that the parish OfGeneva has been with
drawn from his jurisdiction by al act Of
the Holy See, and that he cannot, CON
sistently with his duty to the Pope, ex-
ercise his episcopal authority in the
Genevese districts. The quarrel lies
thus between all the ecclesiastical au-
thorities of Rome on the one side, and
all the civil powers Of Switzerland on
the other.