The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-08-22
The German Bishops and the Last Falck Law.

good deal of noise has been made during
the past few weeks about the acceptance of the
new law respecting the administration of
Church property by certain Prussian Bishops.
The fact is simply this. The law in question
places the management of diocesan and par
ochial property in the hands of election
boards, and in this there is nothing per Sc alb
solutely incompatible with Catholic doctrines
or practice. The Prince Bishop of Breslau,
who is in exile, has accordingly notified to the
Governor of Silesia his submission to the law,
and similar notices are said to have been re-
ceiyed by the local authorities from the Vicar
General of the Diocese of Hildesheim, and
from the Vcar-Capitular of Fulda. The Schle
sische Volksseitung, Catholic paper, further
states that a final declaration of the Prussian
Bishops, explaining their motives and rea
sons for submitting, is about to be published.
Without unduly anticipating the contents of
this document, we may assume that the rea-
son for the act of the Prussian Episcopate is
very much what we have already stated. This
law, unlike other parts of the new legislation,
does not touch the essence and constitution of
the Church as far as its letter goes. OF course
there is danger, and serious danger, that it
will be used against the Church by the ad-
W Uno pAIOCuIal pO8Tua Oh peISOuS nOt
really Catbolics-so-called sold Catholics
for instance-and then, and in that case, the
Bishops will, of course, protest and offer what
resistance they can; but in the meanwhile
the Church puts itself in the right as regards
any possible future conflict, by accepting, OF
rather submitting to, a law which is not on
the surface of it inconsistent, as others are
with it's spiritual freedom and it's existence in
dependent of the State.
PRESCRIPTION OF AUXILIARY BISHOPS
Another step has been taken in Prussia to-
wards the destruction of the Episcopal govern
ment of the Catholic Church, aud towards the
enforcement of the State interdict on the ad-
ministration of the Sacramento. The Su-
preme Tribunal at Berlin has just delivered a
Judgment in which it is ruled that Episcopal
functions, such as the administration of the
Sacrament of Confirmation, can in Prussian
dioceses be exercised only by the Bishops ap-
pointed to those dioceses, and confirmed by
the Government. By one blow the whole
system by which the dioceses are governed
Professionally is thus knocked on the head.
The Bishops in pdTtibus, as the Court declares
with an insulting irony, are invested with
episcopal authority only within their own
diocese in pGrsibus of which they bear the
title. So that as the Bishops arc one by one
imprisoned or exiled, no Administrator, Coad-
jutor, or Auxiliary Bishop can be appointed,
or if he is appointed, can do any episcopal act,
such as ordaining or confirming, without suf-
feriug penalties and removal. And as by de-
grees tho secs become vacant, and no new
Bishops can be sppointed-for in order to OBJ
tain confirmation by the Government" they
u,ust braak with the Church and the HOLY
see-inasmuch as by this judgment the per-
Torrance of any episcopal act by any other
Bishops is made illegal, the continuation of
the priesthood and the administration of Con-
ftmation, and eventually of Extreme Unc-
ton, to the laity will become impossible.
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