The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-06-18
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Russia and CathoIic cndrc

Russia and Catholic Church
San Francisco Monitor.
The war against the Catholic Church
in the dominionS of the Gar, which
was temporarily relaxed last year, Is
being renewed i'll countless forms at
present. The Punishment of the Bish.
op OF wilma was a proof of the Cars
bad faith in the concordat lately sign
ed, and in other provinces of the EN-
plre as well as in Poland the govern
ment seems bent on destroying Cath
olicy. The policy adopted is striking
ly like that of the English Penal Code.
The government carefully avoided
any avowal of hostility to Cathollcy
as such. 1t simply declares certain
Catholic practices illegal, for Catholic
priests i'll disposed, and then suppress
es the one or exileS the other. The
great object is to assimilate the Cath
Ollie Church to th&schismatic religion
which acknowledges the Gar as It's
virtual head on earth. As matter of
course, if the Catholic clergy would
accept their doctrines and discipline
from the Russian government they
would cease to be Catholics, and this
is the end to which the persecution Is
now directed. 1t is becoming custom
airy for the Projects of Provinces to
order the restoration of suspended
priests to the charge of Catholic par
ishes, to forbid the Bishops or clergy
from speaking against the doctrins of
the State religion, and summarily to
suppress Catholic ceremonies at will,
Though the persecution has been most
severe in Poland, 1t Is not confined to
that portion OF the Russian Empire.
Russia proper, east of Poland, contains
considerable Catholic population
among its 100000 of people.
The Archbishop of Mohilieff is the
head of the Catholic Church in Russia
and his archdiocese is by far the larg-
est in the world, extending from Po-
land to the China Sea, and including
Jhree-fourths of the Empire. His
right to act as a Catholic Prelate has
been fully recognized by the Russian
Government, which processes the
fullest federation not only for
forms of Christianity, but for
hometanism and idolatory q
But in Russia, as in Ireland
of the law is a widely diff
from its administration.
ment may profess the dee
the religious convictions
jects in theory, but in practices
quires them to take their belief and its
practical results from the bureaus of
its own officials. Count Talitor, the
Minister of the Interior, has been trys
ing to introduce the Russian language
into the service of the Catholic Church
in the same way as Elizabeth once
tried to force English into the church
service in Ireland. The innovation
has been as Indignantly rejected in the
one case as in the other, and the Russ
sian Government has adopted the
same system of forcing suspended
priests on the Catholic Congregations
as their lawful pastors.
According to Russian paper 1t has
become customary whenever u Catho-
lie priest has fallen into any public
scandal for the authorities to offer
him the alternative of introducing
Russian services into his church or
being at once removed. If he CON-
sents to the former alternative. he Is
rt once protected by the authorities in
defiance of all ecclesiastical authority.
The worse his personal character the
more suitable an instrument he is
held for the reformation of Catholicy
on the government model. It Is highs
| ly credltable to the Russian Catholic
clergy that only very few priests
nine in all-have been found ready to
barter their conc;ence for government
support, but it is striking specimen
of despotism that the action of this
handful of degraded priests should
be made the pretext for requiring the
introduction of the Russian language
into the Catholic services throughout
Russia, AS parishes become vacant,
at least in certain provinces, the Arch,
bishop is not allowed to appoint pass
tors to them,- unless on condition OF
| introducing the Russian services. The
Prelate himself is not allowed to visit
| the churches of his diocese, or to ex-
anime into their spiritual condition,
| and thus in the former diocese OF
Musk, which was united to his iuris..
diction some years ago, sixteen Catho-
| lie parishes have been left without
pastors. 1t is the old tactic Of the
English Protestant Government In
Ireland, and it is to be hoped that they
will prove as Intellectual for destroying
the faith of the Russian Catholics as
the now half-forgotten Penal Laws OF
Ireland,