People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-03-14

SAN Francisco, March 12.-Private
advices received here give an inter-
esting and important communication
from Mgr Satolli to officials of Guate-
mala, concerning that country's fol-
lowing the course of Nicaragua in
sending to Rome an envoy extraordin-
airy and minister plenipotentiary. In
the course of the document reference
is made as to the propriety under the
United States constitution of official
relations between Washington and
Rome and an Interpretation given to
that feature of the constitution rela-
tive to the separation Of church and
state.
Mgr Satolli's letter was written
while negotiations were pending,
about four months ago. 1t refers al
length to difficulties in church ad-
ministration in Guatemala, and sug-
gests that certain changes desired by
the government should be accom-
panied by an equivalent of serious
advantage to render less burdensome
the condition of the church in Guate-
mala. The document then says:
In the first place to allow me to
reflect that to re-establish diplomatic
relations between the Holy See and
your government a 'concordat' would
not be necessary but that they could
be re-established and maintained
without it. Besides it is we'll to re-
feet that the holy father enjoys al
ways in fact and by international
right the prerogatives of sovereignty.
In the second place the separation
between the church and the state
Sanctioned by the constitution ex-
Guided the action of one power
over another in civil matters
in regard to the church and
in religious matters in respect to
the state; but does not exclude Off
clal relations between the one power
and the other, unless by separation is
meant the inevitable hostility or
open wrong of the civil power toward
the church and its ministry. 1t is
also to the point to consider that
many nations although they have in
their constitutions the said principle
of separation between state and
church, maintain, nevertheless, annie
able reports and relations with the
Holy See, and can also add that al
though the Holy See has no diplo-
matte representatives with the
empires of China and Japan, it has
certainly found no official obstacle
in their diversity of religion. And
the condition of the Catholic church
in the United States, in whose consti-
tuition was inserted the article of
separation of the state from any re-
ligiOus sect, cannot escape our con-
sideratiOn, | might almost say, a
sense of surprise, if up to date nc
official relations exist between the
government and the Holy See and al
though the majority of the popula-
ton is anti-Catholic. In the mean
time the church is maintaining
possibly greater development and
liberty than in other states"
Besides this direct reference to the
United States it is said that Mgr.
Satolli's argument as to the propriety
of official relations between Guate-
mala and Rome applies also to the
United States, as he states that the
constitutional provision of both coun-
tries is the same respecting church
and state.
1t is said that this is the first time,
so far as is known, that Mgr. Satolli's
mission has been extended outside of
spiritual questions, and has dealt
with governmental subjects.