The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-15
BISHOP vINCENT'S REPORT
On the Condition of the Church in
South American Countries.


Chicago, June 15.-At the meeting of
the Methodist ministers this morning
the Rev. John Lee, chairman of the
committee on religious liberty for Prot
estants in South America, submitted
report Bishop Vincent, he said had
been asked if the precise information
given by the apostolic delegate for the
republics of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador
to the papal secretary of state was cor
rect. The bishop replied by inclOSing
a statement of the Rev. DR.. Thomas
H. Wood of Callao, who was said to
know all about" the situation in that
republic. DR.. Wood took the letter of
Cardinal RampOlla to Archbishop Glib
bOns, based on information furnished
him by the papal delegate, and answer
ed it thus: 80 'Protestants, far from be-
ing restricted in the free exercise of
their worship. The constitution for
bids US publicity for our worship. The
clerical organs applaud unlawful out
RACES committed on US and preachers
enthuSe their audiences with the cry,
Death to Professionals. These facts
should have modified the statement Of
the papal delegate to RampOlla so that
the latter would not have reported that
we are far from being restricted in
the free exercise of our worship.
Z" 'Protestants are rather accorded
larger degree of liberation than is COM
patible with a strict construction of the
political constitution of these cOun-
tries
The present constitution dates from
1850 and found Protestant worship toll
Grated in the land, took for granted its
existence and restricted its publicity
without defining the limits of the re-
StrictiOn. The constitution says: No
one can be compelled to do what is not
required by law, nor hindered from do
ing what is not prohibited by law 1t
is false to say that we use more Hber-
ty than strict construction allows. It
is dOubly false to set forth, the two
foregoing quotations seem to do, that
we are acting in defiance of law under
tolerant leniency from the Roman
Catholic church The truth is, we are
carefully and conscientiously acting
within the limits of the law, as inter
preted by lawful authority, and all our
difficulty grows out of the unlawful in
tolerance of the Roman Catholic cler-
gy. The papal delegate in Lima must
have known this and he ought to have
so reported it to his superior in Rome.
THE constitution of Peru recognizes
no other form of marriage as valid
than that prescribed by the council of
Trent. False. The constitution says
nothing about marriage and makes no
reference whatever to the council of
Trent. Here the blame rests on Mac
chi, as RampOlla states that the dele
gate informs him to that effect The
delegate must have known better.
Since the coming of the delegate to
Peru we have been falling under a
series of new restrictions, beginning in
December, 1893, with a local decision
excluding our marriages from civil
registers in Callao, and ending in No
Vem Der, 1895, with a supreme executive
decree, Outlawing them sweepingly and
declaring that their previous legal rec
ognitiOn had been contrary to the con-
StitUtiOn, without stating in what re-
spect. The decision of 1893 specifically
named the Methodist Episcopal church
as having its marriages excluded from
civil registry, with no need of such
specific mention, as the decision was
made to cover all marriages not solemn
lied by Roman Catholic priest
After I had started our work in Lima,
the archbishop wrote officially to the
executive asking that my operations be
stopped. His ground was not a charge
that [ was violating any law, but the
sweeping pretension that my propa-
tile to the state religion, and therefore
hostile to the state. The executive
passed the case down to the project of
Lima, ne to the sub-prefect, he to the
police. who watched US without our
knowledge, observed how people went in
and went out of our church. noted what
we did, entered and observed within
as well as without till the sub-prefect
was satisfied and drew up a report that
we were not violating any law or reg
ulation within the compass of the po-
lice. The project Endorsed it as his
report to the supreme executive. The
record remains in the ministry of WOr-
ship and Justice"
gurated by the Methodist miisters more
than three years ago to secure the same
religious liberty for Protestants in
Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador that Cath
olics in the United States had, had been
regarded mot simply a battle for
Professionalism, but battle for hu-
mainly" They knew, he added that
victory would come finally, and until
it did come their motto must continue
to be mo surrender"