People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-01-22


something like liberty, she had moi
dared proudly to unfurl the Gospel
banner. That which thrilled ali
hearts at Lyons is the fact that hence.
forth We shall have the consciousness
Of moral growth and force; the grain
Of mustard seed has entered upon ite
future and the duties deyolvina
upon it.
The outlook for Catholicism in
Franco has been, indeed, completely
modified in these latter days. Dur
ing twenty years QS70-1890) ii
might have been thought that there
was a duel to the death between the
Roman Church and the new Govern
ment which France had given her.
sell. All the pulpits of our country,
from the greatest to the smallest,
were transformed into political trib-
unes, from which only naledictions
and SANDERS Of the government, and
sppesls to revolt, we're heard.
The word Catholic was in that
period synonym eff Royalist. Most
priests considered the introduction
Of the tri-cOlored flag SIS proclamation.
When the l4th Of July was declared
a national holiday, q vast number of
official reports were made concern.
isg priests who had locked their
churches rather than permit the nut
inequalities to decorate the church
olock-tower with the national flag on
the national ,5ete.
Matters were in this condition
when, in 1891, the Republic crushed
the famous Boulanger conspiracy, a
conspiracy countenanced by the
clergy and by all the discontented.
The result proved that the Rspublic
: was well and duly seated, and that
those who sought to overthrow it
would only loose their time.
Fancy the astonishment of France
when the Pope instructed the epis-
copate that henceforth it would be
forbidden to combat the form Of gov.
} eminent. Both clergy and people
saw IN this an invitation to give their
} adhesion to the Republic.
This brusque change, and the
unanimity with which the bishops OF
I France oonformed to tho instructions
: Of Rome-did not these things throw
g notable light on the state Of Cath.
ollcism? Here were 3 hundred
bishops and thousands of priests, a
part OF whose life had been devoted
to tight tho government. Suddenly
it pleased tho Roman pontiff to make
a sharp turn, and immediately these
men did the same; they caused tins
Marseillaiae to BE- played, and flung
cat the national banner slongstde the
pontifcal, &ye,sven in the sanctusries!
One must be Catholic to understand
how conscience permitted in 1890
that which 1t had forbidden in 1899
Catholic apologists are always re.
peating that the pspal infallibility
proclaimed by the last Council hiss
only to do with dogma and morale =,
here, however, it had to do with
neither one nor the other, but solely
with a question Of politics. Surely
the unanimity with which the Cath
olio clergy attacked the Republic was
not more troubling or dangerous
than the unsnimity with which it ao-
copied the Republic. Its resistance,
like its submission, was the obedience
to an order from outside.
But why Go people persist in soy
ing that the Papaoy has changed is
attitude because, after indirectly aid.
ing Boulanger's abominabIe venture,
1t now comes rallying to the Repub-
licF The reply is simple. For
twsnty six years Rome has been the
capital Of Italy. Except certain
Eaoristy.rats, there is not an intelli
gent Italian who would go back to
the old. order of things. The ques-
ton has been settled by the will OF
the valiant Italian people, too little
known, alas! in Europe and else
} where. During the years which The
future Leo NH. passed at the head
Of the diocese Of Perugia, he came
into contact with people the most
= Catholic of any in Italy, yet could
assure himself that, despite their re-
} ligious submission to the Apostolic
See, they would never dream of re.
storing its temporal power, Never
! fheleas, ia Vatican CIRCLES the nnaa