The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-03-22
FRIARs IN PHILIPPINES.
Rumor That Negotiations for Pur.
chase of Their Lands Are on Foot.

The Baltimore Sun. is authority for
the following statement, for the truth
OF which we do not Eouch:
Word reaches here that President
Roosevelt has decided TO send a special
commission to Rome to negotiate with
the vatican for the purchase of the
property of the friars in the Philip
pines.
The commissioner selected by the
president to represent the United
States in the negotiations are Governor
W. H. Taft and Bishop Thomas O'Gor-
man.
Negotiations looking to the appoint
ment of such a commission have been
IN progress for some time between
Archbishop John Ireland and repre-
sentatives of the administra ton. Some
opposition has been encountered in the
matter of details.
The purpose of the mission to Rome
is to agree upon price to be paid by
this government for the property held
by the church in the Philippine islands
The settlement will probably involve
IS, 900, 600 or $4,000, 600.
1t is believed that the settlement of
the disturbing friar problem viii con-
tribute to the establishment of peace
ful conditions in the islands.
The Sun then proceeds to give the
following particulars Of the holdings of
the friars in the islands:
The friars own about 100000 acres of
land in the Philippines In December
last Secretary Root proposed in his an
nual report that this land be purchased
by this government and sold to the ma
tives.
The friars of the Philippines, the Au-
i,,;o
Franciscans, and, to a minor extent.
Jesuits and Benedictines. All these be-
long to regular" religious orders, or
orders with solemn vows and owe no
allegiance to the bishops of the do
ceseS in which they are established, but
depend directly on authority from the
pope.
The Catholic church in the Philip
pines is under the direction of an arch
bishop and four bishops The whole
clergy of the islands numbers about
1898 priests. OF these 775 are of the
secular clergy, and directly governed
by the bishops. The remainder are
"friars," members of religious orders
The 775 secular priests have charge of
a population of about 100000, which is
about the proportion of Catholic clergy
to Catholic laity in the archdiocese of
New York
The 1,200 monks in the Philippines
look after the spiritual wants of $780,
600 Filipino Catholics. Many of these
monks are engaged in educational and
literary work. and in the statistics of
the propaganda in Rome the Philip
pines are ranked as the Catholic coun-
try which has relatively the smallest
body of clergy.
The largest body of friars is the
Calced Augustinians, who number 327
priests, and attend to the religious
wants of 2,S45.G00 Catholics. The Dis
calced Augustinians, or "Recoletos."
number 321 priests and have under
their charge some 1,250.000 souls. The
240 Franc!scans and 23S Dominicans
look after 1,00O,0O0 and 100000 Chris
tlans, respectively, and the hundred
odd Jesuits and a small force of Bene-
dictines, though mainly engaged in
teaching, give attention to the parish
wants of nearly 100000 persons.
The Dominicans are in charge of the
University of Manila, which was found
ed two centuries ago. The Jesuits con-
Duct hourishing college. and are also
IN charge of the meteorological obser-
vatory at Manila. Their missionary
labors are chiefly confined to the island
OF Mindanao. At Vigan the Augustine
ians direct a large seminary and col