The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-01-25
France and Its Faith.


which admitted censure only of those
conspicuous in the enforcement of the
Law of Associations and helped to fix
in the mind an erroneous idea of re-
| ligious persecution. In their condem-
nation of the Waldeck- Rousseau min
istry American Catholics forgot that
they were indicting the republic itself
along with the electoral system of rep
resentation.. In swallowing the charge
that the Free Masons. drunk with in
| fidelity, were alone responsible for
banishing the religious orders from
France, they We're crediting a society
numbering not more than $4,000, of
which not over 5000 are active men,
bers, with debauching the religious
sentiment of 35,OOOOOO of French Cath
olics. Sober reflection at once discov-
ers the absurdity of such a PROPOSE
ton, and even the most pious of Cath
olics, those whose thoughts are drawn
to the closter as often as they dwell
upon the world. are forced to this ques-
ton: IF $4,000 male members of re-
ligious orders are driven out of their
NAIVE NOuAAAiy ~ t'VVO l. Itt -leiobllS,
what is the matter, and with whom?"
The Holy Father has discovered the
cause of this religious commotion in
France and he has spoken to the bish-
ops of that country in tones that they
can neither mistake nor disregard. He
has told them that they must get out
of politics. For years they have been
IL INC
public and have encouraged the good
people of France to hope that they
could and would be redeemed by rails
ing the standard of the Cross and all
who believed in God to rally around it.
The Church was made the recruiting
ground of the new army of liberation.
The priest was to be Frances political
redeemer. For years this has been the
refrain of all the missions, all the Pill
grimages, all the great popular devo-
tons of France.
The Western Waterman, edited by
priest CRev. D. S. Phelan), explains
the existing conditions along with their
says: When the late law against the
orders was passed it was confidently
expected that the people would rise
up and overthrow the government. The
two armies were face to face and
collision seemed inevitable. But the
expected uprising did not occur; the
people supported the government very
generally; the orders took their de-
parture without any very great man
ifestatio of grief on the part of the
people; the crisis passed over as if the
affair were a spinsters' quarrel. Re-
ligion as a war cry failed to arouse the
enthusiasm even of the Catholic
masses, and the campaign of religious
frenzy ended ingloriously.
The union of all the Catholic ele-
ments in the party known as the Ma
tionalists brought about the union of
all the factions opposed to the Church
The Socialists were held together by
the fear of the clericals. All shades
of Republicans blended into one deter
political power of the priests. If the
present Socialistic Republic were ever
overthrow it would not be by the men
who received their cue from the sac
risty. Far-seeing Catholics mad their
eyes opened to that fact at the last
election and have sought new align
ment of the religious forces. The Holy
Father saw it, and his late instructions
to the French clergy are the result
Frenchmen may fight the Republic, but
they must do it no longer behind the
rapparts of the Church,
The French people are not opposed
to religion. They love the Church. They
have no thought of renouncing their
faith as individuals or as nation But
they fear and hate the monarchist in
the Royalist in mitre and the
Bourbon under the cowl. They fear
them more than they do the Socialist;
they hate them more than they do the |
Jew or the Protestant As long as the |
Church remains in politics in France, |
SO long will the cross be dragged in
the dust of defeat. There is absolutely |
no hope of reform until the clergy give
up once and forever all idea of political |
in France"
That is strong language coming from !
a priest, but it is the right way to put |
problems to the Catholic
public. Catholic sentiment in this coun- |
Try is strongly rescntfuI of priestly am |
oition in politics. 1t will not tolerate |
anything beyond the priests right to |
exercise his privilege as voter and ex-
press himself as an American citizen.
With scarcely an exception the rule of |
in politics by the AM
9rican Catholic clergy remains I'M
broken to this day. All the same the !
Catholic laity may learn a lesson from
France
1t is needless to disagree with some
IF our contemporaries who paint the
nalignity of the Waldeck- Rousseau
loministrat ton in carmine We are
ready to believe, when proof is fur
lished, that the Free Masons of Amer
ca are different from their brethren in
France and that an estrangement ex-
SITS between the order here and the
'rder in France because of the infideI
ty of French Masons. We are willing
o admit the charge of infidelity
against them, but does history prove
hat infidels are the most malignant
Prosecutors of the Church? What
ices it tell us of Cromwell and other
tanch Bible pirates of the Reforma-
ion?
We believe all that has been said
-gainst the French ministry upon sub
tantiai evidence We have no love for