Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-25
Father Vattmann,s Views.

Rev. Edward J. Vattmann senior Roman
Catholic chaplain in the United States army,
has Just submitted some observations on
| the religious conditions in the Philippines
to the American hierarchy of that commu-
| MON. and will sail in a few days for Rome
| to repeat them to the authorities at the
vatican. They have to do largely with the
performances Of a Bishop Aglipay, who
having been silenced as a priest by the
Roman Church. has established a church
of his own, and. we are told. is securing a
| large number Of followers. He is an en-
envy. it is charged, both of Rome and of
| the United States. and on that account the
sympathy. If not the assistance, of this
government Is asked for in the effort to
put him down.
This man. according to Father Vattmann
is making all the greater Roadway because
Of the need of priests of the Roman COM
munion to minister to the people. The
number of pastors is small when the num-
Der of people is considered And another
point urged against Aglipay is that he an
| nounces that Americanism means Protes-
| tantism. Father Vattmann urges therefore
that as many American priests as can be
spared be sent to the archipelago as soon
as possible. with the view, first, of provid-
| ing enough spiritual leaders for the people.
and, secondly, ito prove to the natives that
the United States is not a Protestant coun-
try"
Everybody will concede the wisdom of the
first proposition. There should be pastors
enough for the people, and the present de-
hciency in the Roman communion should
be supplied from America. But that the
natives should be led to believe from any
such appointment that 'the United States
is not Protestant country" is very Sc
riously to be questioned. Mischief would
be certain to follow.
When the Americans first appeared in
front of Manila. the Spanish archbishop of
the Roman Catholic Church and his clergy
appealed both to the Spaniards and to the
natives to resist to the bitter end, on the
charge that the United States was Prot
estant country, and that American control
would mean death to all Catholics and the
downfall of that church in the archipelago
The natives soon discovered that American
authority meant no such thing at ALL Shall
they be told now, in effect that the United
States is a Roman Catholic country, and
that American authority means snecIa1
favor to that communion?
If Bishop Aglipay and his clergy confine
| themselves to religious matters the United
'''O' Ne'it ie''o io dudiiei with tnem. But
| if they undertake to play politics, as the
Spanish clergy did under the Spanish re-
gime, they will be promptly dealt with. not
as churchmen, but as enemies of civil order.
The religious field. pure and simple, in the
Philippines is open to ALL
Aglpay typifies the anti-friar sentiment
among the F'ilipinos and the native priests.
If the Roman Catholic Church had prompt
| ly conciliated local prejudices by withdraw
| ing the Spanish friars, there would have
been little popular support of the Aglipay
revolt The most effective method of sub
DUNG 1T now is for the Vatican to remove
| the Spanish friars from the archipelago
| both as spiritual guides and as landlords,
and to substitute priests of other nation
alities, preferably Americans, as represent
| atives of the Roman Catholic Church.