The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-09-17
THE CHURCH IN FRANCE,

| between the church and state In
France. No doubt many Catholics in
this country regard the position Of the
church in France as peculiar. 1t is
not strange that there should be diff
Guilty in understanding the situation.
American Catholics have. a we'll de-
fined prejudice against all union of
church and state. In this country we
are entirely we'll satisfied if the church
is let alone by the state. We ask no
assistance from the state and desire
none. The situation in this country is
altogether different from that in
France. Here we have from the be-
ginning had no connection between
church and state. There is in this
country no such large numbers of peo-
pie who are unable to contribute to
the support of religion. All European
countries contain thousands of people
who live from hand to mouth. They
are unable to respond to any appeals
from the church for aid. In fact, in
France, as in other European coun-
tries, the Catholic church has looked
after the charities and education of
the people as we'll as their religion.
The Catholic church has maintained
! the schools and hospitals of France as
we'll as it's churches. When we read
in the secular press of the efforts
| which Combes is making to separate
| church and state we may wonder how
| the Catholic church can consistently
oppose this movement, which it ia
vored in Ireland and still favors in
| England, and which all in this country
admit to be the proper thing for u.s.
A little history is necessary to show
the distinction. The French revolu-
ton, in the last part of the eighteenth
| century, destroyed all existing law and
| order. 1t destroyed the material part
| of established religion. All the prop
erty of the church was confiscated.
When Napoleon Bonaparte became the
ruler of France as First Consul he
found it necessary to do something to
re-establish religion and law. He I'M
| derstood the power of the church in
| the direction Of law and order, and he
realized what an injustice had been
done. In order, therefore, to help save
France from continuous revolution and
to more firmly establish his own power
he entered into negotiations with the
Pope, and the result of these negotia-
lions was the concordat agreement,
about which so much is now said and
so little is understood. Napoleon
could not restore the vast amount of
property which had been stolen from
| the church during the revolution. In
stead he in behalf of France agreed
to pay to the clergy of France as sal
aries stated amount per year. This
amount does not equal what would be
legal interest on the property taken
from the church. 1t was a partial pay
ment of what had been stolen. But
France claimed and obtained from the
Vatican at that time certain rights
| pertaining to the nomination of French
bishops. Recently certain of the
French bishops We're summoned to
Rome to answer certain charges per-
tanning wholly to religious discipline.
Combes denied the right of the Pope
to summon the bishops to Rome, and
denied the right of the bishops to leave
French territory without the consent
of the French government. The Pope
could not accede to such a position
without surrendering all discipline
over the clergy of France. Combes
had thus secured the opportunity for
which he sought. He had already sue
ceeded in secularizing the schools, he
now insisted upon forming national
clergy who should owe no allegiance
to Rome. The bishops in question
hesitated. If they refused to comply
with the orders of the Pope they
would be communicated, if they
failed to obey Combes they would lose
their salaries. The hesitation was not
long, however. They obeyed the Pope
Their action was at once used as q
preteXt by Combes for ending the
agreement which had been made with
the church in 1901. The despoilation
Of the church commenced more than q
century ago is now complete. The
church owes nothing to France; on the
other hand France owes the church.
The result of Combes' action, fol
the present at least, will be to make II
harder for the church to perform its
work. It is not the first time, how
ever, that France has started out tt
get along without the church. France
now is very much in the same position
that Germany was Immediately aftel
the formation Of the present German
empire. The religious orders were ex
PEELED from that country and othel
restrictions placed upon the church, 81
that the practice Of the Catholic re
ligion was made almost impossible
Bismarck, in the height of his power
passed the May laws and uttered hi.
defy to the Pope. The Catholics Of
Germany had been put to sleep as t,
the situation by the great successes Of