The Cairo bulletin., 1906-12-17
AVERT RELIGIOUS
FIGHT IN FRANCE
LAMEN WILL MAKE DEcLARA.
TloN REQUIRED BY THE
GOVERNMENT.
BOTH SIDES SATISFIED
Cardinal Richard Declares the Vati.
can Has Not Surrendered or
Yielded Rights of Church
to the State.

Paris, Dee, 1G.-Cardmal Riehat
has found way to avert actual ho,
tilties between the church and tn
| government. His announcement tina
/ laymen may make the declaration re
| quired by the new law, without going
| counter to the commands of the Pope
! has killed all war talk. The situation
today is quiet and peaceful. NJ. Glen
enceau is pleased Cardinal Rlahar,
Is pleased because the church has no
surrendered
When further appl cations, az di
rected by The church law, were fiIeC
by laymen today, leading clericall
printed interviews that the ban of the
Pope applied to priest and laymar
alike. In this case there would have
bocn a positive deadlock between the
church and the government Bat the
entrance of he laymen ais d thirl
party now has the sanction Of both
church and government and pr5vid S
to The gnity Of either principal
Sanctions Lay Declarations.
The communication Of Cardinal
Richard brief and to the point He
says simply that the declarations
made by laymen relative to many
churches are not in disobedienee to
the Instructions Of the Pope, provided
the'r purpose is honestly to avoid dis
turbances. and almits tha such dec.
clarations do MT infringe upon th
rights of The church, as the Vatican
has only forbidden clelgymen to
carry out the required legal formal-
ties.
What Struggle Means.
The struggle to separate the church
and state in France began in 1881
when the law banshing the Jesnits
was passed The union had existed
for 1000 years. Al the time supporters
ot the "separationi:t" move at.
tempted to have a more general law
passed but wee not strong enough
)i December II, 1905, he Separation
ici wa finally passed which went
nto effect on Deoe nber II, 1906, and |
hrough the operation of which more |
han sl00,00039) worth of church |
property passed into the hands of the
government SO far as the legal title
5 concerned.
The law S ates all state, depart
mental and municipal grants 10 the
hurch, requires that all real and per-
onal property derived from the tate
hall be returned to It,, and that &c
lesisatical property Of all kinds shall
e turned over TO the socie les or
ani2ed for public worship under the
ssociations law of 1901.
The law allows the gratitious use
f ecclesiastical building belonging .
, the state and the municipalities for
vo years after the actual passage Of
ne law, and aferward on renewable {
9ases for ten years at a rent not ex. ,
oeding 10 per cent Of the parish's ,
nnual receipts.
The immensely valuable churches,
le Episcopal and clerical residences,
le seminaries. schools and institi
ons have become nominally the ,
-operty of the government and ac- 4
Ially 80 as oon as they are taken I
yer by due legal process. q
The an Tho tiles will fnI scarcely I
bishop or prize in good stand 'ng
no can show sufficient reason to op. q
use the seizure Of chur b property q
nearly all the 10000 parishes OF f
rance there is no body Of layman
yailv entitled 20 take charge of the a
urch property. d
No Societies Formed a
This strange state Of affairs has O
en brought about becausa. obeying 4
ders from he Vatican. the French q
lrev hs refuilcd hom forming ii
@ church societies which. under the
IS were 20 take an tn church prop. -
iy in cvcrv parish Such associa
MS have been formed only in iso L
ed case, by hismatic bodies or =
bellious priests, even by soc ali tic
mmunifics
So. after another yea the church G
.perty acquired since the Concordst
u be turned over % the municipaii
g. wtiie the state will then take
solute possession of the property
= church owned before the famous
atty 1etwean the French govern. i1
M and the Holy See made IN 1901. b'
'ardiual Richard announced that Va
would leave his e7clo iasti-a al resi-. Do
lce and that tho clergy in his arch zi
.ceso would leave their residences Do
N demand D. the authorities. But p'
.hey are driven from the churches 10
y VII organiza private religious az
vices II
!. Meunier. a radical Republican. CT
iuced a bin iu ihe chamIer OF su
luiies providing hat all build.ngs. u