New-York tribune., 1906-11-18
THE FRENCH CATHOLICS.

Agitation among French Catholicism per-
haps it would be more accurate to say among
Roman Catholics in Francis reported TO be
Increasing with the approach of the date upon
which the Separation law is to go into effect
1t Is of significant interest TO observe how
ever, that this is due not so much to the pros
pect of enforcement Of the law as to the con-
duct of some inside the Church and to the de-
velopment Of tendencies and forces within that
body which are not to the liking of the hie-
rarchy So far as enforcement Of the law is
concerned there is little occasion for agitation
since the government has explicitly granted to
the Church another whole year of grace be-
fore any penalties for noncompliance will be
imposed But there are, in the minds Of some,
apparently. worse things than legal pains and
penalties in posse.
For example, there Is unintentional compl-
ance with the detested law. Into this the Car
dlnal Archbishop of Bordeaux is reported to
have stumbled. AS Is well known, the crux Of
the controversy between Church and State Is
the question of boards of lay trustees or GsSo-
Citations cultueHeS, which the law requires the
Church TO form In all parishes and which the
Church refuses to form. Now, In the see of
Bordeaux, 1t appears, certain diocesan asso-
Citations" have been formed under the direc-
tion of the Archbishop, without, we are as
sured any reference to or thought of NJ
Brands obnoxious law. These were, of course
acceptable to the Church, and were regarded
as something quite different from the wicked
associations cuItueIles demanded by NJ. BRAND
But, says NJ. BRAND, these truly orthodox and
| loyal diocesan associations are all the law
requires They meet the demands of the Sepa-
ration law and are substantially associations
cultuelleS! One might have supposed that at
that the Church would relax its tension against
the law, and the controversy would be ended !;
but such Is not the case. Instead of rejoicing
in having thus found a way to obey the law
without disloyalty to the Church, the Arch
bishop resents the imputation that his "dioc
| esan associations" are legal, declares NJ
Brands Interpretation of them to be a mon
strOus error" and reaffirms his own complete
submission to the will of the Pope. 1t will be
some time, probably, before he RECEIVERS from
his agitation over having unwlttingly compiled
with the law.
Still greater Is the agitation over the doings
of the League OF French Catholics" This is
an organization Of devout and energetic men,
bers of the Church who propose to obey the
state in temporal matters and the Vatican in
spiritual matters at the same time So thev
have set out to form associations complying
with the requirements Of the law in as many
parishes as possible before December IL More
than hundred such associations have already
several times before the law goes into effect In
all such cases these associations will become
the custodians Of the churches and will enable
services and worship to be continued without
interruption, and Will avert all fear of loss
or coniiscaton Of Church property But this
league with its activities only adds to the agi
tation of the hierarchy, and, indeed, the rest
of the Church. because it seems to portend
the establishment of a Gallican or French
Catholic Church, in semindependence of Rome
which Is precisely the thing the Vatican most
breads Indeed. It was for fear of the conse-
quent rise OF Gallicanism more than for any
thing else that the Church assumed Its irrecon
cilable attitude toward the French government
The outlook now is that nothing sensational
Will occur on December Il, when the new law
becomes effective; but we shall expect to see
the progress of affairs thereafter make strongly
for the law and the state