The Irish standard., 1906-10-13
SEPARATION LAW.
What May Possibly Happen in France
on December H..

VII eUVvs
What May Possibly Happen in France
on December II.
Both M. Brand ana NJ. Clemenceau
have declared, says the Paris corre-
spondent of the Dublin Irish Catao-
lic," that so long as they are in Office
they will never close a single church.
However, those ministers words are
full Of cunning. They will not close
the churches. but they pretend that un>
less public worship associations are
formed they will not allow the priests
to celebrate mass in them. They will
apply the law. If priest should VEN
ture after the 18th of December next
to cross the threshold Of the sacred
ediflce and celebrate either mass, a
baptism, a marriage OF a funeral ser
vice, he is to be regarded as crimi-
nal, dragged bore the tribunal and
condemned to fine and Imprisonment.
And that is not all! The priest will
have accomplices. All those who will
have encouraged the priest to commit
that violation Of the law will be pun
ished.
The truth is that they can scarcely
! seize the churches ami allow their So
called proprietors, the departments and
communes, to dispose of them as they
may think fit, till after the expiration
of the second year from the date of
the PRONUNCIATION Of the separation
law. Indeed, Clause 10 stipulates that
1.-THE buildings in which public worship
shall not have been celebrated during
year previous to the PRONUNCIATION
of the present law, and those which
shall not be claimed by any public
worship association within the delay
OF two years after the promulgati on
of the separation law, can be secular
lied by decree" AS the separation law
was definitely voted on the 9th of
December, 1905, ana promulgated on
the 18th of that month, it will not be
till the 18th of December, 1907, that
there can be any question of disposing
of the churches for other than relig-
ious ceremonies. At least, it cannot
be done legally unless the French Par
Lament should enact additional mea-
sures of persecution. However, if the
government carries out its threats :he
church doors will tie left open, but
the priests will be punished with i'm
prisonment if they dare enter. That
they will dare enter there is no sort of
doubt.
Though do not pretend to know
what were the precise decisions taken
by the Grand Council, it requires no
great perspicacity 10 be able to pre-
dict that every parish priest will, after
the 18th Of December next, continue to
celebrate mass, to baptize, to marry
and to perform funeral services just
as before, and will only cease when he
has been forcibly prevented from cros-
sing the threshold of the sacred edihce.
And then those who may not be
thrown into prison will erect altar
stones in barns or elsewhere, and will
continue their sacred duties.
The ministers after the last cabinet
council were, Of course, assailed by a
flock of journalists, who one and ell
demanded to be informed what the
government proposed to do in presence
of what most of them called the revolt
of the Catholics against the law. The
answer they received was the only re-
ply that could be given. The law,
and the whole law would be applied.
1t would have been impossible for a
minister to say anything else. A min
lister has to apply all the laws without
any exception. But IL was curious to
note that neither M. BRAND nor Mr..
Clemenceau would specify how the
separation law was to be executed af-
ter the expiration OF the legal delay
for the constitution of the Public Wor.
ship Associations. The probability is
that they did not know. The Cham
bers will meet about the Goth of Octo-
Der, and already numerous deputies
belonging to all parties have announced
their intention to interpelate the min
istry on the church question.
IRELAND,
Births, Marriages and Deaths for Last