The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-29
POPE TO, FRENCH BISHOPS.
TEXT or THE RECENT ENCYCLI-
GAL rs MADE PRBLIC.


Cannot he Carried Out by the Church
CLERGY Urged 10 Keep Up the Fight for
Their Rights Against an unjust" state.
The Rev. Father wynne, 8. j., editor Of
the Messenger, has had translated the entire
text OF the Pope's recent note Do tho French
Bishops and now for the first time the
clergy Of this country have o chance TO
know exactly what his Holiness wrote.
In reference to the asso Citations for public
worship as the separation law establishes
them, the Pope deoreee that It Ia absolutely
impossible for them to be formed without
o violation Of tho sacred rights pertaining
TO the very life Of the Church. He declares
that II "a not permissible to try this kind
Of association as long as 1t Is not established
h o sure and legal name that the divine
constitution Of the Church, the immutable
rights Of the Roman PontiR and OF the
Bishops, as well as their authority over the
necessary property Of the Church, and
particularly over the sacred ediices, shall
be ~irrevocably placed In the associations
IN full security. To desire the contrary,
the Pope says, 10 for him impossible with
out betraying the sanotity OF his Office
and bringing about the ruin Of the Church
tn France. Continuing, the note says:
II remains, therefore. for you. venerable
brethren. to set yourselves to work and to
employ all means which the law recognizes
as within the rights Of all citizens to arrange
for and organize religious worship. In e
matter 30 important and 80 arduous you will
never have to wait for our assistance. ABB
sent In body. we shall be with you In thought
and in heart and we shall aid you on every
occasion with our counsel and with our
authority. Take up with courage the burden
we impose upon you under the inspiration
Of our love for the Church and for your
country and intrust the result to the all
foreseelns goodness of God. whose help,
we are firmly convinced will not. In Hts W
good time. BIO wanting TO France.
IL 10 not difficult to foresee the nature OF
the re%crimination which the enemies Of the
Chur oh will make against our present decree
and our orders. They will endeavor to
persuade the people that we have not had
the interests Of the Church In France solely
in view; that we nave had another design
foreign to religion; that the form Of the re-
public In France u hateful 70 US; that In order
TO overthrow 1t we are s%econding the efforts
Of the parties hostile to 1t and that we re-
fuse to France what the Holy See has without
difloultles accorded to other nations. These
reoriminations, with others Of the same sort.
which. as can be foreseen from certain indlca-
tions. win be disseminated among the public
In order to exotic irritation, We d~enounce
now and henceforth with the utm ost indigna-
ton as false, and It Is incumbent upon you.
venerable brethren, as upon all good men,
to refute them In order that they may not
deceive simple and ignorant people.
With reference to the special charge against
the Church Of having been more acoommo-
dating In q similar case outside France. you
should explain that the Church has acted in
this way because the situations were quite
different, and above all, because the divine
attributes of the hierarchy we're. In q certain
measure, safeguarded. II any State has
separated from the Church while leaving to
her the resource Of the liberty common to all
and the free disposal Of her property. that
State has without doubt and on more than
one ground acted unjustly: but nevertheless
II could not be said that II has created for the
Church q situation absolutely intolerable.
But It 10 quito otherwise to-day in France:
there the makers Of this unjust law wished
to make II a law. not Of separation. but Of
oppression. Thus they Affirmed their desire
for peace, and promised an understanding;
and they are now waging an atrooious war
against the religion Of the country. and
hurting the brand Of the most violent dis
cords. and thus melting the ~oitizens against
each other. TO the great detriment. as every
CQ6 b6ebt Oh tu6 puUhC W0u lt5cll. H
Assuredly, they will tax their ingenuity to
throw upon US the blame for this conflict
and for the evils resulting therefrom. But
whoever loyalty examines the facts Of which
We have spoken in the EnCy clical Vehementer
Nos, will be able to see whether We have de-
served the least r~eproach-we. who after
having patiently borne with injustice upon
injustice in our love for the beloved French
nation, finally find ourselves summoned to
60 beyond the last holy limits of our Apostolic
duty, and we declare that We will not go be-
yond them-or rather. whether the fault
does not lie entirely with those who In hate
of the Apostolic name have gone to such ex-
tremitles.
Therefore, II they desire to show US their
submission and their devotion, let the Catho-
Lie men Of France struggle for the Church In
accordance with the directions we have
already given them. that Is to say, with perse-
verance and energy and yet without acting
In q seditious and violent manner It Is not
by violence. but by frmness that, fortlfyins
themselves In their good right as within q
citadel. they will succeed In breaking the
obstipacy Of their enemies; let them well
understand, as We have said. and as we re-
peat, that their eforts win he useless unless
they unite In q perfect understanding for the
defence Of religion.
They now know our verdict on the sub
ject Of this nefarfou8 law: they should whole
hesrtedly conform to It. and whatever the
opinions OF some or others Of them may have
heen hitherto during the discussion of the
question. We entreat them all that no one
shall permit himself to wound any one whom
soever on the pretext that his wi way Of
seeing things Is best. What can be done by
concord Of win and union Of forces let them
learn from their adversaries: and Just as the
latter were able to impose on the nation the
stigma Of this criminal law. so by their united
action will our people be able to eliminate and
remove 1t.
In this hard trial Of France II all those
who wish to defend with all their powe the
supreme interests Of their country work as
they ought to do In union among themselves.
with their Bishops and with ourselves for
the cause OF religion. far from despairing Of
the welfare of the Church Of France. It Is to
be hoped. on the contrary, that she viii be
restored to her former prosperity and dignity.
We In no way doubt that the Catholics will
fully comply with our directions and con-
form with our desires. and we shall ardently
seek 10 obtain for them by the lntercession OF
Mary. the Immaculate Virgin. the aid Of the
divine goodness.
nxUT1ur HTEAy Nynr IN rnapTDnY