Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-17
Archbishop Farley
Gives Views
Defines Status of Church
in France
Says Similar Situation Is Inconceiv-
able in the United States-States
Plan Is Scheme Of spo=
liation
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Dec. 16.-Archbishop
John M. Farley today gave out the fol-
lowing statement on the church and
state controversy in France:
Here i'm America. where there is no
attempt made by the state to interfere
with the various religious denomina-
lions, the people at large are naturally
disposed to condemn clergymen who by
declining to comply with the behests of
the government expose themselves to a
charge of rebellion against the authori-
ties of the land.
\'But in order to understand the re-
fusal of the Roman Catholic clergy of
France to refuse to fulfill the require
ments of the new law of separation, it
must be explained that the provisions
of the statute in question demand the
consent of the church and of it's min
listers to the alienation of all the prop
erty that has been bequeathed and do
mated them to be held in trust for re-
lgious and phianthropic purposes. 1t
is property which it did not derive from
the government but from the munifi-
cence of the pious, and of which they
are merely the trustees
Explains Situation
THE situation created by the new
law of separation, which is the cause of
the present crisis in France, is as if,
for instance, the Legislature of New
York were to enact laws compelling the
trustees nf tha FTriniTV church a
ton, under penalty of confiscation, to
give their consent to the alienation of
all it's vast property to other uses than
those for which it was intended, and to
transfer its administration and control
to people who might either belong to
rival denominations or even profess
atheism.
SIT is as if the legislature of New
York were to enact a statute requiring
the Catholic church, under the penalty
of the confiscation of it's property of
one kind or another, to consent to the
transfer of the management and control
of it's sacred edifices, seminaries, recto-
ries, hospitals, protectories and other
educational institutions to associations
in which agnostics and scheming poll
ticians, Indifferent to any kind of re-
ligious belief were in the majority.
Were such to be enacted by the
state of New York the clergy and
trustees administering the property of
the Trinity church and the clergy and
trustees invested with the direction of
the property of the Catholic church
would be prompt to refuse obedience,
not only on religious grounds, but also
by reason of the fact that compliance
would involve a fragrant disregard of
their moral and material obligations as
trustees. They would look upon the
law in question as iniquitouS and I'M
constitutional, and would therefore con-
slider themselves justified in doing
nothing to express their submission
thereto.
Are Laws of Spoliation
at is inconceivable to the American
people that the Legislature of New York
or indeed of any other state of this
great and free republic should enact
any such laws of virtual spoliation. Yet
that is precisely what the French gov
eminent has done.
"In a word, the new law requires of
the church the alienation of all it's prop
erty to boards of laymen, in the selec-
ton of which it has virtually no voice.
This board to have full and perfect
control not only over the funds, but
even over the religious edifices and over
the exercise of divine worship ITSELF
independent of pope, bishop and canon
law.
1.-THE property at stake consists of
dDOuI OU,UUU ClluICllCS WI Which lNoo
than 300 have been built with the aid of
state or municipality and the property
accumulated by endowments and lega-
CieS during the last hundred years since
the last confiscation of church property
at the time of the great revolution, and
amounting to considerably over $780,
000 900.
"Only a portion of this vast property
is destined for purely ecclesiastical pur-
poses. the great majority of the funds
being destined and used for purposes of
charity and philanthropy OF this prop
erty the clergy are the trustees by Vir-
tue of the conditions under which 1t was
bequeathed.
"Their acceptance of the new law and
their transfer of this property of the
trust to the associations and cultuelles
would ALLEVIATE forever the estate of the
church i'm Difference to an Ubiquitous
law which may be repealed by another
parliament.
Could Be No Public Worship
"Aristides BRAND the minister of ed
ucation i'm France, and the author and
executor of this iniquitous law, has
solemnly declared that without the
written consent of the clergy to the
establishment of these boards or 'asso-
Citations and cultuelles,' and without the
transfer by the clergy of the property
of the church to these bodies, there
could not only be no public exercise
of divine worship, but there would fol-
low the confscation of sacred edifces
the rectories and other ecclesiastical
property by the state
There is no question of the differ
ences between the various religious de-
nominations. The pope and the Roman
Catholic church in France today are
fighting with far better justification
and much greater moderation the very
war that Chalmers and other founders
of the Free Kirk waged in Scotland six
~ years ago for the crown rights Of
Christ
"The clergy of France in one word
are fighting the battle of christendom,
and should have the sympathy of every
Christian, no matter what his denomin-
alton, or any church which owns prop
Continued on Page Two.)