The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-05

" a~pRffeiafa tke impoftaneE NJ the
| dcriaion feaehed ~ shouid hear N
mind that hltbapto haae N No cuW~rss
slons whleh vrfs Intended ~ mltiaass
NE hsfshnssa n the Separation lsw sHd
avert that e1mple's condensation ~
/ Church pFopsfty Fhieh ihs srciHltfta
Desired haa hnrH aceeptst ~ Ffenrh
eeelestssiirs The law pfovbled tbat
church nfapefty IN evefv di0erse HHd
IN evsry parish shouhi b~ made evef ~
Inv sasoeiseluns sftsr these hal applied
for and ebtal0ed Governments Wthorleas
ton Such d%eyoluion NJ Chuprh prog
sffy Nv lsymsn eould not 10 esffie,i gts
without the sanction NJ the Pof~ auf
fhla has hitherto bern withhold Srr
/ Without the permission ~ tteis erclsaiHaa
flesl snhrflnsa eo,iid TIN Catholic clerav
acccps the supenda which, under Tho
Separation law. may under cef,ain eun-
ditlons be paid N bishops already q n
secrated and ~ priests already ordained
only their successors being cofnp"lled
IN look ~ tho Catholic laity Tor support
4 dehnlte plan NJ actlon would have
hccn formed, no doubt, many months
ago hat for tho hops, widely entertained
In Catholic circles, that Tho recent mn.
cral election might cause the overthrow
Of The hoc, or coalition ~ factions,
which ta chargeable with tho abolition
NJ tho Concordat. The event has shown
that this hopc VIA entirely without foun-
dation. Although tho aggregate ~ tho
votes polled was considerably larger than
that cast at any time since the Bou-
LANCER campaign NJ almost two decades
ago the bloc gained rather than Lost
nv the appearance u former abstatners
az the ballot box. and its majority In
the Chamber Of Deputies u decidedly
larger than II ever was. A large ma
jority Of the French Bishops, there
fore, have made up their minds that It
Ia useless to kick against the pricks.
The members Of the uncompromisinG
minority may he expected To press their
ideas upon the Vatican, where they havo
some champions, but IL Ia generally be.
lleved that Plus X, will recognize the
necessity Of making the best Of an un-
welcome predicament. He knows that
the property OF the Church In France
will soon be confscated unless he allows
lay associations to be formed for the
purpose Of acquiring title thereto, and he
must also be moved by the knowledge
that many French priests are in grievous
straits owing to the refusal OF their
Bishops to let them accept the Govern
ment pay. According to an
ment lately made by the French Ministry
of Worship, out Of $4,000 priests and
Bishops entitled to stipends under the
Separation law no fewer than 3i,576 have
sent applications.
Assuming that the Pope will follow
the adv ice of the majority Of the French
Bishops, what sort of ecclesiastical
structure may we expect to see formed
in France? The Catholic Church in the
French Republic is likely to be remodelled
on the general lines Of the organizations
existing in England and the United States.
This difference in the situation must
not, however, be lost sight Of, namely,
that whereas in the United States the
civil power has nothing to do with
the practice of religion, in France, under
the Separation law and other statutes,
the Government will continue to exer-
else supervision and control over the
lay associations to which Church build
ings and other property shall have been
conveyed, while Bishops and priests
in their u%tterances will have to avoid
carefully the exhibition of reasonable
opposition to the State. 1t should be
remembered that the Separation law
does not by any means represent the
corr wishes OF the Socialists and
Radical-Socialists who really aim at the
determination Of Catholicism in France.
On the contrary, it represents a COM,
promise all the benefits of which the
Church will lose unless within a fixed
period it conforms to the provisions of
the statute. Common sense teaches
far sighted prelates, keenly alive to the
grasping and parsimonious disposition of
the French %peasantry, to put off the day
when the episcopate and priesthood
will be entirely dependent on their re-
luctant contributions for their mainte-
nance.
Atleast ten years are expected to elapse
before, owing to the death Of existing
Bishops and clergymen, the pinch of
paying their successors is acutely felt.
A good many things may happen in ten
years.