The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-12-17

Prelate Declares Government intends
to Consiscate Endowments and Leaa-
eies Worth More Than 500, 100000
Provisions of Act-ciergy Fighting
For christendom, He Asserts.
New York, Dec. 17.-Archbishop John
NJ. Farley of New York gave out a
statement on the present church and
state controversy in France, giving the
church's side of the matter. The state
ment is in part as follows:
Here in America, where there is no
attempt made by the state to interfere
with the various religious denomina-
tons, the people at large are naturally
disposed to condemn clergymen who
by declining to comply with the be-
hests of the government expose them
selves to charge Of rebellion against
the authorities of the land
"But in order to understand the re-
fusal of the Roman Catholic clergy of
France to fulfill the requirements OF
the new law of separation it must be
explained that the provisions of the
statute in question demand the CON
sent of the church and of it's minis.
ters to the alienation of all the prop
erty that has been bequeathed and do
mated them to be held in trust for re-
ligious and philanthropic purposes.
Property to Go to Atheists.
N"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 of the Trinity Church cor
poration under the penalty of conisca-
ton to give their consent to the aliena-
ton Of all its vast property to other
tended and to transfer its administra-
tion and control to people who might
either belong to rival denominations
or even profess atheism. 1t is as If
the legislature of New York We're to
enact statute requiring the Catholic
church under the penalty of the con-
fiscation of it's property of one kind or
.another to consent to the transfer of
the management and control of its
sacred edifices, seminaries, rectories,
hospitals, protectories and other edu-
catIUna1 and charitable institutions to
associations in which not merely avow-
ed foes of Catholicism among the Prot
estant denominations, but also agnos-
tics and schenling politicians, indiffer-
ent to any kind of religious belief, were
in the majority
Calls Law Iniquitous.
"Were such laws to be enacted by
the state of New York the clergy and
trustees administering the great prop
eEty of the Trinity Church corporation
and the clergy and trustees invested
with the direction of the property of
the Catholic church would be prompt
ed to refuse obedience not only on re-
ligious grounds, but also by reason of
their conviction that compliance would
involve a flagrant disregard Of their
moral and material obligations as trus-
tees. They would look upon the law in
question as iniquitous, as unconstitu3
tional
article of the new law of separa-
ton provides for the forming Of lay
associations to take title to the eccle-
siastical property in France. II the
law provided that they should be COM
posed Of Catholics there might be no
objection to them, though it is unrea-
sonable to exclude, as the law does.
bishops and priests from membership.
In America Catholic laymen are repre-
sented on all the church boards of
trustees. But the new French law
renders 1t possible for foes OF the
church to secure place on these as
sociations. 1t is provided by the law
that in cases where rival associations
are formed it is the council of state
that is to say, a purely lay body and
creature of the executive for the time
being which shall determine their re-
spective pretensions,
In one word the new lawrequires 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,
X
this board to have full and perfect
control not only over the funds, but
even over the religious edifces and
over the exercise Of divine worship
itself, Independent of pope, bishops
and canon law.
Much Property involved
t'The property at stake consists of
about 10000 churches, of which less
than 300 have been built with the aid
Of the state or municipality, and the
property accumulated by means of en-
dowments and legacies during the last
hundred years. since the last oonfsca-
ton of church property at the time Of
the great revolution, and amounting to
considerably over s10o, 100000. Only a
portion Of this vast property Is des-
tined for purely ecclesiastical purposes,
the great majority Of the funds being
designed and used for purposes of char
lty and philanthropy.
''The clergy Of France, in one word,
are fighting the battle of Christendom
and should have the sympathy of every
Christian church, no matter what its
denomination, which owns property
and eldowments to be used for divine
worship and for the dispensation of
charity according 10 ;fS own LIGHTS y