The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-12-20
WILL, SEPARATE
CHURCHANDSTATE
FRENCH GOVERNMENT WILL
TAKE SUCH STEPS.
LAW OF 1906 AMENDED
After = Years Grace, Cardinal Rich
ard Suggests Way Out Of the Diff
fculties. Pope Says France Has
No Law Granting Religious Liberty.

No Law Granting Religious Liberty.
Paris.-The cabinet met with Pres
ident Falieres IN the chair, in order
TO decide upon the new legislation to
be presented to parliament. The steps
to be taken are Of very sweeping
character. It is proposed to amend the
law Of 1905 providing for the separa-
ton Of church and state, by which
q year s grace was allowed, before the
permanent alienation Of the church
property, and to suppress the priv
lege Of forming new cultural or do
cesar associations during that period,
and all church property, including the
seminaries, will be Immediately hand
ed over to the state and to the COM
munes under conditions insuring that
the churches themselves will be re-
tanned for religious uses. The con-
tinuance Of public worship will be
provided for under a combination Of
the laws Of 1881 and 1901. With re-
gard to the pension and allowances OF
the clergy distinctions will be made by
which those who are entitled to tnc
former willlose their rights if they
are deprived of their French citizen
ship, while those who are entitled 10
the latter will lose their allowances if
they do not conform with the law. The
conditions under which the clergy will
forfeit their French citizenship will
be drawn up in a special measure to
be prepared later.
1t is becoming more and more APP
parent that the Ultramontanes hope to
be forced to have recourse to private
! worship and that they are embarass,
ed by the unauthorized applications to
hold religious meetings under the law
of 1881. At church in Vincennes
notice was posted characterizing as
treason the action Of two parishioners
in making an application and saying
that Cardinal Richard was the au-
thority for the statement that the
pope's inhibition applied to laymen
as we'll as to the clergy.
At Lille, Department of the North,
200 Catholics drove out a policeman
who was resisting an infraction of the
Jaw at the Church Of LIE Grande Phi
lippe, pursued him and threatened to
throw him into the river A son of the
policeman was chased and stoned by
his playmates.
A number of additional applications
to hold meetings under. the law of
1881 were made in this city, and in
the departments during the day. No
serious incidents were reported any
where. Many of the prelates have IS
sued touchingly worded letters 10
their focks protesting against de-
spoliation of the churches. Archbish-
OPP Lyons in a letter to the Catholics
of his diocese, said:
81 am French bishop, but I blush
with shame for my country. May God
forgive those who are relentlessly pur-
suing the work they have undertaken
of destroying religion"
A Way Out Of the Difficulty.
Cardinal Richard has issued COM
munication which will facilitate way
out of the present church difficulty.
This communication says that deeiar-
atoms made by laymen relative to
worship are not to be directed to dis
turbances, and that such declarations
do not infringe upon the hierarchy,
as the vatican has only forbidden eler-
gymen to carry out the required legal
formalities. This will permit of wor-
ship in accordance with the law, but
in the meantime the church officially
maintains its position of not SUBMIT
ing to the stae.
Cardinal Richard declines to con-
firm the declaration emanating from
.he archbishopric, although it was Civ
en- out in semi official form.
Statement by Vatican.
The pope and the papal secretary
Of state, Cardinal Merry Del Val,
have refused all requests to grant in
terviews for publication on the Fran
co-Vatican situation, but the follow
ing statement is authorized by the
Vatican:
The situation maybe summarized as
follows:
"The concordat, the most solemn
bilaterial contract, has not yet been
denounced by the French government,
which wishes to establish new legal |
standing for the church in France.