The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-12-27
TIE BATTLE Of
.CHR|sTENDOM
Is What the Clergy of Frarca IS Now
Fighting.
SAYS ARCHBISHOP IA
FARLEY
The Government OF Faance Proposes
to Take Property the Church Has
Acquired, Amounting TO Over
One Hundred TIilliOn Dollars.

ING the battle of Christendcm, says
Archbishop Farley i'll a statement
given out yesterday to throw light
on the Church and State trouble,
land should have the sympathy
OF every Christian church no mat
ter what its denomination, which
owns property and endowments to
be used for divine worship and for
the dispensatiOn of charity accord
to its own lights.
Here in America, where no at
tempt is made by the State to in
terfere with the various religious
denominations, 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
authorities of the land. But in
order 10 understand the refusal of
the Roman Catholic clergy Of
France to fulfill the requirements
OF the new Jaw OF separation it
must be explained that the pro-
visions of the statutes in question
demand the consent of the Church
and of its ministers to the aliena-
ton of all the property that has
been Glqucathed and donated them
to be held in trust for religious
and philanthropic purposes. 1t is
property which they do not derive
from the government, but from the
munifcence of the pious and of
which they are merely the trus-
tees.
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 Corporation,
under the penalty of confscation,
to give its consent to the aliena-
ton of all its vast property to
other uses than those for which it
was intended, and to transfer its
administration and control to rival
denominations or even profess
atheism. 1t is as if the Legisla-
ture of New York were to enact a
statute requiring the Catholic
Church, under the penalty of CON
fscation of its property of.one kind
or another, to consent to the trans
fer of the management and control
Of its sacred edifces, seminaries,
rectories, hospitals, protectories
and other educational charitable
institutions, to associations in
which not merely avoWed foes of
Catholicism among the Protestant
denominations, but also agnostics
and scheming politicians indiffer-
ent to any kind of religious belief,
were in the majority.
Were such laws to be enacted
by the State Of New York the
clergy and trustees administering
the great property Of the Trinity
Church Corporation and the clergy
and trustees invested with the d.
rection of the property of the
Catholic church would be prompt
ed to refuse obedience not only on
religious grounds, but also by rea
son of their conviction that Compli-
ance would involve a fragrant disre-
gardOf their moral and material OBJ
legations as trustees. They would
look upon the law in question as
inquisitous, as unconstitutional
and would therefore consider
themselves justified in doing moth
ing to express their submission
thereto
1T is inconCeivable to the Amer
lean people that the Legislature of
New York, or indeed, ofany other
State Of this great and free Repub-
lie, should enact any such laws of
virtual spoilation. Yet that is
precisely what the French govern
ment has done. Article i of the
new law Of separation provides for
the forming of lay associations to
take title to the ecclesiastical prop
erty in France.