The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-09
RELIGIOUS CRISIS
 LIKELY IN FRANCE Pope Forbids Catholics 10 Make
 Applications
CHURCH AND STATE PART
cIericals May Refuse to Hold Religious Services Under Public Meeting Law as Proposed By the
 Government.

Paris, December Son December II the church and state separation law goes lhto effect in Paris and on December l1 ana IF if will be enforced in the various de- partments according to the time when copies of the official journal containing the notice of the promulgation Of the Ia" of 1905 reached them.
 The government is facing the situation with firmness and caimness but the pros pect of an acute religious crisis mas suo- denly been Increased by what appears to be an unauthorized announcement made by the Croix the clerical organizs lon, that word has just arrived from R me that the Pope absolutely forbids Cath olio bishops, cures or parishoners to make applications to hold religious services under the public meeting law Of 1881, as proposed by the government. The Croix stated that this interdicted the annual ap- plication which Minister of Public Wor- ship Bryand had announced sufficient. The Journal Des Debats says the Pope used the worlds
 .I am like the father of family. I cannot permit outsiders to enter my house and regulate the interests of my chil- dren without consulting me-
 If such is the final decision of the vati- can the situation will be greatly compli- cated as it is likely to be interpreted by the clericals as final summons not to yield an inch, and may arouse violence on the part of the incorporate, who al- ready are placarding the walls of Paris to Catholics tp roHSt to the bitter end.
 On the other hand clerical disturbances might justify the government In using extreme measures, although II IS pialnly the desire of Premier Clemenceau and M. Bryand to avoid the appearance of pros- ecution. It might also cause the French bishops who in despair of receiving final instructions from Rome, had begun to is- sue pastoral letters Of advice to tHer priests and church wardens to hastliy re- wise those documents which are or the most contradictory nature, being accord ing to the individual views and desires of the writers.
 Cardinal Leeot and Archbishop Ger main. who have consistently favored sub mission to the law and had already ad- yised compliance with it, pointed out that it's application was simply a formaHty, d single application annually sunielng, while ultramOnIdlHeS, iiht tiie pi1hoP cA chalons. had instructed their cures to continue to celebrate mass without Tnak- ing an application until ejected from their churches. to make duplicate copies of the deeds and not to surrender except to force.
 Others like Mgr. Couille, Archbishop of Lyons. fearing there might be change of views at Rome, took the precaution Of recommending their cure as not to comply with the law until further orders" Oth- CTS still evaded the point altogether and simply instructed their cures to con- tinue their services as before. The Bishop of Nice advised refusal to comply with the law on the ground that 'h> people of the Maritime -arliy ac- cepted Frer iere stiii bound by tn, iaoe with the vatican.
 In the m, nent mas continued pI the law. NJ. Caillaux mas sent a circular lcials ih- strIcting t Il church nronerty w under the law and to Ing 10 the