Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-11
Pops's Move 10 Provoke Conflict Causes
Officials Great Unsasiness
MUST ACT At ONCE OR BACK DOWN
Order Entails Immediate Initiation Of
Prosecutions in 3,000 Oommunes.
JOY AMONG THE MILITANT CATHOLICS
Prospect Of Violence Seemingly Hailed
with Delight by Many Churchmen'
SOCIALIST LEADER ON CONDITIONS
Jaures Says Vatican Seems to Have
Decided to Test the strength
of the Party of Re
action.
JOY AMONG THE MILITANT CATHOLICS
SOCIALIST LEADER ON CONDITIONS
MUST ACT At ONCE OR BACK DOWN

PARIS, Dec. 1O.-The press today
unanimously recognizes the extreme grav
ity Of the religious issue precpitateo ~
the pope's intransgeant attitude and ~
papers predict veritablC religious 70
fare The governn.en.'s calculations ha, q
clearly been upset and new Legislative l.
authority may be Necessary to enable II
to cope with the situation. 1t having been
decided that after tomorrow religious serV-
ices may not be held without a preliminary |
declaration under The law of 1881 the
pope's orders entail the immediate initia-
ton of prosecutions in 5000 communes and, !
logically, the invasion Of churches by the !
police for the purpose of pronouncing their
dissolution and eXpeiing the parish priests |
The militant Catholics seemingly hail with |
Joy the prospect of violence, which Will |
compel the closing of the churches, with |
the attendant excitement of religious pas
slons.
Test of strength.
NJ Juares, the socialist leader. processes
to believe that the Vatican has deliberately
determined to test the strength of the
party OF reaction in effort to overthrow
the republic. The socialist organs gener-
ally, however, regard the popes instruc-
tions as being the result of the govern
ment's weakness in offering any concession
beyond the formation of the cultural as
sociations contemplated under the law Of
1906 and declare the government now has
no alternative except to insist on the re-
quired declarations being made or show
the ecclesastics the door. The 'conserva-
tive papers advise the government to re-
main true to it's liberal principles, con-
tending that the more the church Is in
tolerant and panicstriclen the more author
ity it will need, provided the government
does not lose its head The government
has made preparations to cope with the
y situation, but is keeping them secret. evil
IDENTIFY waiting to see whether any consid-
erable proportion of the clergy win revolt,
The cabinet, however, maintains a reso-
Lutte front.
"POliticaI Enterprise"
Instructions to the public prosecutors
were. telegraphed broadcast today,
Premier Clemenceau is quoted saying:
'If the church elects to have war It
will have It; but the world VIII bear wit
ness that the Vatican is like foreign
power trying to dispute the authority OF
the Frech government"
NJ BRAND, minister of public worship
says he thinks the pope yielded to the i'm
portunities OF the ultramontaines who are
ever possessed with 1.-THE mad idea that out
of disorder and civil war they will emerge
triumphant The government now does not
face a revolt Of the consciences Of French
Catholics, but a purely political enter
prise"
Cardinal Richard. archbishop of Paris.
announced today that he would leave his
ecclesiastical residence December Il and
that the clergy here were preparing to leave
their presbyteries, etc, upon demand. add
ms that IL they are driven from the
churches they viii organize private religl-
Gus services.
Cardinal Richard says It ls impossible fol-
the pope 20 place religious services on the
plane OF public meetings.
Further Complications To-day.
The situation Is likely to be further com
plcated tomorrow by the debate in Parlia-
ment, when explanations of the govern
ment's intentions will be demanded.
NJ Meunier, radical republican. intro
duced a bill In the Chamber OF Deputies
today providing that all buildings. presby
teries, etc, occupied by ecclesiRstics shal
definitely eseheat to the state the depart
ments and the communes upon the enact
ment OF the law.
The Journal des Debats tonight says tina
II the government has recourse to violen
measures II will fall into a trap and b
forced to close the churches.
Reason for vatiean's Change.
ROME. Dec. 10-The Osservatore Roman
today published an article, inspired by tn
vatican authorities, enumerating tn
reasons for the sudden change in the attl
tude OF the vatican in regard to the en-
foroement OF the law providing for tn
separation OF church and state in Franc
and criticising all the provisions in Ministe
OF Public Worship Brands circular. Tn
paper adds that the minister desired b
insisting on the application OF the law q
1881. to be able TO say to the Catholics tina
the vatican had Indirectly accepted tn
church and state separation law.
The Osservatore Romano considers tha
the question in which the parish priest
are placed by the minister's circular Is n
tolerahle and says that the religious buiIt
ings, instead Of remaining the property I
the clergy for year. are now left to II
mayors. who must rent them. The artic
is entitled Masked Persecution" and say
that NJ Brands circular viii remain
memorable document in the history ,
modern France showing how at the baRil
Ring Of the twentieth century the Frene
governments unsernpulous arbitrarine,
plays with the law and with rights"
I'm fact" the paper continues I'll
circular is based on the clearest content
of the very law NJ BRAND says he wish
to apply The circular says the church,
may be retained by the clergy for a yea
but the presbyteFies and other buildinl
win be taken away from the clergy II IN,
do not rent them. The cabinet has WOW,
a web OF arbitrariness and Is preparinF II
winding sheet OF the French church, %