The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-19


 other real estaes fsauifed for divine worship and also afI the movable pro- perty, furniture, ornamants, relics. etc.. within the churches. All this, real and personal. is to be forever the. 9roperty of the congregation of the parish rep resented by the Association cultueiie as long as t exists.
 The government will not PecoRnize and win not transfer church propepty to any association cnftueile that Is not forrned of .worshfppegs who have been accustomed to attend thar particular church ana when organized it mug submit to the spiritual authority of the faith which the people have Ahitherto confessed In other worda 1t will not permit Protestant congregation to take possession Of Catholic church. The law applies 60 all. religions ana they are placed upon the same bas.s church that has been used by Cath elics- cannot be seiked and used by any other denomination.
 The purpose of the Rov4rrv.ast ss to have religious wofahip continued throughout the eohntry as nearly as possible as it has heen eoudhcyed in the past. except that tie people oE each parish are thrown ap6n their own anancial resaureehs tFnv win receive no financial assistance from tna govern. raent; they will control. thelr own af- fairst they esill not be lnterfered vita Iby any ofiieIai authority as long as they obey the law; they wilf elect their own pastors and pay them such salar- les as they please: they 6ill control the Property they oeeupy as long ask they use 1t under the Same tolerance that ls extenakd to an religious faiths and denominations alike.
 4 ,asta
 any way with spirttuAI affairs Of me people. It desires to preArve the same separation of state and church that now exists In the United states. But 1t stilt and wlIl take possassiou of aH build inks that are not aetualig usea for worship under the care of Hh assoc a. ton eultueIle." Tn parishes where the people refuse to organize such assO- oiatlons the government will appoint eustodians for tho property.
 g F
 This is the pufpert of the law which went Into effect on. Tuesday, peeem- Der II. one year from the date Of it's anactmeht up till the iiNst of. August last it waS expsctad that the church you'd adjust ttsAfg to the new arr ranRelhent. A conVoeation of the sigh- ty-two bishops of France. held on the sfst of May last. by a vote Of 5s to 16 decided t0 give it q fair tr'al. and adopted d plan prepared by Mgr. Full bert Petit. Archbish9p Of Basaneon. providing for. the ofgaHizatlon of "as- goeiations cuituesle. for conducting ths business affairs ofa the parishes, without referepea to the doctrines og the church, the c@rionical law. tho r.t- ual or the form of worship Three months after thia plan was a opted, and while measures were being taken in nearly evry parish in France to car " 1t into effect Pope Plus X.. publish ed what is known as his "eneyeiical disapprovtng the peaceful plan of the bishops and forbidding the clergy and layme4 from obeying the separation law. It said; Concern ing such religious associations IS the law prescrihes we decree abso'uteIy that they ~cannot be formed without a violation of the sac-eu rtrnts which are the very lights of the church.
 it naturally eauset; a profound shock to the Catholic population of France, who compose very large part af the republican party, wher the head of the church forbade them n obey ths lave of their land. Tweaty.thoee of the most prominent Catholics in France. men of eminent ability and unques- lioned loyalty to the church prepared an appeal 60 the holy father begging him to withdraw or modify his "en- ,yclical gravissimo.' They represent