The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-12-29
REAL | & SITUATION
In His Sermon on Sunday Last
at the Cathedral
Archbishop Ireland Considered
g.. s. Troubles in France.


Archbishop John Ireland, in SER
mon delivered Sunday morning in the
Cathedral, st. Paul, discussed the pres
emit: religious crisis in France. Aside
from a personal knowledge of the
French people and governmental af-
fairs gained from several years resi-
dence in thatocountry as student, and
in subsequent visits, the archbishop is
thoroughly conversant with the situ-
alton as one of tho live topics of his
church.
After a. succinct statement OF the
troubles between church and state
from a historical standpoint, prefaced
by a statement that in his opinion all
the difference will be worked out even
tually to the satisfaction of all COLI
cerned; the archbishop gave the fol-
lowing: analysis of the situation i'll
France:
What is the matter with the gov
ernment Of France? What is the mat
ter with France?
Two chief ideas dominate the minds
OF men who at the present time govern
France-one, a hatred of religion; an
other, the omnipotence OF the state.
1t is a lamentable fact that there is
in. France a, party bent on the destruc-
ton Of religion. The war is made on
the Catholic, church, because she "A
France represents religion. In reality,
in intent and in fact, the war is against
Christianity under any form, against
religion Of any kind, against the idea
itself Of a God reigning over men. The
old spirit Of Voltaire and the Ency-
clopedists of the eighteenth century
never died out in France. 1t had an
outburst Of triumph, in the revolution,
when God was declared non-existent,
and infamy itself, denoted the god
,iesS. of reason" was uplifted to ador-
alton upon the altar of the Cathedral
Of Paris. 1t slumbered awhile under
succeeding imperial and royal regimes;
st has reawakened to new vigor in the
freedom allowed to thought and speech
by; the present republic. I need but
quote a. few sayings of it's modern
apostles.
In an address in the chamber Ct
deputies, Juares, the well-known so
cialist leader has said: III God himself
appeared before the multitude i'll palp-
able form, the first duty of men woulI
be to refuse him obedience, to consider
him not as a master to whom all
should submit but as an equal, with
whom men may argue" Viviani, the
present minister Of labor, has said:
'All of us together, first by our fore
fathers, then by our fathers, now by
ourselves, have been attached to the
work of anti-clericalism and irreligion.
We have snatclhed the human ronsci-
ence from belief in a future life"
An important member Of the present
ministerial majority, Monsieur Del
pech, has uttered these words: 1.-The
triumph Of the Galilean has lasted
twenty centuries. it is now his turn
to die. The mysterious voice which
once In the mountains of Epirus an
nounced the death of Pan, today an
nounces the end of that false God,
who promised an era of justice to
those who should believe in him. The
deception has lasted long enough; the
lying God in his turn disappears" So
wild in practice is the spirit of relig-
ion that for years no official OF the
government has had the will or the
courage to pronounce in public proc
lamation or discourse the name Of God
unless it were in derision, and from
the text books used in national schools
and colleges the name of God has
besh erased, as equally SO all words
that tell of a spiritual soul in man. or
Of a moral law deriving its binding
force from the heavens.
This party Of infldels and atheists
is far from being France, as shall
later say; but it is active, persistent,
interruptions and it forces itself with
vengeance to the front. 1t has grasped
the helm of power, and it steers tho
ship Of state into the darkest depths
OF sunbelief and irreligion. Yesterday
it was Combes, the most brutal of all;
today 1t is, Clemenceau, somewhat
more subdued in his hatred, but yet a
leader in the fight.
With such men, and with others. d.
viding with the public power, even if
less violent adopts of irreligion, there
reigns another idea-the omnipotence
OF the state. This was ever the plague
Of France-even when her rulers were
dsvout Catholics. The state must con-
troll ALL agencies Of power; it must
al 1rsvv~Is