Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-19
COMPLETE
 VICTORY UltramontaneS Give Emphatic Affirmation of the Pope's
 Position PRIVATEWORSHPNOW Bishops Will Advise Priests to Co 10 Prison Instead oi Paying Fines fl They Should Happen 10 Be
 Condemned.
PRIVATEWORSHPNOW

Paris, Jan 19.-The result of the
 meeting of the French Episcopate
 which ended to-day. was complete
 victory for the ultramontanes, as it
 constitutes an emphatic reafirmation of the refusal of the pope to accept
 the terms of the church and state
 separation law. The more liberal
 prelates. fiding themselves in the
 minority. bowed to the will of the
 majority and the decision to main
 tain the status quo on the main ques.
 tion of worship was practically unanl- omus. The ultimate recourse to pri- vate worship. although kept in the
 background, is a logical consequence or the policy adopted by the prelates, and the bishops will direct the parish priests, if the latter are prosecuted for celebrating masses illegally, to allow themselves to be condemned, but not to pay their fines and, in- stead, go to prison. In other words, "agitate by passive resistahce,' ac- cordfng to the view taken of the matter by one of the distinguished ecclesiastics. The government, how ever, has already arranged to avoid being invited to engage in persecu- tion on this score by accepting the modification of the law of 1881, in- troduced as bill in the chamber of deputies January 15 by Etienne Flandin, republican, repeating the sections of that law requiring dec laratiOn in order to hold public meetings, which is designed to put an end to the further prosecution of priests for celebrating mass without having made the necessary declara- tion. The governments action in agreeing to the modification enables the parish priests to continue cele- brating masses in the churches and at the same time giving those who do comply with the law the ''juris- dicial status," which the pope de- manded.
 Among the minor decisions of the Episcopate was one to prohibit the clergy from paying rent for any property formerly belonging to the church wardens, as so doing might be construed into a recognition of the conflscation of the property. but to permit the priests to pay rent for belonging to communes and also to encourage the heirs of persons who bequeathed funds to the church to provide for the celebra- tion of masses for the repose of the souls of the dead to enter recovery suits. with the understanding that if successful the money is to be turned over to the church.
 me pope has approved of the de- cision of the Episcopate to legally | the seminaries into su- perior theological schools, thus in- surfing the recruiting of the clergy.
 The divergent views of the press | )n the address of the Episcopate to | he pope, published yesterday, may De summarized in the following ex- .racts. The Soleil remarks:
 "The address recalls the noblest I traditions of the church of France. The unity among the bishops will re- 'ult in unity among the faithful"
 On the other hand the Siencle aid.
 ""ine relations between the pope md the prelates are ambiguous. No kill in drafting the address can con- cal the disadvantages of the situa- ion, except from those who are leither initiated nor forewarned."
 The Aurore asserts that nothing ould be more commonplace than the ddress. adding:
 Regarding submission to French the prelates seem to ake the public for fools"