The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-09
WHAT FRANCE HAS DONE

OF his temporal sovereignty. Under this
conviction, France has abolished tho
concordnt between the Pope and the
stnte.
In doing this has France violated an
international obtgatton7 1t Ia not diff
cult to answer this question both from
the standpoint of ethics md OF inter-
national law. The concorint wns an
agreement made between Napoleon /.
and the Pope in 1901. with reference to
the status Of the Catholic Church In
France. There Is not n clause In 1t that
Indicates that II was In the nature Of a
! perpetual contract. Indeed, there Is a
clause which indicates the contrary.
1t was provided that II at any time the
successor of the First Consul should not
be n Catholic, there should be u new
agreement.
In refusing to regard the Pope any
longer as a foreign potentate, France
has taken a step which Garibaldl and
Victor Emmanuel took for Italy years
ago, in spite OF Napoleon III. AT tho
last Hague Conference the existence of
the Pope as n sovereign was not even
recognized. France may we'll claim that
It could not recognize the sovereignty of
the Pope, because every vestige OF 1t
Is gone. !.
Has France rcpudiated q national
debt? Upon what is the accusation
based? Upon the assumption that the
agreement to pay salaries In the concor-
dat was to he perpetual. The article of
the concordat reads: The government
assures a proper salary to the bishops
and pastors whose dioceses may be IN
cluded In the Encouragement There
was no contract as TO how much should
be paid or how long.
IT has been said that Tirance has
actually done wha the State OF New
York would do IL 1t should seize and
hold the property OF Trinity Church.
France has not assumed to-day In the
new law tho ownership OF any buildings
or churches which 1t has not owned for
more tina a hundred years under the
concordat. In that document the Pope
formally renowned on behalf OF the
church the title to the property acquired
by the nation in the French Revolution.
For instance, the ancient churches. such
as Notre Dame and the Oratorie, the
| former u Catholic and the latter a Pro-
| testant house of worship, belong TO the
French government. For a hundred
years France has allowed these religious
bodies to use them. The new law does
not confiscate them; 1t simply reaffrns
tho title to them which was declared In
| the concordat. Nor has the State con-
fscated any church buildings erected
| SINCE tle tuilspi tkiN oLiih bht' W I'LL
Individual offerings OF pious Catholics.
Tho law does not raise the question OF
their title. When there is any doubt on
this point. 1t leaves the decision TO the
courts.
With reference to other property. real
and personal, now held by the Catholic.
Protestant, or Jewish churches. II re-
qiiries tina an inventory shall be taken
of the same, and that it shall be legally
held by associations or trustees formed
from the representatives OF these bodies.
The law reads: Conforming to the
regulations OF the general organization
OF the religious worship of which they
propose to assure the exercise The
twenty-three eminent Catholics whose
address to the bishops has already been
referred to laid great stress upon this;
they pointed out that the Pope had the
power 10 outline what are the general
laws Of organization for q Catholic assoc
citation OF Worship They completely
answered the objection that such an as
ISOLATION must be composed only of
laymen, the rock OF oftense TO the Pontiff.
These eminent Catholics showed con-
clusively that the object of the law was
to prevent non-rellgious associations
from getting possession OF the churches:
they declare, we arc not hindered by
the law Of separation from believing
what we choose. nor from practicing
what we believe" the hierarchy re-
mains intact; Our churches. too, being
allowed to remain at The disposition Of
organized associations and under tho
direction Of the bishops" and they
point out tho disastrous results Of not
organizing under the iaw.
TINT asperity OF the discussion. and
the evident desire of the extreme radi-
calG m offronf tta Ifurpifv NJ the pnpe
and the Catholic Church. and even to
scoff at religion Itself. are greatly to be
deplored, as is the violence Of q few
extremists, both clerical and secular,
especially in the taking OF inventories,
Il prudent measure In the law intro
duced at the demand of tho conserva-
tives. 1t Is to the credit OF the great
majority OF Catholics, however, that they
have refused to listen TO the appeals OF
~incendiary Journals like La Croix: and
1t Is to the credit OF the government
that 1t has demanded, and In most cases
secured. moderation on the part Of It's
officials. These arc matters incident to
the enforcement Of the law; they do not
affect Its underlying principle.
We have shown what France has mt
done. It Is not difficult to understand
what 1t has done. OmittIng all unneces-
sary and minor details of the law, France
has apparently decided:
That the union between church and
state shall be severed: that the Roman
Catholic Church shall no longer be a
privileged religion; that all sects shall
stand on the same footing before tho
law; that liberty Of conscience and free
dom OF worship shall BIO guaranteed to
all; hat the government will no longer
sustain official relations with the Pope;
that the state will retain the title to tho
cathedrals and churches that belong to
1t; that 1t shall freely place these at the
disposition of tho different religious
bodies; that the property belonging to
different scots shall be held by their
legal representatives; that no religion
shall be salaried or supported by the
state: that the reduction OF saarlos now
paid shall be gradual, n that pensions
for life may be given conditionally to
pastors and priests over forty-ive years
Of age: that the state shall no longer
nominate ministers OF religion to clerical
offices. but they are restored to all their
political rights.
g y 49,. - /. , :, rsHstE. E-aHNN