The Irish standard., 1907-10-12
Situation, While Found to be Severe For the
Church, is Most Absurd For
ST. - the Government.
Attendance at Mass Greater Than Ever Be-
fore, With Clergy independent and
:. Foil of Hope.

Able Klein, the distinguished frehch
priest and author, has been visiting In
San Francisco the past month, and has
> accorded a representative of our Wig
orous Catholic contemporary. The Mon
itor, Of that city the following interview
on the religious situation in France:
Well, when we were settled for the
interview the Abbe drew his steamer
rug up over his knees. and submitted
himself, as with salute and sur
render, to the Questioning of the Cur
ious. ''''' 49,
what shall It be?'
"The French situation. Monsieur
rAbbe. OF. course, It can be nothing
else
This answering situation, the ex-
precision. was one that made the inter-
, viewer wonder for a moment If even
tbs Abbe Klein approached that topic.
said Ne: s'1t is q difncult situation to
{ Ett = focn1 On; .p.eixny from the
American point Of view. It is a strange
sttudtion, to say the least. It is abb
surd-and severe; absurd for the gov
ernnaent; severe, most severe, for the
Church. But. we are full Of hope. The
end-we cannot see it; but that the
, church will not lose anything in force or
strength, or be weakened in any way,
of that we are sure. On the contrary
she will grow stronger-she is stronger
today, in France.
"But you must know the situation
first. How can tell you? The Amer
leans idea Of liberty is so different from
the Frenchman's. Here in this country
you arc "a government for the. people
yes, sof the people, by the people,
In France, 1t is-well, just a govern
ment for the government, whether the
people like it or not. Everything there
is The Government. You say the State
derives it's rights from the people. IN
France the State is the source Of all
rights. You see, 1t is all reversed. Now,
II you bear this in mind you will ap-
proach the church: trouble with better
understanding.
There is, first Of all, the concordat.
You all know Of that need not dwell
on it.; Remember, then, that there were
relations, continual relations, between
church and state. They We're not am
icable, relations; they were simply, on
both tides, distrust, suspicion, tolera-
tion. The state suspected the church
Of hatred for republican government.
of naonarchistic inclinations-yes, even
Of designs. And the, church felt that
the state was its most intolerant enc
my. You see how different it was from
anything you have; the name of God,
for instance, for the last thirty years
has not been pronounced oficially in
France; but you have your chaplains,
your Congress opened with prayer, your
priests and ministers in your army and
navy, your Thanksgiving Day. It is
totally different. God and religion do
not receive recognition Of any kind in
France. Not only that; but France
passes laws prescribing God and re-
lision. All this has been going on
for years; 1t is. as you call 1t, an old
story ;. -
Now comes the Separation Law. the
climax. 1t was forced upon the church.
The concordat was suppressed without
being denounced. without notifying the
Holy See. That was an act of injustice,
since the treaty was; bi-lateral con-
tract to which the French government
and. the Holy See were parties. Were
the. Holy See some world power with
an army and navy. France would not
have dared to treat it in that man
ner. The Pope has rigidly complained
that the action of France in this mat
ter was unjust. ~
VI "Cunhscation was the next move
Even IL the church had submitted to
the law. III church property devoted