Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-11
COMFORTED BY POPE
Plus K ADDRESSES ENCYCLICAL
TO FRENCH CATHOLICS.
Predicts Final Victory for Church
After Many Severe
Trials.

ROME, January 1.-THE Osservatore Ro-
mano today published the text of an encycli-
cal addressed by the pope to the French
Catholics. In this document the pontiff said
that his chief object in addressing the faith
full in France was to comfort them in their
sufferings, which he felt deeply. There was,
however, great consolation in the fact that
the Catholics were united.
The French governments declaration of
war not only against the Christian
faith, but against all spiritual ideas. The
French Catholics must be prepared for all
sorts of trials, but they were certain of
final victory This meant the maintenance
of their union with the holy see, which was
of the greatest imp, lance, as shown by
the efforts of the enemies of the church to
dissolve this union.
Contrary to the statements made on the
subject, the church did not desire a
lgious war. involving violent prosecutions.
Being a messenger of peace and carrying
out her mission Loyalty. the church did not
willingly expose herself to war and persecu-
tons, she did not desire to see her chill
dren suffering.
Property Not Abandoned.
Regarding the ecclesiastical properties, the
encyclical said the pope had not abandoned
them. The French government had i'm
posed on the Catholics of France an organ
ization which the church was absolutely I'M
able to accept without imperilling her eX-
istence as a divine institution. The church
could not prevent the unjust spoliation in
progress, for as the proposed cultural
soclatlons were opposed to the hierarchy
established by Christ, the pope condemned
them, in spite of the consequent material
injuries involved at the hands OF the gov
eminent
The statement that the latter disposed of
the "abandoned' properties was adding de-
rision to the spoiation. 1t was false to
state that the pontiff condemned in France
what he approved in Germany as the Ger
man cultural associations were merely
tolerated, though they recognized the hier-
archy, which was not done under the law in
France.
The holy see might have tolerated an
annual declaration for the purpose of pub
lie worship although it did not offer legal
guarantee that the exercise of public wor-
ship would be permitted, had it not been
for the impossible position in which NJ
BRANDS circular placed the parish priests
A Law of Contiscation.
Continuing, the encyclical said that the
new bill amending the church and state
separation law of 1905 was simply, so
far as ecclesiastical property was con-
cerned, law of confiscation and in re-
gard to the exercise of public Worship it
was an anarchial measure introducing ar
bltrariness and uncertainty everywhere
and aSgravating the former law There
fore the pope condemned it.
The adversaries of church tried to make
the holy see responsible for the present
situation, because they knew that their
work was not in accord with the desires
of the country.
In conclusion the pope appealed to the
Judgment of history, which, he said, will
recognize that the papacy. in acting a 8
it has, did so because it did not wish to
humiliate any trivial officials or oppose
any form of government, but defended
with all it's strength the work of the
divine founder of the church, demanding
respect for the hierarchy and the invio-
liability of its property and liberty"
The papacy wished to remind the world
that man must concern himself here be-
low with higher ideals than the occur
rences of everyday life and that the SUI
preme, inviolable joy of the human soul
on earth is to accomplish its spiritual
duty at all costs, and thus, in spite Of all,
honor, serve and love Cod