Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-04-03
AN EXCELLENT LECTURE
Father Cleary on Church
and State in
France


in France. The speakers fame as
an orator and lecturer is national,
and the audience was not disappointed,
the speaker handling subject
ordinarily dry with breadth, wisdom
and eloouence.
| C. E. Vasaly introduced the speaker
on behalf of Marquette Court, co.
F., and Father Cleary in opening paid
Foresters, urging that all eligible
should join.
In taking up his subject the speaker
tion of Church and State in the United
States, the equal freedom of each in
its appointed sphere to do its certain
work. Not that the republic has no
interest in the welfare of religion. On
the contrary, it has the highest and
deepest reasons that religion shall
prosper, and it guarantees the rights
of all in their exercise of worship.
The State does not meddle with the
internal affairs of denominations, but
Church does not interfere with the
go along, each help to the other, and
earth does such condition exist. In
France something very different is
meant by the question of separation
point of citizen of France is very
different from that of all American
citizen. In the first place. France is
United States is, a self governing body
~ 1,,,f
ment, republic in name only.
despotically ruled than Russia and
,, France is a mockery of republic.
! . The speaker went back to the
Revolution as a foundation for most
of the ills which vex modern France
During that great convulsion of
humanity the Constituent Assembly
declared all ecclesiastical property,
the accumulation of the ages of faith,
the property of the nation, and at it's
disposal. Irreligion reigned supreme.
After Napoleon as First Consul had
restored order, his practical mind saw
that religion was needed in France,
his idea being to make it handmade
of the government. His negotiations
with the Holy See led to the Con-
lcordat. or contract, Of 1901, made by
the French government and Plus VII.
This provided that the church be
restored in France, that so far as
possible the property seized be given
back, that as recOmpense for the
property sold since the Revolution a
Stipend be paid the bishops and clergy
by the French government. The
stipend was in most cases a beggarly
one. But Napoleon insisted that the
Concordat should include the right Of
the French government to approve the
bishops named by the Holy See This
was a direct interference with the
internal and independent government
of the church. The harsh terms were
agreed to in order to restore religion to
unhappy France. With varying phases
under different governments, this
agreement continued until recently,
4 when without negotiation or consent
of the Holy See, the other party to
the agreement, it was declared invalid
by the French government.
During the closing years of the 18th
century and the opening years of the
Goth century, conditions in France
had been getting worse. Religion
was attacked on every hand: Men
animated by infdelity and atheism
secured control of the government,
and used the tremendous power Of a
centralized government, through many
channels. to keep themselves in power
For many years, following the Revolu-
tion, there had been systematic at
tempts to poison the minds of the
} French people against religion, and
| with great success. Leading un-
iversities and colleges were filed with
1rreligion. The elimination of the
: warfare came in the laws which de-
clared all ecclesiastical property,
including all accumulated during the
100 years since the Concordat as
property of the State, decreed that if
, it was desired to use the churches,
, associations under the supervision and
| permission of the State must be
formed for that purpose. It was in
tended not to separate Church and
State in the American sense, giving
l the Church the right to the use of its
r own property and to govern itself, but
| to dispossess the Church, and after
doing so, to make it the. slave of the
l State. All the bishops of France
rejected such proposal. The govern
;ment with ruthless hand seized
churches, converts and schools, drove
out the Sisters of Charity, who had
cared for many q French soldier on
!: fbloody battle fields. forced into exile
, thousands of the religious whose only
crime was their faith, and perpetrated
lindiRnities which shock the world.
What the end will be who can tell1
It is relentless war on all religion
, which is going on, and nation
which wars on religion cannot
endure. c---- -
EsThe above is .: very brief outline q
EFathG Gleary' g addess. It is only
; ..1possible in such lecture to touch OF
q few points, the subject being vast
lone, but Father Cleary brought ou1
, with precision and clearness certain
salient things. Few can .surpasl
{ Father Cleary as aslecturer, both as K
This appearance and bis wonderful
=