The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-08-07
THE CHURCH IN FRANCE.

THE CHURCH IN FRANCE.
There Is every indication of long
and bitter conflict netween the Church
and the State in France. and before
tho battle is over 1t Is hoped that the
J Church will come off triumphant and
ha free to exercise its rights in spite
of the infidels who now control the
government of tina. republic The bat
tie deepens since Cardinal Andrieu, the
brave Archbishop Of Bordeaux, threw
down the gauntlet and declared from
the pulpit of the cathedral in that city
that when the bad laws Of France
FLASHED with the interests o. the Church
and the family it was the duty Of ev-
cry one to disobey such laws. Being
cited into court for an explanation of
his words, the Cardinal promptly obey
ed the summons and said:
Il recognize no man mad justice II,
the control Of the affairs Of my do
cese. recognize no human censor:
what say concerns my conscience.
the pope and God.
Il do not recognize the right Of the
French government. to prosecute mt
because sof an alleged disoheyance OF
an article called the law Of separa-
ton. This law does not exist so far
as Catholics are concerned. since their
supreme chief has condemned 1t many
times as hostile to the authority and
liberty Of the church.
Il do not fear your arrests nor your
judgments which are. at ,rost, ephe-
| neral. There is always rehearing
before Him whose decisions are jus
tice itself and always without appeal.
II beg of you, in consequence. to
remember that If the prosecution con-
tinues against me. shall allow you to
take Judgment by default. For I re-
gard as incompetent the tribune which
shall Judge men. deriving it's power as
it does from a law manitestly con-
trary to the rights OF the church and
of the Christian conscience
This grand defiance of the courageous
| French cardinal deserves the utmost
prominence that we can possibly give
it. and hence we quote his bold Ian
guage on our editorial page. We
! would gladly print his words in letters
Of gold did we have the facility for do
ing SO by means OF the Mergenthaler
lintoype machine. The French govern
ment could not afford to ignore such
a challenge and we learn by cable
that the court Of correction. before
which he refused to appear. has fined
his eminence one hundred and twenty
dollars. He has refused to pay 1t. The
next step is to collect 1t by force, and
that will be difficult matter to do.
The final step will be imprisonment.
and the brave prelate will face the
dungeon before he yields one iota of
his ecclesiastical rights. Practically all
the bishops of France have expressed
approval Of what the Cardinal has SAID
and done, and we may expect at any
moment to hear that in defiance of
pains and penalties the good Catholics
of France will condemn the action Of
The government IN it's persecution OF
the Church and set to work to Dust
from power the irreligious scoundrels
who are now in the saddle. If the
Catholics of France follow the advice
and example of the noble cardinal of
Bordeaux. the persecution of the
Church will be a matter of snort dura-
ton. Some of the French people have
already shown their indele ndence of
the Socialists who are now in power.
On Joan of Arc day they flung the
papal standard to the breeze The new
premier. BRAND. is bad esq and may
'mprison the ecclesiasLics who disobey
the odious separation laws. Will the
people tolerate such conduct and re-
main silent. Or will they irdugurate a
movement to hurl BRAND and his COL
leagues from power? w. will soon
know. If BRAND is minister Of public
Worship. as we'll rs prime minister, he
may order all Catholic churches closed,
for he Is bitter hater of Catholicity,
The leaders of tie French Catholic
should defy him to do his utmost and
txclaim: Lay on NJ. BRAND, and id
be he who first cries. hold. enough!
The eyes of the Catholic world are on
France at this crisis, and it is hoped
that the French people who have al
ways preserved the faith will render a
good account Of themselves.
IRISH TRADE WITH AMERICA,
| A pleasing bit of news has coma