Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-05
CHURCH AND STATE.

The general elections to the French
Chamber of Deputies take place this
year. in April. They will be watched
with more than usual interest For.
in addition to the mere political dues-
tions that will influence the voters,
there is the trouble between church
and state that demands attention.
1t is Interesting at this time to notice
that the Catholic church diSnitaries OF
France are boldly taking stand for
what they believe to be the rights CT
their church Cardinal Andrlcu. of
Bordeaux, has recently instructed the
clergy to invite all Catholics to unite in
order to elect representatives capable
OF restoring TO the French church the
liberties which 1t has lost" And an
other prclate. the Bishop OF Quimper,
has expressed himself as follows:
"Thc role OF the priest is not to take
part directly in the struggle, but 10
advise the faithful and to remind them
that they arc called upon to come to
an understanding with other Catholics
and to vote as Catholics. over ana
above political parties there is the
church, whose essential rights must De
snfeeunrded and Christian teachine, LOT
which complete liberty should be CLAIM
cd"
We quote this as a correct state
ment of the position OF the Roman
Catholic church whenever it Is called
uron to defend itself against attacks.
Its STANDARD bearers do not hesitate -
call upon the Catholic voters to unite
against the assailants of the church.
And they never fail of success in tho
long run. They succeeded In Germany.
They saw Bismarck fall and the Catho"
lie party rise to power In the empire.
Ultimately they will. probably, regain
what they have lost In France 100.
For there always is strength In unity.
In this country we have heard
great deal of excited talk-mostly by
agogues-concerning the awful dan
ger of mixing the affairs of church ard
state. And we believe that some who
have led In the hue-and-cry claim to
be orthodox Catholics. They. at east,
should consider that they cannot con-
sstently declaim against other
churches without condemnlng their
own.
AS for ourselves we do not believe In
the employ of church organization
Tor political purposes. or the use OF The
pulpit for partisan politics. The church
and the state are separate orSaniSa-
tions, each with its own sphere and
mission But we claim for every cIti-
zen even church officials. the rights
and privileges OF every other citizen.
no more. and no less. And we do not
admit that the exercise of the rights.
OF citizenship by anyone who Is the
posseSsor of those rights can reason
ably be construed as a mixture of
ecclesiastical and civil affairs. We
claim, further that when political egi-
tators attack any church, duty demands
that the influential men of that church
call its members to the defense, and
that they use their influence for unity.
The right to existence is the right to
self-defense. One implies the other.
For that reason we cannot but admire
the boldness with which the Catholic
clergy in France takes the field for
the defensive. They may be wrong In
assuming that the abrogation OF the
privileges given the church by the Con-
cordat was an attack upon the liberty
of the church; they may even be wrong
In holding that the church has right
TO control the schools, but. believing
that the church has been attacked By
the state they cannot but command ad-
miration for standing together firmly
in Its defense. And we would not be
surprised IL the calamity that has re-
Gently befallen Paris would greatly
strengthen the clerical hands. 1t will.
II the people see In 1t the hand of God
raised threatening against the govern
ment.