The Irish standard., 1910-07-23
SPAIN AND THE VATICAN.


violating the terms of the Concordat
has caused a great deal of discussion
and, naturally enough, the associated
press reports appearing here place the
Vatican in bad light. Last Sunday
the following appeared in one of the
papers:
Cardinal Merry Del Val has placed
the Church in a position from which
ii cannot recede without serious loss
of prestige and it is feared the Spanish
government will be impelled to go
much further along the way of separa-
ton of church and state than it was
at first intended"
From this it would appear that Car
dinal Merry Del Val had unwisely TAX
en- the initiative in an action which
Will result in seriously impairing the
prestige Of the Vatican. This of course
Is false insinuation. The Vatican
is In reality acting on the defensive
and the action of the Cardinal Score
tary of State Is nothing more than n
refusal to recognize the right of the
Spanish ministry to ignore the terms
of the Concordat. While this agree
ment exists between Spain and the
Holy See. each party to the agreement
has every right to expect the other to
live up to the terms stipulated. If one
or the other Of the parties concerned
becomes dissatisfied with the arrange
ment ordinary ethics demand that tho
dissatisfied party seek modification
OF the terms. In the present instance
the Cardinal Secretary is not only not
endangering the prestige of the Vati-
can but he Is taking the one course
left open to him. If he We're to main
tain acquiescent silence while the
Spanish government disregarded the
agreement with the Holy See. he could
then truly be said to be imperiling the
position Of the Vatican.
4; The fact is the wave of infidelity
that has spread over France with such
dire destruction is beginning to spread
over Spain and the enemies of the
Church there would in their anti-Ca tn
Ollie madness plunge the country into a
civil war. The course being followed
Is practically the same as that pur-
sued in France. The closing of con-
vents and the laicizing of schools is
fha tho ir6Io1S IF tn, IL
/. use to undo Catholicity there. Against
this the bishops, priests and people
are fighting. Their hope Is in the re-
moval of the present prime minister
who Is the tool of the atheistic faction
The propaganda being pursued by
the enemies Of the Church in France
Spain and Italy lis perfected to the
lninutest details. Not only is an at
tempt made to arouse sentiment hostile
to the Church, but cable dispatches
in which the Church is concerned arc
passed through the hands of censor
whose business 1t Is to distort the
news and misrepresent the Church be-
:. fore the world. The result is people
} outside of those countries are wrong
~ informed and when the preponder-
ance of evidence is against the Cain
Ollie Church they unconsciously be-
come convinced that the Church is al
fault. The papers circulating these
distorted reports are not primarily re-
sponsible since the work Of misrepre-
sentation Is performed before the news
passes through the hands of telegraphic
agencies. In the case Of France, the
treatment meted out to religious orders
was VIGOROUSLY unjust and yet. owing
to the Misrepresentation of the
Church imposed on the world, very
little sympathy for Catholics was
manifested by secular publications in
this country.
\ While the Socialists and Anarchists
Of Spain and France are permitted to
carry ON such propaganda the
iChurch will suffer all over the world