The Irish standard., 1910-12-03
THE HOLY SEE AND
PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC
The Situation has Changed But Little
Since the First Break
Came.
Divorce Laws of the New Republic
are Startling in Their
Laxity.
Late News is Beginning to Correct
the Erroneous Impression
of First Reports.

Events in Portg,al are progressing
so rapidly that even for revolution
|ary government built on Masonic lii Is,
the pace causes some astonishment
10 many, writes the Rome Correspond
Ont of the New World (Chicago..
Divorce laws that should startle coun.
tries where separation is a matter
for little thought are to come shortly
into vogue; the Independent minded
press is suppressed; the goods Of the
Church are To be confiscated and,
while clergymen will see their own
property respected. they must wit
ness their churches handed over to
the State under the surveillance of
the Minister of Public Works. All
journalists who have dared speak the
truth fenrlessly have been cast into
prison or forced to fly over the from
tier; and men who profess to be-
npostes Of liberty and fraternity, ar.
rogutc to themselves the power to
|
way of thinking. and rule with a rod
of iron--just as the Greek tyrants Of
old.
With regard to the relations be-
tween the Holy See and the Port,l-
guese government, official information
conveyed to the writer states that
the situation is precisely as it was II
fortnight ago. The Papal Nuncio Is
still in Rome, and subordinate Of
his remains at Lisbon while, al
though the government has announc
cd to the Vatican its accession to
power, it has made no move to ap-
point a representative of Portugal to
the Holy See.
Ferrer Judged by CanaIejas.
Who was Francis Ferrer? Was he
really worthy of the punishment met
ed out to him? The long procession
of men and women accompanied by
many bands and innumerable banners
which blocked up the whole Via Ma.
tional two Sundays ago would lead
one to believe that really there must
have been some ennobling traits in
Ferrer after all and that those who
condemned him We're not conscious
uf such or decrecd the death sentence
from sinister motives. The opinion
lot the President of the Council Canal
ejas who was called to power after
tthe downfall of the Maura Ministry
brought about by the Ferrer incident
"a man not at all to be suspected of
undue leaning towards Clericalism-
will remove all tendencies towards
; benevolent Judgment on the conduct
of the Spanish revolutionary far from
our minds In an interview with a
special correspondent of the Daily
Chronicle, the President-that same
President who at the present moment,
under Masonic influence, is making
use Of the utmost Of his power to
trample on the sacred rights of the
Holy See, says:
> 81 will tell you frankly that I hold
that Ferrer was undisputably a revO-
]utionary condemned in consequence
of regular and public trial. l know
well that outside Spain a great up
! roar arose with regard to this action;
8 but, I can't succeed in finding an ex-
D PLANTATION for it, at least for that part
: which refers to the trial. Would he
+ have been condemned if my Ministry
had been in power? Emphatically.
}. yes But as regards the shooting,
r that is another affair. If I should
r have been at the head of the Govern
4 ment, | would have been able to
recommend a suspension, although ]
d don't say that should have done so.
:. II is true the clericals ne}d in hate
!, his school and his teaching, but to
], say that it was they who brought
l. about his condemnation is an insult
t TO the Spanish nation and to the hon
|. or of the officers of the Spanish army
h who judged him."
It Just as Americans have been led as.
IT. tray in the events of the Portuguese
d revolution where questions of the
Church were involved, so wrong i'm