The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-01-28
IRRELIGIoN, NOT POLITICS.

On December %, 1910, the Car
dinal Archbishop Of Lyons and
Vienna, and the Bishops Of the
Lyons district, France, issued a |
letter in which they placed the ban
Of official condemnation on two
newspapers-the Progress" and
the Republican" Of Lyons-and
forbade their subjects, under pain
of grievous sin, to buy, sell or.
read them.
This action evoked no little
protest from secular newspapers
which denounced it as an outrage
and an unwarranted interference
with the rights and liberty Of the
press. They would not see the
true reason which Influenced the
action Of the Bishops; but attribu-
ted it to the fact that the papers
named in the letter were repub-
lican in politics. By their in
sistence on the political aspect Of
the question they tried to blind
their readers to the real situation.
Ii this condemnation were based
on political reasons it would, in
deed, be serious reflection on the
attitude of the Church towards
the press, and a just cause for
complaint. But what are tile
facts Of the case?
The official letter is given in full
in a recent issue Of La Croix Of
Paris. 1t shows that there is not
the slightest foundation for the
charge that it's authors were actu-
ated by political considerations.
They give their reasons for con-
demning each paper and to sub
stantiate them they bring forward
citations from each paper together
with the date Of the issue in which
these citations appear. From
study Of these it is evident that
the bishops made no mistake when
they forbade Catholics to read or
support these papers.
The Progress and the Ere
publican" are proved to have been
avowedly irreligious in tone and
teaching and subversive not only
Of the doctrines of the Church but
Of all religion. They deny, for in
stance, the existence Of God and
the Divinity Of Jesus Christ.
They Systematically attack and
ridicule the Church and her teach
ing in regard to the Creation, the
Virginity Of the Blessed Virgin,
the Sacraments, the Future Life,
the Divine Institution Of the Pap
acy and the Infallibility Of the
Pope. They declare that there is
an irreconcilable conflict between
science and faith; that the Church
is superstitious and tyrannical !;
that miracles are contrary to COM
mon sense; that religion is the
creation Of man and will soon give
place to the religion of the future,
whatever that may be.
For these reasons, therefore,
and not on account Of politics, did
the Bishops denounce these papers
and decree that call the faithful
will be considered guilty of griev-
GUS sin who, without serious rea-
sons, Of which they (the Bishops)
are to be the judges, buy, sell or
read habitually the Progress Of
Lyons and the Lyons Republi-
cam"
| The Cardinal Archbishop then
adds the special condemnation of
two other papers published at
Saint Etienne assigning reasons
similar to those already given.
/ There is not a particle Of evil
dence to show that these papers
were condemned for political rea-
sons. 1t is true they were repub-
lican papers; but that was not
taken into consideration at all.
They were placed under the ban
solely because Of their uncon-
cealed antagonism to the Church
and their hatred for religion and
all that it connotes. They held up
to derision the most sacred be-
liefs of the Church; and, therefore,