The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-03-11

I'VE have now among us body OF
mitred prelates, whose claim it is that
they, and they alone, are the rightful
heirs and successors of the ancient
Hierarchy of this land. Many Church
men feel that if the Bishops of the
Church Of England, with such chal-
lenge thrown down before them, shrink
from using the distinctive head-dress
of Bishop on the most public and
conspicuous occasion when they meet
together, they will impress upon both
friends and foes the belief that they
are less sure of their position as mem
bers of the historic Episcopate of
Christendom than all English Church
men would wish them to be-" Perhaps
they are!
Affairs in Portugal.
AS our eyes rove over Europe we
see innumerable instances where a
Catholic Defense League could be of
great use to the Church. The Portu-
guese Republic continues it's work of
spoliation and robbery, and the
Separation Laws of Church and
State which has been delayed
for various reasons, proposes to
confiscate all Church property, with
a clause that the property of foreign
religious orders, churches, etc., may
receive consideration if their respec-
tive governments care to negotiate
thereon. Here is an instance of the
value of international pressure such
as Father Dowling's League could
bring in such case. But how long
the present regime is going to endure
in Portugal is matter for speculation,
and the condition of affairs in that
most Catholic country and the change
which is beginning to sweep over the
opinion outside of her, will occupy us
later.
The Spanish Situation.
In Spain it is good to be able to
report by latest advices that the de-
termined attitude of the Catholics of
the country has stayed the onward
march of the marauder, for Senior
Canalejas is putting the best grace he
can on what is really defeat for his
schemes. He is earnestly seeking a
way of reopening negotiations with the
Vatican. His own cabinet has turned
against him, and Senior Montero Rios,
President of the Senate, and fine
Catholic, has declared that if the policy
of persecution continues he will resign,
while the very Republicans themselves
oppose, or at least section opposes,
the laws which threaten the Religious
Orders. Canelejas, of course, keeps up
the pretense of disinterestedness to
the last. 1t is not to save his Minis
try that he is going to frame the Asso-
Citations Law in such manner that
an eventual compromise to propitiate
the Vatican and Catholic Spain can be
arrived at, oh dear no! It is because
King Alfonso's position will be jeopar-
died, according to his Minister 1t is
to be feared the poor young King is
little more than a puppet in the hands
of his Minister. But the fact remains
that the magnificent demonstrations
made by Catholics in every part of the
Peninsula have frightened the Premier
from his anti-clerical schemes. How
does this rally of the populace to the
cause of the Religious tally with the
tales circulated only a short time
since that the peasants were groaning
under the competition put upon them
by the monks and nuns, the one in
their wine growing, the other by their
embroidery, etc., and that the whole
country was starving by reason of this
crowd of religious locusts which a
benevolent government was deter
mined to extirpate?
Quickening of Faith in France.
1t is remarkable thing that the
Catholics of France are not able to
exercise greater influence on their gov
eminent, for despite the idea which
gets abroad that "the eldest daughter
of the Church" has lost her faith, this
is very far from the case. There is a
continual quickening in the blood of
Catholic France. The various associa-
tons formed for the protection of the
schools, the continual Diocesan Con-
ferences, and the cases which are daily
before the Courts, wherein priests or
parents are summoned for disregard
ing the laws or defying the regulations
of the s.ecoles laiques'' and their
teachers irreligious government
schools-are enough to prove this,
even if we had not seen the crowds
which flock to the churches daily, and
heard the citizens of Paris, telling
their beads before the Blessed Sacra-
ment at eventide, led by one of their
own number. Yet MI. Maurice Faure,
the new Minister for Education was
able to get up in the Chamber the
other day and declare himself the
champion of the 'ecoles laiques," de.
scribing these institutions por-
traits of famous artists are substituted
for the Mother and the Son, and where
the crucifix is torn down and the
very name of God erased from the