The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-09-23


4 houses Of worship, he was informed
4 by the ministry that not the slightest
! change had come about in existing
conditions because of the concordat.
/ Significant likewise is the fact that
/ this latter was made public for the
first time as late as November, 1856,
| nine years after it had been conclud-
ed, and even then was published only
in an entirely mutilated edition, &C
companied by legislative enactments
which completely lcontradicted it's
clauses
/ AS sequel to all this we find that
the episcopal sees often remained I'M
occupied for ten or twenty years at
a time, professions were forbidden
since 1865, and permission to receive
the assistance of strange priests was
refused to parishes that existed with
out pastors The diocesan seminaries
were barred, but license was given
periodically for groups of twenty stu
dents to be accepted at the seminary
of Samogitien. A commission ap-
pointed at Wilma translated into Rus
sian the Catholic ritual, number of
sermon models and the most common
prayers and books of devotion. These
were by force of law to be introduced
into the Catholic Church services.
The Latin books, meanwhile, were
taken from priests and laity by the
police authorities. All who would not
submit were sent as exiles to Siberia
Even the Catechism was improved
upon. So, to give an instance, the
corporal works of mercy were reduced
to six, that which bids us to console
or release the prisoners being omitted
as contrary to the laws of the empire
The saying of the beads, May devo-
tons and the Forty Hours Alteration
were all interdicted. Religious asso-
Citations among the laity were not
| tolerated, and the crime of member
ship was visited with severe penalties
Sermons could not be delivered in the
churches, and only reading out of
a legally authorized spiritual book
was permitted. Even catechetical in
struction could not be given, except
with permission of the public authori-
| ties,
Under strict enforcement of these
laws Bishops and priests have gone
and are still going today into Sibe-
rian exile. In 1870 there was but one
Bishop left in Russia, and he, too, was
driven into Punishment Since 1872,
however, the government has some
what relaxed the reins. Four Sees
were filed and priests were suffered
to return from exile; but the State
subsidy was withdrawn from Catholics
after 1877. Under these circumstances
it is indeed an exceedingly great hon.
or for the Catholic priests and laity
of Russia to be able to record of them
that, with a very few sad exceptions,
they chose rather to go into exile
and so to certain death, than in the
least to deny their Faith.
Since 1882 the conditions of the
Catholic Church in Russia have be-
come more favorable. The exiled
Bishops were then pardoned, the SEM
inaries were reopened, and in MAX
ing appointments for parishes only
theL candidates for the largest par
ishes of the empire were to be pre-
scented for government approval. But
already, in 1884, the Bishop of LUX
was deprived of half his income, be-
cause in correcting a priest he had
freely used his own authority.
The edict of liberation issued in
1906 seems, however, to give greater
freedom to the Catholic Church Bish-
ops can independently appoint, ex-
change or dismiss priests, although
report of their actions must be made
to the government. Crosses and
mortuary monuments cannot be erect
ed without first securing official au-
thorization. Professions may take
place anywhere, but the public author
tiles must be notified of the time
and place. Catholic priests receive
leave of absence for an indefinite time
even as the schismatic clergy, and in
virtue of this they may go beyond
the boundaries of their parishes. The
Catholic converts of Russian Poland,
which have continued by tolerance
only, remain in existence; but how
the public authorities intermeddle in
their affairs has been shown in the
lamentable case of Censtochan. Gov
ernors, however, have no longer the
power to abolish the converts.
But Russia never changes. From
time to time sham concessions are
made to the Catholic Church, either
because the political position of Rus
STA makes this imperative, as in the
revolution of 1905, or, because she de-
sires other concessions from Rome.
Her purpose accomplished, the old
scenes Of violence at once repeat
themselves. The Catholic Church
possesses no more real liberty today
than before the act OF liberation ex-
cept in the statute books. If Catho-
lies, especially Bishops and priests,
suffer less from the Russian authori-