The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-06-24
ON THE CONDITION OF THE
CHURCH IN PORTUGAL.
To Our Venerable Brothers the Pa
triarchs, Primates, Archbishops,
Bishops, and Other ordinaries
of Places, In Peace and
Communion With the
Apostolic See.
Plus x POPE.

Plus X POPE.
Venerable Brothers, Health and the
Apostolic Benediction.
We believe, Venerable Brothers,
that you are all aware how for some
time past in Portugal incredible ef-
forts have been made by every kind
of outrage to oppress the Church.
For who is it that does not know that
when the form of government in that
country was changed into a republic,
measure after measure began to be
enacted breathing inexpiable hatred
to the Catholic religion? We have
seen religious families violently ex-
PEELED from their homes, and the men,
bers of them, for the most part, driv-
en- with cruelty and inhuman1ty be-
yond the frontiers of Portugal. We
have seen how, in the obstinate deter
mination to profane all civil discipline
and to remove all traces of religion
from the manifestations of public life,
the feasts of the church have been
expunged from the list of holidays,
how the religious note inherent to
sworn testimony has been removed,
how a divorce law has been rushed
through, how the teaching of Chris
tian doctrine has been excluded from
the public schools Finally, to omit
other things which it would take too
long to set forth, the Bishops have
been attacked with special vehem-
ence. and two of the most distin-
guished Prelates, those of Oporto and
Beia, men as illustrious for their integ-
rity as for their great services to the
country and to the Church, have been
thrust out of their Sees.
And while the new rulers of Portu-
gal have been giving all these exam
pies of tyrannical license you know
how patient and moderate the Apo
stolic See has been with them. For
we deemed well to take the utmost
care to avoid doing anything which
could be constructed as hostile to the
Republic. We entertained some hope
that sooner or later these men would
be inspired by wiser counsels and in
LQ0 0I1u udhS SoI4Old(k1OA 4h oOAA1S
way to the Church for the outrages
wrought by them. But our hopes have
been altogether deceived, for now
they have, as it were, crowned their
iniquitous work by the PRONUNCIATION
of a most fragrant and pernicious law
of separation of Church and State.
Now the duty of Our Apostolic Of
fee absolutely forbids Us to tolerate
in silence a wound so grave, inflicted
on the rights and dignity of the Cath
olic religion. Therefore, by these
letters, We call your attention to it,
Venerable Brothers, and We denounce
the full baseness of this fact before
the whole Christian world.
In the first place the law of which
We speak is absurd and monstrous
in that it DEGREES that the State has
nothing to do with Divine worship,
as though both individual men and
every association and community OF
men did not depend upon Him who is
the Founder and Preserver of all
things; and in the second place in
that it releases Portugal from the
observance of the Catholic religion;
the religion which has ever been a
source of strength and glory to that
people, and which is professed by al
most all the citizens. But, granting
that it was found fitting to sever this
close union of Church and State, one
too. that has been confirmed by sol
emn pacts, surely once the severance
was made it was only right to leave
the Church alone and allow her to
enjoy the common liberty and law
enjoyed by every citizen and every
honest association of citizens. The
exact contrary has taken place. Fol-
while the law is called one of separa
ton, in reality it has the power to
reduce the Church to utter destitu
ton by despoiling her of her material
property, and to bring her under slav
cry to the State by depressing her II
those matters which belong to hel
sacred authority and spirit.
And first, as regards external things
the Portuguese Republic separates it
self from the Church in such way a:
to leave her no means whatever t.
maintain the decorum of the HOUSE
of God, to support the Ministers o
religion, to carry on her manifold off
ces of charity and piety. For accord
ing to the prescriptions of this law tht
Church is not only elected. from thu
possession of all the property. rea
and personal that belongs to her, NJ
matter how good her title, but she j!
even deprived of the faculty of acquir
ing anything for the future. For i
is enacted that certain bodies of citi
zens are to regulate the exercise o