The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-07-20
CATHOL|C|TY IN NORWAY
NorWegians Never Apostatized -
Tricked Out of the Old Religion
Religious Liberty Granted-Present
State of the Church in Norway.

There is no country where the Cath
Ollie Church is treated more literally
than in Lutheran Norway. The ex-
PLANTATION of this is found in the fact
that the Norwegians never really
apostatized. They still glory in their
Catholic ancestors. It was Christian
" of Denmark who introduced the
Reformation into Norway, made it a
Danish province, and gave it over to
the heretics. To hoodwink the peo-
pie, who were fervent Catholics, all
the ancient ceremonial was preserved.
The Mass was not abolished, so
that even now a stranger entering
one of the heretical churches might
easily imagine himself in a Catholic
Church. The Kyrie, Gloria, Credo,
Preface, Sanctus up to the words of
Conservation are still said, but in the
Norwegian language. When at last
it dawned on the people that they
were being robbed of their Faith,
they took to arms, and there was a
terrible struggle which lasted for
century. Only when the last priest
disappeared, when the Danish laws
punished with confiscation and exile
the practice of the Catholic faith, and
put those priests to death who came
from other lands, did the new genera
ton become heretical.
In 1914 Norway shook off the Dan
ish yoke. The first measure of the
new Norwegian Government was to
assure religious liberty to all church
es, but the joint king of Norway and
Sweden did not, unfortunately, OBJ
serve this article of the Constitution.
1t was only in 1916 that the Nor
wegians succeeded in wrestling from
the king his assent to law granting
religious liberty to Christians who
were not Lutherans. At the time Nor
way was dependent on Sweden.
The Vicar Apostolic of the latter
country, profting by this law, sent a
few priests into Norway. 1t was not
until 1856 that Norway could boast
of one Catholic Church, that of st.
Olaf in Christiania. The Faith spread
with sufficient rapidity to lead the
Pope in 1869 to appoint Project
Apostolic for Norway. At the present
moment Bishop Fallize has the care
of the Church in Norway.
1t is impossible to praise too highly
the observation-disclosures of the Norwe-
gian Government. In 1891 was passed
"Law for Non-Conformists," giving
full religious liberty to all Christians.
/ cd 10 n th a
rights and liberties they needed to be
able to live, labor, and die in conform
ity with their Faith, and the bishop,
by invitation, was present at the
debate to furnish any explanations
requisite.
Religious orders have been once
more allowed into the land. One
fanatical deputy made furious
speech during the discussion. The
President interrupted him and said
that Catholics did not ask that
Protestants should love religious
orders, they only claimed the right to
cherish and possess them themselves;
that if the honorable deputy proved
anything, it should be that this desire
of Catholics was harmful to Norway.
The fiery fanatic collapsed.
!, So the bishop builds the schools
and has the entire management OF
them. No strange inspector ever puts
! his foot inside a Catholic school
Moreover, Catholic parents are
, exempt from paying the tax which is
: levied for the public schools.