The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-11
FRENCH SOLDIER PRIESTS.
Their Service TO Their Country Approved
by Their Church.


by Their Church.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN--Sir! As
one OF religious family. the Congrega-
ton OF Holy Cross, some of whose men,
bers arc ct present numbered among the
soldier priests of tho French army, may
/ crave the courtesy of your columns for
n brief comment on certain structures
which ] have recently heard passed upon
their sentiments and action9
At the outset 1t may of course be ad-
mitted that the news, coming from the
most approved transatlantic eources, that
from 10000 TO $4,000 priests are now
serving on the French firing line was apt
to shock the sensLbilities of the average
American Catholic, accustomed to seeing
his pastor devoted entirely to spiritual
matters and holding himself aloof even
from commercial and Industrial activities,
to say nothing of the military profession.
The unusualness OF such action, the APP
parent incongruity between the priestly
character and that OF a soldier in arms. Is
at first blush naturally striking. To con-
clude, however. that II IL therefore Gull
pablo and condemnable Is hardly war
ranted. Unusual is not n synonym of
Immoral" and the apparently incon-
gruous may at times be heroic. As your
New York Catholic contemporary Amer
tcd put II recently!
France. tho France of the French people
Is wild with enthusiasm over the priests
who stand on her hrlns nne and drop in
her trenches. martyrs 20 patriotism.
Reduced to It's simplest terms, tho ac-
ton OF Frances soldier priests Is merely
their rendering unto Caesar the things
that are CRsars," and, with all duo re-
spect to their pharisaioally scandalized
censors, there Is no incompatibllty what
ever between their doing no and their full
filling at the same time the other half OF
the Divine Masters precept by "render-
Ing unto God the things that are Gods"
These fighting priests are French citizens
The law which makes their military SER
vice compulsory may be harsh. anti-Chris-
tlan, IL you will but IL IL clearly not so
radically unjust as to warrant their break
Ing II. else the attitude toward II of their
ecclesiastical superiors would be widely
different from what II IL. For years past
these superlors. up to and including the
Pope, have foreseen the possibility. not to
say the probability, of these priests being
called upon to take up arms in actual
warfare, yet they did not discourage
priestly vocations. Now that war has
come, far from dissuadlng their clerical
.subalterns TO shirk the responsibilities of
their c!uzenship by evading tho ranks,
they urge them 30 line up with their lay
brethren. Bishops, archbshops and car
dlnals encourage the soldier priests to
bear themselves manfully on the battle
field and bid them godspeed and tho
priestly faculties. as would be tho case II
their service were Incompatible with their
saCerdotal character, enlarges those fac
ultles and grants them such special priv
ileges as exemption from the brevary
IL Is not the province OF cisatlantIc crit
les, however sapient. to censure the action
OF tho French hierarchy. and II Is not in
cumbent on even the most orthodox MEM
bers OF the Church to be more Catholic
than the Pope
AS for tho hundreds OF French priests
who have gone from this country, from
Canada and other lands to take part with
their comrades in the hardships OF the
war, the obligation that impelled them
was merely that which constrains every
man of honor 10 pay his debts even
though he might safely shirk tho payment
As long as those priests retained their
French citizenship they were in honor
/ subject TO the conditions attached thereto,
and the anti-Catholic. prosecuting char
acter OF the French Government did not
exempt them from fulfilling those condi-
! lions. 1t should not be necessary to en-
! phas!ze tho fact that the priests on the
French firing line are not fighting for the
present French Government. They are
! lighting for their country their home land.
for the France OF the French people"
the France OF glorious and sacred Cath
/ Ole memories and traditions the France
OF st Louis and Jeanne dare and the
Cure OARS. the France OF Lourdes and
/ Pontmain and dozens OF other hallowed
shrines; the France that is fundament-
| ally Catholic. now as always, no matter
what Government shapes her destinies
tho France which, even in these recent
years OF Catholic storm and stress, has
contributed TO tho work OF Catholic for
elgn missions more men and money than
any other country on earth. It's a land
worth loving and worth fighting for all
honor TO its priestly sons who are con-
vinced OF Il and act upon their convic-
| tons.
Personally I don my hat TO all the
/ soldier priests on the firing line, and as
for my brother clerics OF Holy Cross who
| partake OF their hardships my allowing
to pass unchallenged any aspersions on
| their priestly character or motives I
| should look upon as d!sloyalty to them, TO
| their venerable superior general and mine,
who has approved OF their action. and 70
! the memory of his predecessor, the val
liant Frenchman Father Sorin, tho orig
lnator and upbuider of the University of
| Notre Dame, and the founder and first
editor or the Ave Maria,
ARTHUR BARRY ONBILL, C. g. c.
NoTRB DANE. Ind. october 7.