The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1914-08-15
VILLA ESTABLISHES CHURCH

hibit Of Christian fOrhtude.
VILLA ESTABLISHES CHURCH
This whining about Villas
hatred for religion is given the lie
BY the rebel general IN acts that
speak louder than words Realiz-
ing the need Of religion in the ter
ritory controlled by him, Villa is
establishing q state church and
making provisions for religious
services and teaching. A recent
press dispatch from CamArgo,
ChihuAhua, gives the details which
divorce the Me1ican church from
Rome and makes priests behave un-
der severe penalties. Ii il the Grim
-inAl priests and trouble makers
who have been put out Of MEXICO.
Villa provides a place for such as
are worthy and willing TO serve the
people. Says the International
News Service:
Gen. Francisco villa IN a statement
issued here today virtually declared him.
self absolute ruler Of the church in his
territory when he announced that In the
future AL priests and eurAtes In his ter.
ritory will be appointed by state Of
heials, subject 20 approval BY Gen. Villa,
instead Of by = regularly ordained bishop
Of the Roman Catholic church. Gen.
Villas first step in this radical move.
ment was the appointment Of Father
Antonio Janet 20 the Juarez diocese.
Father Janet will assume charge Of the
diocese at once. Other appointments
arc expected to be made this week.
This method Of procedure in the o..
tablishment Of ian honest church in
Mexico" something, Gen. Villa says,
which Mexico is sadly IN need Of, is
original with the commander of the
northern division, and he fully believes
II has solved the problem once and for
always
While Il has long been Gen. Villa =
cherished plan 20 separate church and
state, this new move on his part will
bring the two together more firmly, as
under the new plan, the church is TO be
directly under the state government. The
various state governments will, for the
most part, appoint the priests and other
clergymen and win be responsible "a
Gen. Villa for their Rrtions.
Appropriations will he made from the
state treasury for the support Of the
church and a liberal sum will be laid
aside snnually for charitable work
among the poor. This latter sum will
be placed in charge of COMMITTEES
which will have for Us work the in.
yestigation and study Of social eondi.
tons among the proletariat element
They will be empowered 10 use the Rp,
/ preparation in rcmedying unusual cases
Of suffering among the poor.
| While this announcement came as a
surprise 20 everyone around the general
when he made it, he sat in his private
car and calmly watched his hearers
faces as he recited his plan in detail.
"I believe 1 have settled the church
problem, he said quietly. "T am goine
TO appoint the priests, eurates and 9th,
er clergymen myself, instead Of having
them appointed by q bishop who doe,
not know them and who does not un
derstand the people OF the district "a
which he sends his emissaries. OF
course / am going to make my first
selections from those elergymen who
have been in Mexico but who have re
Trained from mixing in the nation ,.
politics. When I have exhausted thi,
supply, will choose men who are edu
Gated and who really understand what
the church means.
CHURCH MUST DO A cHuRcH's WORK
"It has often beea erroneously said
that I am trying TO abolish the church
+entirely, but this is q lie. Religion in
a modified form Is . good thing but il
must not be permeated with affairs OF
state and politics, 70 be successful. Thi.
has not been the case in Mexico during
the past years, but shall earnestly en-
deaSor 10 make a new church grow up
one that win benefit Che people and moi
the priests. The churches will not he in
charge Of professional thieves, who, in
the past, have forced the lowly peons
to rob and steal that they might give
freely 10 Charity st Peter' and THE
suffering souls in purgatory.' The
priests must be intellectual 20 that they
can give mental aid 10 their parishion,
erS They will be expected to assist il
| NNeSoemb bho CuhuAch VI tuo COUNTY, sc
that they, too, will b. able 10 grow up
intellectually as wen as physically and
morally.
Furthermore, clergymen will be com
pelled TO perform Al marriages and
baptiEmal ceremonies without charge OF
fee. They will be recompensed suf6,
ciently BY the state government and any
attempt on their part to ertort eontribu.
tions or fees from any member of his
church will be made punishable by law.
Furthermore any priest who uses his
cloth to violate unsophistiested young
girls will be unsexed and turned upon
the country as an example Of Panehc
Villas distaste for such unholy acts. -
In the face of the foregoing, who
is there, with any regard for truth,
can say that Villa is the foe of re-
hgion? Now, as 10 the assertion
by Connolly that villa is not fight.
ing for democratic ideals. Let us
introduce here as witness one John
W. Roberts, a war correspondent
for newspapers who has been with
Villa throughout his late cam
paigns. Mr.. Roberts, who talks