The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-02-12

Mgr. i. {. Kelley, President Of the
Catholic Church Extension Socie-
ty, than whom few. If any, in
America know tho Mexican situa-
ton better. Here are Mgr KEEL
ley's words in the January issue
OF Extension Magazine:
Carranza s governors and gen
erals at once reopened the cam
paign against religion. In Yucca
tan, which has seen many Of it's
priests banishcd and sent with its
Archbishop into exile and it's sem
mary closed, the country priests,
whom reVolutionist writer's had
themselves upheld as the good men
OF Mexico, were herdcd into the
capital city as into a concentra-
ton camp. The country church.
es were closed, as most Of the city
churches had been already. The
administration Of the Sacramento,
the preaching Of the Gospel, and
every act Of divine worship, were
forbidden or made impossible. On
Oct. %, the Carranza governor OF
Michoacan, General Elizondo, de-
creed the confiscation Of the pri-
vate property Of every priest. and
declared the clergy incapable Of
holding property. Now, there are
few official clergy houses in Mex
leo. The priests usually have their
own homes, or live with their ia
miles. They receive only pit
lance for a living, but, by dint Of
hard scraping, some Of them had
purchased homes. You, my good
friend, reading this, would hest
tate to live for a day in the mis-
cradle houses that covered most
OF these devoted Mexican priests :;
but even these are to be taken
from them without compensation
"Heartened, however, even by
such promise from Carranza,
Father Juan Alanis, pastor Of Ca
.margo, left his exile in the United
States and went back to his par
ish. He was practically put in a
chain gang to work in the streets,
until he escaped into American
territory again. The military
head OF the State of Michoacan at
once issued an order to all priests
to appear before a public officer
and give an inventory Of every
thing in their churches-this, Of
course, preparatory to confsca-
ton. All the religious schools for
boys were closed. and most of the
girls schools. The seminary was
closed by the same order; and di-
rections were given that it should
not be reopened any place within
the State. In Puebla, Michoacan
and Guadalajara, tCarranza Off
GERS closed schools and colleges,
and even the faculties OF law,
medicine and engineering. The
name Of God was driven even out
Of the private schools. Because
the feast Of Corpus Christi hap
pened on the anniversary Of the
death OF one Of the greatest enc
mics Of religion, Ocampo, the re-
hgions celebration was forbidden;
what had God to do with celebra-
lions in honor Of a dead devil?
All these things were done against
the Constitution and Laws Of Mex
leo, the Constitution and Laws for
which Carranza claims he was
fighting; and which had already
all the enactments former revolu-
tionists thought they could, with
decency, make against the Church.
Meanwhile Carranza himself
was going from place to place, to
be wined and feted. He visited
the City Of Monterey The ladies
Of the city asked him to permit
them to approach the sacrament
of penance; and, again contrary
to the Constitution, the chief OF
the Constituencies, the head Of
the government recognized by the
United States, violated the Con-
stitution and the national laws,
and forbade people to exercise the
religious liberty he had promised
to respect. Before me is a copy
Of a letter from Mexico, dated
Nov. /. 1t was written by a stu
dent to a relative in the United
States, and speaks Of only minor
outrages. The history of the
greater ones had already been
written. This letter tells how,
since recognition, even the GENE
teries, have been desecrated and
the walls thrown down, with part
of the church of the university IN
Guadalajara. The Archbishop's
house is now the city hall. The
seminary has been given over as a
home to the Industrial Workers OF
the World. The Institute OF st.
Joseph is in possession Of the same
anarchists; and the Carranza gov
eminent has gone to even the RI
diculous length Of forbidding the
clergy to wear oyercoats. Ii they
desire to keep from freezing dur
ing the winter, they must wear