The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-01-29
THE EXTENSION SOCIETY
AND THE MEXICAN CRISIS.

public throughout the United
States ought to be drawn to the
splendid work done by the Exten-
sion Society in behalf of exiled
Mexican Catholics.
The condition of the Catholic
ism in Mexico is pitifnl in the ex-
treme. Hundreds Of churches are
closed to divine service; hundreds
of converts and monasteries are
looted or burned and the occu-
pants driven out to face the hor-
rors Of exile and hunger. Carran-
"a has outstripped Villa in the
work Of extirpating religion in
Mexico. Henry VIII, of blessed
memory, never accomplished half
so much in the same period of
time, and on the whole, Henry
was less bloodthirsty toward the
monks for he simply wanted their
property and often spared their
lives; whereas Carranza and Vii
la, who seemed to be actually led
by an insane hatred Of every
thing religious, add death and
dishonor to their deeds of rob-
berry.
It was inevitable that during
the past three years large ex-
odus from Mexico should take
place; the clergy had to flee for
their lives; the Archbishops and
Bishops for the most part es-
|caped; many Of the inferior
clergy were tortured and shot
after surrendering all they had to
the merciless thieves, while many
Of the Nuns were reserved for a
worst fate The Mexican religious
have died manfu1ly at their post
Of duty and a large number are
now enrolled among the martyrs
Of the faith. But as a consequence
of the pillage and persecution ex-
tending to every province in Mex
leo, there are thousands now in
exile. Some exiles have gone to
South America, but the greater
number have taken refuge in the.
United States. Our Southern
cities, particularly those situated
in Texas, New Mexico and South
ern California, have received a
large contingent Of the Mexican
clergy priests without parishes
and Sisters without food or shell
ter or a friend in the world.
The charity shown to these I'M
fortunates by the Extension So
ciety deserves all credit. At the
very outset, the President of the.
Society visited the south and
made himself acquainted with the
actual conditions which were
found to be even worse than the
lurid reports printed in the news
papers. And ever since his visit
the Extension Society has given
a generous hand to these victims
of persecution. After learning
the exact data of their plight,
Monsignor Kelley took the facts
to Rome and laid them before the
Holy See and now the whole
world knows how the churches In
Mexico have been plundered, how
affairs have been desecrated, how
the religious have been dispersed,
how schools and hospitals and
other institutions Of mercy have
been pulled down and destroyed
and how, In places, religion itself
has been banned by legal enact
ment.
The secretary of the President,
Mr.. Tumulty, who is himself a
Catholic, has published an inter-
view to the effect that the pres
ent administration in Washing
ton had no documentary evidence
lrelating to these outrages, al
Though information must have
reached official ears regarding
the number and the condition Of
the Mexican exiles scattered
throughout the southern states.
Mgr. Kelley has brought home
most forcibly to the attention of
the President and his advisers the
facts in the case and the Ameri-