The Irish standard., 1917-04-14
MEXICAN TRADucERs
Are CHALLENGED
Continued from page ~

to be banished, root and branch, from
the precincts of the republic unless it
repudiates all claims to rights which
it believes necessary to it's Catholic
life and the most sacred requirements
of it's ministerial functions. All it's
properties are to be confiscated, to be-
come the exclusive belongings of the
state. Temples, sanctuaries, school
houses, colleges and universities are
snatched from it's ownership. Nor is
the Church henceforward to be al
lowed in future time to build or con-
troll new edifces devoted to religious
uses. A limited number of it's former
temples-very few-may be loaned to
priests, where religious services will
be tolerated under such regulations
as the civil authorities are pleased to
adopt. Sacramento confession is
abolished. No institutions of benef-
icence and education are allowed I'M
der the control of the Church. Finally,
it will no longer be permitted that
within the national organization there
exist another organization constituted
of foreigners depending from the Ro-
man Pontiff.' What remains of the
Catholic Church when cut off from its
spiritual chieftancy, when forbidden
to administer it's sacraments, shorn
of all the means of temporal subsist-
ence, and bound hand and foot in slav-
cry to it's prosecutors, may, if still it
so wills, call itself the Church; but
how much of the Catholic Church, as
it knows itself, this will be, we are
left to be the judges.
1.-THE policy of the 'Constitutionalist
Party regarding the Church must be
justified in the eyes of the people of
the United States; the effort to have
this done calls for stupendous lies;
the lies stupendous are dealt in with
an unsparing pen.
The Bishops Of Mexico.
II defend the Church in Mexico by
defending it's bishops, upon whom
rests the responsibility of ecclesias-
tical illustrations in that republic,
the characterization of whom, conse-
quently, is the characterization of the
interests over which they preside.
am personally, and in some instances
closely acquainted with several of the
bishops of Mexico; about all of them
l have direct and circumstantial in
formation. This is my judgment of
the bishops Of Mexico; they are, with
out an exception, men CT marked intel
lectual culture, men of high ideals,
men of irreproachable moral stand
ards, men Of apostolic zeal in their
work of serving the spiritual and tenn
poral interests Of the people commit
ted to their charge. That the Catho.
lie bishops in Mexico should tolerate
such degraded forms of worship as
Rodolfo Menendez Mena strives to de.
pict, it is not possible for one mo.
ment to imagine; that their word as to
conditions actually existing in Mexico
is not to be accepted in absolute trust,
is simply unthinkable; as also it is
unthinkable that they have not la
bored, intelligently and energctically
toward the continuous uplift of the
people of Mexico, so far as they have
been permitted to do so by the native
peculiarities of the people themselves
and of the civil and political upheavals
to which those peculiafities have given
occasion. Against the lies, iterated
and reiterated, regarding the Church
of Mexico, set up tho testimony oil
the bishops of Mexico, whose guaran
tor l am and must be, in simplest jus
tice to their high qualifications Of
mind and of heart.
Appeal to Professionalism.
"The intention of Rodolfo Menendez
Mena is to influence public opinion i1
the United States. Hence his trib
ute of praise to the Protestant religion
which is that, he says, OF the immense
majority of the American people, and
which, he continues to say, is a re
ligion, economical, simple, based or
free examen.' Going farther, he in
vites Protestant ministers to evange
lie Mexico, promising on the part OF
the de facto government the use Of
temples, formerly in possession of the
Catholic Church. The revolution Gin
Mexico) does not oppose he writes
the religious idea.. Good proof of this
is that no complaints have been made
by the Protestant clergy and parish
toner's which, although in a reduced
number, exist in Mexico. Furthermore
the liberals in Mexico would be
pleased to see that the directly centers
of American Professionalism would senG
good and numerous missionaries
which, no doubt, would help to de
fanaticize the people. No doubt they
could count on the moral and materia
help of the government, which would
let them use, free of rent, many of the
temples which to date have been useG
by the Catholics
Here, again, we must thank oul
writer for his frankness-for the clear
cut information he gives as to the pol