The Irish standard., 1917-07-14
AMERICAN ARCHBISH0PS
make VIGOROUS PROTEST

''By section the religious associa
tions known as churches, irrespective
of creed, shall in no case have legal
capacity to acquire, hold or admin
lister real property or loans made on
such real property. All such prop
erty held by religious associations
either on their own behalf or through
third parties-is made to vest in the
nation, and any one has the right to
denounce the property so held.
SEpiscopal residences, rectories, or
phan asylums, seminaries, collegiate
establishments, religious associations
converts, all vest in the nation, to be
used exclusively for the public service
erected are made the property Of the
nation.
by article 3 no public or private
charitable institution for the sick and
needy, for scientific research, or for
the diffusion of knowledge. mutual aid
societies or organizations formed for
any other purpose may be under the
patronage or direction of religious cor.
porations or institutions or of minis
tGas uf any religious sect.
Destruction Of Religion the Aim.
ut will be seen by these ingemiously
drastic provisions that the whole ma
chinery of the Church, it's religious
teaching, worship and beneficial and
charitable activities are paralyZed
But the hostility of the trainers of the
constitution of religion goes further.
81 The state legislature shall
have exclusive power to determine the
maximum number of ministers of reli-
gious creeds according to the needs of
each locality. Only Mexicans by birth
can be ministers of any religious creed
im Mexico. Ministers may not vote or
be eligible to office. The governor Of
the states must be consulted before
any church is dedicated. The outgo-
ing minister must give notice of any
change, together with his predecessor
and ten citizens. Studies carried on
in institutions shall not be ratified in
official institutions. No minister of
any creed may inherit personally, or
as trustee, any real property occupied
for religious or charitable pur-
nose.
tThe purpose is plainly to extirpate
from the people their ancient faith.
Without the moral support of the gov
ernment of the United States this
tyrannical farce of free government
would not exist. The underlying mo-
tive upon which our institutions are
based is freedom to worship God ac-
cording to the dictates of conscience,
so long as there is no interference
with the rights of others. The
loyalty of Catholic citizens to the laws
OF our country, and their respect for
those who are charged with the re-
sponsibility and the maintenance of
the law, require no proof. We realize
how heavy are the responsibilities
that rest upon any government, and
we would not willingly make them
heavier, but since conditions prevail
ing in the neighboring republic are
shocking to the common sense of JUS
tice, and as we must believe them to
have arisen largely because of the
policy of our national administration,
we feel bound in conscience to pro.
test. In doing so we but follow the
instincts of all liberty loving people.
Our nation is at war mainly because
it's honor and integrity have been in
jured by autocratic power. We have
inherited from our ancestors the
spirit OF democracy based upon Chris
tian ideals and Christian precepts.
The brief recital of what it is intended
to fasten upon neighboring nation
under the name of liberty and democ.
racy is sufficient to show that it is
opposed to all that these names i'm.
p1vn