The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-01-19
PERSECUTION OF PRIESTS IN MEKICOl

NlLDlD LIZ MLAlJU
ing. at his palace, where they met
their eight fellow priests.
When all were together the Gov
ernor, taking a list on which he had
the names of all the priests, called out
the roll, and assigned ten to remain
in Merida. All the others (sixteen in
number) were taken, guarded by, the
same escort, to the seaport and de-
ported to Havana on board of steam
"er of the Ward Line, without beins
allowed to bid farewell to their rela-
tiVes nor to take cloth, money. or
any other utility. Captain Smith, of
the S. s. Monterrey, can bear witness
to this deportation to Havana.
Among the eXiles were the Chan
cellor of the diocese and another
priest, both of whom had passed their
sixtieth year. Is
Some one may ask: Why were
those. ten priests allowed to stay?
Out OF those ten priests six are be-
yond their seventies, sick and can
hardly even say Mass. OF the other
four two are sick; therefore, if two
months ago in the whole State Of Yu-
catan, with 100000 Catholics, there
We're only tWenty-eight priests; now
there are only ten, and eight of them
are hardly able to do anything. An
other priest who had not answered
the summons was arrested a few days
later, imprisoned in the penitentiary.
and compelled to do hard labor with
the worst of criminals. The latest
news says that this priest has been
set free.
Carranzistas in Yucatan.
Something should be said about
the work Of the Carranzistas in Yucca
tan. The people of this country have
no idea of the material destruction
as we'll as the moral evil done by So
called liberators of the people. It is
very sad, indeed, to look at the in
terror of the Cathedral of Merida and
most of the churches of Yucatan. The
actual government has left only the
walls. In eighteen months, during
which time the chur ches remained
closed by a decree of Governor Alvar-
ado, they destroyed everything: pews,
organs, rich statues of great historical
value and beautiful vestments. Ar
tistic affairs of the Colonial times with
immense reredos, were purposely de-
stroyed and converted into firewood.
An employee of the State general
treasury saw about forty boxes Of
golden and silver vessels taken from
the churches. of Yucatan, which were
melted and turned into ingets of gold
and silver. s The poorest church OF
this country has actually far better
vestments and sacred vessels than the
Cathedral of Merida.
Morality is in the lowest condition.
There is no honesty in business, and
fraud and, we may add, high-handed
robbery is daily occurrence.
1t is pitiable, indeed, to see chill
,dren coming out from the public
schools (the only ones allowed, be-
cause the government closed all the
Catholic schools and confiscated the
blIildings), swear and use all kinds
OF obscene and unbecoming language.
Thus the sense of morality and de-
cency is gradually getting loose from
the people: such is the work of re-
construction carried out by the revo-
lutionists! They are told in the
schools that religion is nothing but a
superstition and God myth.
Several times ladies have been ar
rested because they assembled some
children in their homes to teach the.
'eatechism. Such is the sad condition
Of Yucatan, and similar to this is the
condition all throughout Mexico.
When will the end OF this bitter
persecution come? We have no hope
in Carranza's Government. What is
the use of promulgating new consti-
tutions, if even whatever. good they.
might contain is not put into prac-
tise? The last one made, approved
and promulgated by Carranza saws
that no Mexican citizen will be ex-
PEELED from his country except on very
'heinous and special crimes. The
facts contradict this, Thus. sixteen
priests deported to Havana were all
natives of Mexico. AS the Chancellor,
in a protest, quoted that article of the
Constitution, Governor Alvarado Gym
ically answered that his good pleasure
was the only constitution and law in
Yucatan.