Evening star., 1925-02-08
FRENCH RELIGIOUS
QUESTION RESUMED.
Age-0Id Fight Has Many
Traditions of Odd Combina-
tiOnS With Politics.
BY ANDRE TARDIEU.

BY Radlo TO The Star.
PARIS, February 7.-France's old
religious Quarrels have been revived
Although the abolition of the en-
bassy to the Vatican was voted by
the Chamber of Deputies on Friday
as matter of principle. and not as a
result of violent conflict as it was
under Premier Combes twenty years
ago, nevertheless, millions of French
men who are not active Catholics re-
division.
There is no use denying that
France and the United States have
great difficulty in understanding each
other on many points. They had
many sharp diplomatic differences
after the American Revolutionary War
and after the complete victory of
1918, similar difficulties arose.
Is the question of religion misun-
derstood? On his various trips to
America, the writer met many emf
nent prelates like Cardinal Gibbons,
Archbishop Ireland and Bishop
OConnell, now Cardinal OConnell,
who watched Frances religious
struggles with panied surprise. Yet
back to the Capetain kings and
Americans today can know little of
the underlying problem.
OF course, the whole aspect of these
struggles has changed many times
during the centuries. Our so-caised
separation act is only 20 years old,
but long before that the church had
ceased to have any real connection
with civil and secular affairs. But
politics and religion were closely in
termingled, now as allies and now
as enemies but never Independent CT
each other, with the result that even
today every movement of the political
pendulum has it's effect upon reli-
gious affairs ~-se
The affair of the Vatican embassy
is enlightening. The embassy was
established four years ago when the
moderate counsels prevailed in Par
Lament. 1t is being abolished be-
cause the left Cartel has the ma
jority Such oscillations, considering
that the matter Is more diplomatic
than religious, are absurd and un
justifiable. But such is the fact, and
1t follows one of the Oldest traditions
in French politics.
Americans cannot understand why
this tradition survices, because, al
though they have had their religious
troubles, they have got rid of them.
Whereas, today, all the religions in
America fall under the common law,
there have been less peaceful days.
Catholics against the persecution of
the intolerant. One recalls the anti
Catholic disturbances of 1884 and
1S43 and the violent practices of the
Know Nothing party. No trace of these
Quarrels remains today and as Theo
dore Roosevelt said, there is no re-
ligious question in America.
Unfortunately there is a religious
question in France and the last week S
events are only an incident therein.
The present problem of the Vatican
embassy goes back to 1920, when the
Left parties stirred up the conserva-
tive majority to demand of Premier
C1emenceau the establishment of
the embassy as the price of his cleo
tion to the presidency. Premier
Clemenceau, who detests bargaining,
refused to promise, but continued to
negotiate with Cardinal MERCER con-
cerning the form in which future re-
lations between France and the Vati-
can should be carried on. Thus, all
the parties deserted NJ. Clemenceau
for NJ Deschanel.
The embassy was re-established
anyhow, but the Left was glad to get
rid of NJ. Clemenceau at that price
and was willing to wait until the
next election for its revenge. 1t
gets it today, and abolishes the en-
bassy, while the Right at last. real
ICES that 1t was duped. That Illus
tration shows how politics and re-
ligion get tangled in France.
True, the Senate still has to pass on
the abolition of the embassy. Premier
Herriot himself recognizes the neces-
sity of keeping some representative at
the Vatican on account of the special
religious Legislation affecting Alsace-
Lorraine, and this may influence the
Senate vote.
But however it comes out, the de-
plorable fact is that this entirely non
political institution has been juggled
for purely political objects, resulting
in a harmful and needless division in
Frances internal life.