The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-13
ITALY OUTLINES NEW ETHIOPIAN
 CHURCH SETUP
Reorganization to Make Position of State
 Stronger
NY JOSEPH D. RAv0TTo

1A WV9nk kA Ae ANNA " A AV Omitted Press Stan CorrespOndent)
 Rome, Nov. IS - (U,P) - With military and civil problems in Ethiopia clarified at least for tho time being, Italian authorities are turning their attention to the rec ligious question In the new empire,
 Just as relations between the Ro- man Catholic church and the Fas- cist state were adjusted to separ- ate the tempeoral from the spirit. ual, so will the strong Coptio Church in East Africa be reorgan- i1ed in order to render ulitl Cae- sar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods"
 Until Italy marched its lesions Into Adds Abaha, the Coptic Church was the most powerful sin- gle ruling unit in Ethiopia. The church taxed, punished, rewarded, gave and took away privileges, act. cd as arbiter in purely secular con- troversies and handled most of those problems that temporal pow CTS ordinarily do.
 Old Order Must End
 Now that Italy has firmly estab- lished itself In East Africa, the old order must necessarily como to on end and the church be 80 reorgan- ized as to strengthen and centralize the control of the state.
 The Coptic Church ranks second in importance in East Africa, pre- The Moslems head the list with 4,- 100000 followed by the CoptS with 3,000,000, of whom 2,700,000 are In Ethiopia proper. There are 3b0,000 classified as Pagans, 30,000 as Ro- man Catholics and 10000 as other seets.
 As in Italy since the gaining of the Laternal Accords with the Holy See, the government wants the edu- cation of youth in East Africa to be entrusted to the state far from any church infiuflence.
 Furthermore, the reorganization will curtail the power and influence of the Coptic priests and eoclesias- ties and eliminate oil kinds of priv ileges enjoyed by the church In the days of the Negus.
 Early Move Expected
 The reorganization is imminent. Just e few days ago, newspapers published 10 provisions of the Tee organization plans of the church. The most important are:
 l. Full economic and disciplin- ayv powers on oil Joy and fnonas- tiG clerics would be vested in the ANuna, making him the veritable head of the church answerable to Italian authorities.
 q. Once vested with these full powers, the Abuna, aided by c gov- eynment commission, would be au. thorized to study, prepare and sub- mt to the government plan of CANrch reform aimed ct eleVating iS spiritual and moral conditions and eliminating oil eventual tenpo- ral and political functions.
 .. The Metropolitan of the Ethiopian church and could con- tinue to be selected from Egyptian cierics and consecrated by the Pa triarch ct Alexandria.
 Three Bishops Likely
 {. Tho patriarch would be asked to consecrate not more than three biGhops for Ethiopia, one each for the regions of Eritrea. Ainhara and Scioa. Tho bishops would Do asked to reside in their respective di- oceses: Anhara, dondar and Adds Ababa.
 5. All church appointments, the Abuna, included, would require tho approval of the Italian authorities.
 c. The Abuna and bishops would honccforth receive c fixed stipend from the state and renounce the feudaiistlc system created by tho former government of the Negus. Several exceptions would be made. in which cases the property would be handled outright to the church aS ecclesiastical patrimonieS.
 [. Religious authorities no long CT would be permitted to impose taxation. while oil illcgitimate priv- ileges formerly enjoyed by the clerics would be stamped out.
 Policies to Be Divorced
 c. No ecclesiastic would be per. mitted to hold c political or civil position.
 Q. Public instruction would Do entrusted to the state.
 10. Any cleric, aS any subject of tho state, who abusIvely practiced medicine would fall under the rigorous sanction of the state.
 ii. The same rigid sanctions would fall on oil superstitious practices intended to p'ay on the confidence and the ignorance of the people.
 i2. When the foregoing pro- visions go into practice, additional changes would require the approval of the state authorities.