CHURCH AND STATE

Evening Star, Issue 13013, 7 January 1907, Page 6

CHURCH AND STATE

COMPROMISING DOCUMENTS.

Press Assooatioa-rßy Telegraph—Copyright.

ROME, January 5. .The Vatican states that the French. Go-vernment-intend publishing portion of ti>o documents which were, seised in the Paris Niineiafure, relating to certain personages, in" which case the'injured parties must use the means they judge best to protect their righto. '* It is stated in clerical circles in Rome that no inventory was taken, and that the Vatican may question the authenticity of the documents.

[Before the order for. his expulsion from France was served upon Monatgnor Montagnini, semi-official representative of the Pope sinrc the recall of : the Papal nuncio, his residence was searched by the police. Besides a, letter intended for Cardinal Merry dol Val, the Papal Secretary of State, the police seized a mass of diplomatic correspondence, compromising some deputies, and including a number of letters from Roman Catholic bishops in England and Ireland, sympathising with the attitude b*' n i; adopted by the church in France. In all 2,000 documents wese seised at the Nunciature. These conclusively, prove that the bishops are almost unanimous in. accepting the Separation law.' They obeyed, not without deep regret, the instructions of the Pope that the associations for worship -were not to bo formed. These instructions wore communicated through Monsrgnor Montagnini's secretary.]