FRANCE AND THE VATICAN,

Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 26

FRANCE AND THE VATICAN,

THE POPES ENCYCLICAL. PARIS, August 15. The Pope's encyclical to the French 1 Bishops has been published in Paris. It deplores the coming trials, and vigorously 1 denounces the separation Lav/, which it j states is not one of separation, but of oppression and civic discord. The Pope I rejects public worship associations, which i he declares are impossible, and advises canonical associations instead until the latter are legally and irrevocably made to embody the divine and immutable '< rights of the pontiff and the bishops as I constituting their authority over a church 1 property and edifices. The Pope urges the bishops and French Catholics to employ all the means which the law recognises as being within the rights of all citizens to organise, worship, and struggle vigorously in defence 1 of their religion without recourse to ! sedition or violence. He predicts a reaction which will result in the rescinding of the laws. The Temps says: — "The encyclical, will grieve all friends of religious peace, and the Vatican's intolerance will bear its fruits. Thib is a country of common sense, desiring, above all, a calm." The Temps will not admit the present decision as the result of .1 truly Christian and reasonable inspiration. A paradox is that the temples offered by the State are refused by the religious authority. .August 17. M. Combes (ex-Piemier of France) con- ' &iders that the Pope's encyclical will sound the death-knell of the Roman Catholic Church in France. M. Biiand (Minister of Public Worship) declares 'that the law will have the last word. Other Cabinet Ministers declare against any concessions being gianted. BRUSSELS, August 17. The Liberal press of Belgium criticises the Pope's encyclical as impolitic, and likely in the long run to do more harm than good. ROME, August 15. The Pope, in receiving a Prussian minister at the Vatican, incidentally regretted that the action of the French Government had rendered it impossible for the Church to avow a conflict with the civil authorities. LONDON, August 19. It is indicated in Paris .that if the Pope does not yiold the Government may summon 6000 ecckfciaetics for military service, and introduce a bjll dealing with ecckfiias-

tical property of the value of £20,000,000, and suppress certain pensions.