THE FRENCH CHURCH

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16233, 31 March 1917, Page 3

THE FRENCH CHURCH

The Church. of France, in the course of this war, has had the "opportunity of showing its mettle," says Georges' Goyau, the famous church historian; and he adds: "It is revealing to the country the real place it occupies in the national life." "Waldeck-Rousseau, tho former Premier of France, in. a speech before the French Senate in 1903, stated that "Catholicism survives in France, if not as a religious law faithfully observed by everybody, at least as a social' staitute respected by tho vast majority." The French Church js indeed a moral power to be reckoned' with, declares Mr Goyau, "and when, the war-tocsin had rung throughout the'land, when the hour of death had been welcomed as an old dear friend, all misunderstandings of the past melted away,. and now for fully twentyeight months the Church could again .place itself at the disposal of France." Professor Goyau also relates with emotion and gratitude the patriotic Bacriftces made by the Protestant churches and the synagogues of France: out of 490 pastors of the Lutheran'and Reformed persuasions 180 are in the Frenches; all students of the Paris Rabb;niral Seminary and more than threefifths of the officiating rabbis of tiie Republic left for the front; two of" 'them, were killed, one is missing. '|When, after this- war is over; our sister Churches will write their own martyrology, Catholic witnesses will rise to glorify their dead. The whole Catholic press rendered a well-deservvl homage to Chief Rabbi Bloch, of who'jvas mortally struck by a German bullet while he attended a dying Catholic soldier, holding the cross to his livid lips." After Icheso prefatory remarks the ruth or. traces, in his inimitable style, a picture of the life and activity of the Ca'tnplip Church from the unforgettable July days of 1914 to date. One-third of its priesthood followed the call of their country. The Paris diocese alone has already buried forty-five of its members. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Lyons had (do enlist laymen to fill the gaps in his decimated clergy. Bishops have become again parish priests. "Eleven young French monks, surprised oy the German invasion in their convent in the grand duchy of Luxemburg, disguised themselves, walked stealthily into Belgium, and from thereto. France, immediately joining their barracks. Dominicans and Jesuits vie with pach other in patriotic devotion. Tho Church cheerfully accepting the abrogation of its time-honoured immunities, with a noble gesture commanded the young priests to shoulder tl.eir rifles 'Your parish,' explained the Cardinal-Archbishop of Rheims, Monseigneur Lucon, to his priests, 'is henceforth your regimen't, your trench, your ambulance Love it as you have loved your Church Perhaps you will be buried on the battle-field. What of it? Why should we priests not give our blood«" _ Thus, the priesfc B is no longer isolated from the peoplehe has become an integral part oi it _ liio Dominion sero-eants and Jesuit lieutenants have bunt ho bridge. And who, on tho other hi,iid would have believed, a siort tines years ago, that a company of Fien li soldiers, educated in the godless school of tho Republic, should, before pjcpaiirig for assault, receive absol.irion .-,n their knees?" A parallel case to this kneeling company receiving absolution, is the see i. > in the Bois d'Argonne, of March i'tli. 1916, when "the successive wa/es of a regiment, marching to the atl;t.\<, • bowed, themselves before tho ri'piv\„.. >- tative of God, do Chubrol, chaplain of

the division, whoso hand, while tlie guns were thundering, made the sii/n of the redemption.'' This is a texual quotation from an order of the day by the commanding general. M. / Goyau does not forget, either, the heroic work of the nuns. At Gerbeviller, when the village was in flames and a German officer was going to give the prder/to burn down the Red Cross pavilion, 'Sister Julia placed^herself before ; the lieutenant and with superb' courage defied, him to commit the sacrilege. The -Bavarian, taken aback', bowed his'head and—the pavil-ion-was saved. :

Not less, courageous was Sister Gahriela, of dermont-en-Argonne. The army of the Crown Prince arrived there at. the end of August, ,1914. "We will take-care :Of your wounded," she said, ■"if you save the town." , It was promised. The promise, however, was not kept. The nun stept before the colonel: "Well, I see • the word of a German officer cannot be relied upon." Tho town was saved, and twentv-five 'French wounded prisoners owed their lives to tli<!" plucky sister, who, in April, 191(3, received the w'ar-medal, "the major making his little congratulatory speech while I was completing the bandage of my poor poilu whose li-ead was resting on my lap," Professor Goyau quoting verbatim the report of the decorated nun.

Fifty-nine priests and seminarists of the Paris diocese received their crosses under similar conditions; the natural love of the soil and the love of the Church', combined, prodtice heroic souls, of a peculiarly noble blending. The olden days when bishops were the su"preme lords of towns and counties were revived, if only for a short time, at some places, such as Moaux, shortly before the battle on» the Marne. On September 3, 1914, the armies of von Kluck were expedted any moment, and the civil authorities fled. Bishop •Ma.rbeaux took possession of the City Hall and with rarer skill organised the various municipal services. Generals Joffre and Gallieni had 'stopped the triumphal onslaught of the. German troops. September 9, tho civil authorities returned to Meanx and Mayor Marbeaux gave in his resignation. Similar was the situation in Soissons and Chalons-sur-Marne; the cathedrals again became civic centres. "But our priests, in the midst of the brutal butchery, aro not unmindful of the Saviour's advice to love even our "enemies—above all, if the latter are in. great stress themselves. Thus Rev. Landdrieux, of the Cathedral of Rheims, while the church was burning, saved from its ruins at the risk of his life a group of wounded German soldiers. The enraged population was going to lynch them. 'You will have ito kill _me first,' said the courageous priest.

"Words fail to describe as they deserve the deeds of Bishop Lobbedeye, of Arras, and his clergy. The tradition of the catacombs revived; a cellar was transformed into a church, and here the bishop read his mass. The priests threw off their soultanes to become police and firemen, moving-merf? and grr/pe-dig-gers. One of them, de Bonnieres, of noble hirtHi, went every morning, braving the bullets which whistled about his ears into the suburbs begging the soldiers for the loft-overs from their meals to distribute these pittances antong the starving poor of Arras. "Thus, before the enemy / the old union of church, and state had been effected. The same population, the same Government, which before the war had adopted the slogan, 'The priest's place is the church ,' requested the co-opera-tion of the clergy. 'Who cares now,' exclaimed Cardinal . Savin, 'for the religious misunderstandings, political quarrels, and personal rivalries of the past! France first! United by tho com'mon danger, ; wo learned to know and respect one the other, and alter the war we will solve the grave problems which had separated us before the war. Our victory will be our main ally m this future work of pacification.' ~. . "Forever memorable will remain tha'o great religious manifestation at Paris during the Battle of the Marne week, in honour of St. Genevieve, the patron of•':the -French capital. She and Joan of Arc became again lohe divine protectors": of France 1 .; The people of Paris fell on'their knees on the famous heights of' Mbntmartre, the mountain of the sf/ini't-martjyrs of the past, a place historical in the , annals of Franoe. Even the sceptics thanked the Chrrch for its . resuscitation of 'the religious spirit. France again remembered that she had once been 'the eldest daughter of ithe Church.' ..,...-.: . •-■ '.'Not later than November 9 last, none less than our : grand old nian, Alexandre Ribot, Secretary of the Treasury, spontaneously declared in the French parjiament that the French clergv, poor as it is, has laid i'ds savings on the national altar in the shape of generous subscriptions to the various wrir-ldans. This war, cruel'as it is, has ■piK least achieved -thin: it made of France one Marge united family, a real 'TTnion Sacree,' and the priest is anxious tn seal this civic concord tbiough the harmony of souls."