THE PATRIOT PRIESTS OF ALSACE AND LORRAINE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 39, 22 January 1886, Page 7

THE PATRIOT PRIESTS OF ALSACE AND LORRAINE.

Nearly fifteen years have elapsed since Alsace and part of Lorraine were annexed to the German Empire. Everything has been done on the part of the new masters to make the fate of the annexed provinces as endurable, nay, it may almost be said, as happy as possible. Ytt somehow, the bait has been held out in ruin. Again and again hare the people of the two provinces been called upon to elect representatives, either for their provincial Parliament, called Landesauttehtut or for the national Parliament of Germany, and over and over again have they elected members pledged to do all that in them lies to preserve the Fren«h institution for the day when Alsace is to become French once more. How is this to be accounted for 1 Here is the explanation which we translate literally from & Bismarckian DaDer called the Berliner Tagblatt : *^*^ " What renders the task of Germany in Alsace and Lorraine particularly difficult is that the people, two-thirdn of whom are Catholic, are influenced by the clergy, who have remained French sympathisers to the backbone." This is a curious admission indeed. In France the clergy are generally held np to the hatred of the people for being " unpatriotic " and here we find the conquerors complaining that they might succeed in making the Alsatians thoroughly German if it were not for the influence of the Catholic priests who have remained French at heart. Could there be a better evidence of the true patriotism of the clergy ? The matter might well be pondered both in Frauce and Germany.— Liverpool Catholic Time*.