THE FRENCH PERSECUTION

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 15, 12 April 1906, Page 2

THE FRENCH PERSECUTION

ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER (Concluded from last week.) Besides, nothing more hostile to the UUerty of the Church than this Law could well be conceived. For, with the existence of the 1 associations of worship, the Daw? .of Separation hinders the, pastors from exercising • the plenitude of their authority and of their office over the faithful ; when it attributes to the Council iof State supreme jurisdiction over these associations • apd submits them to a whole series of prescriptions not contained in the common law, rendering their formation difficult and their continued existence more difficult still ; when, after proclaiming the liberty of public worship, it proceeds to restrict its -exercise by numerous exceptions; when it despoils the Church of the internal regulation of the churches in order to invest the State with this function ; when it thwarts the preaching of Catholic faith and morals and sets up a severe and exceptional penal, code for clerics — wEen it sanctions all these provisfons and many others of the same ' kind in -which wide scope is left to arbitrary ruling, does it not place the Church in a position of humiliating sub'jectw/n and, under the pretext of protecting public order, deprive peaceable citizens, who still constitute the vast majority in France, of the sacred right of practising their religion ? Hence it is not merely by restricting the exercise of worship (to which the Law of Separation falsely reduces the essence of religion) that the State injures the Church, but by putting obstacles to her influence,, always a beneficent influence over the people, and by paralysing her activity in a thousand different ways. Thus, for (instance, the State has not been satisfied with depriving the Church of the Religious Orders, those precious auxiliaries of hers in her sacred mission, in teaching and education, in charitable works, but it must also deprive her of the resources which constitute the human means necessary for her existence and the accomplishment of her mission. In Addition to the Wrongs and Injuries to which we have so far referred, the Law of Separation also violates and tramples under foot the rights of property of the Church. In defiance of all justi'pe, it despoils the Church of a great por€ion of a patrimony which belongs to her by titles as numerous , as they are sacred ; it suppresses and annuls all the pious foundations consecrated, with perfect legality, to diy^ne worship and to suffrages for the dead. The resources furnished by Catholic liberality for the maintenance .of Catholic schools, and the working of various charitafttfo associations connected with religion, have been transferred to lay associations in which it would be idle, to seek lor a vestige of religion. In this it violates)' rjoii only the rights of the Church, but the formal and explicit purpose of the donors and testators. It', is also a subject of keen grief to Us that the laviL in contempt of all right, proclaims as property of the State Departments or Communes the ecclesiastical edifices dating from before the Concordat. . True, the Law concedes the gratuitous use, for an indefinite period^ of these to the associations of worship, but it surrounds the concession with so many and so serious reserves that in reality it leaves to the public powers the. full disposition of them. Moreover, We entertain the gravest fears for the sanctity of those temples, the august refuges pf the Divine Majesty and, endeared byathou-* sand memories to the piety of .the French, people. , For , they are certainly in danger of profanation if they fall into the .hands of laymen. * . - . . „ When the law, by the suppression of the Budget of Public Worship, exonerates ( the State from the obligation of providing for ,the expenses of worship,: it ,yio- ' lates ah engagement contracted in a diplomatic convention, and at the same time, commits, a great injustice. On -this point there , cannot be the slightest doubt, for • the documents, tof . history , offer • the clearest 'confirmation of it. When the French Government assumed in the Concordat the obligation of supplying the clergy

with a revenue 1 sufficient for their decent subsistence and for the requirements of pubhc worship, the concession was not a merely gratuitous 1 one— it was an obligation assumed By the State to make restitution, at least in part, to the Church whose property had been confiscated during the first --Revolution. On the other hand ..when the Roman Pontiff, in this same Concordat bound himself , and his successors, for the sake of peace, not to disturb the possessors of property thus taken from the Church, he did so only on one condition : that the French Government should bind itself in perpetuity to endow the clergy suit-ably and to provide for the expenses ol divine worship. Finally There is Another (Point on which We cannot be silent. Besides the injury it intfjets on the interests of the Church, the new law is destined to be most disastrous to your country. For there can be no doubt but that it lamentably destroys union and concord. And yet without such union and concord no nation can live long or prosper. Especially in the present state of Europe, the maintenance of perfect harmony must he the most ardent wish of everybody in France who loves his country and has its salvation at heart. As for Us, following the example of Our Predecessor and inheriting from him a special predilection for your nation, We have not confined Ourself to striving for the preservation of full rights of the religion of your forefathers, but We have always, with that fraternal peace of which religion is certainly the strongest bond ever before Our eyes endeavored to promote unity among you. We cannot' therefore, without the keenest sorrow observe, that the French Government has just done a deed which inflames on religious grounds passions already too dangerously excited, and which, therefore, seems to be calculated to plunge the whole country into disorder . Hence, mindful of Our Apostolic charge andl conscious of the imperious duty incumbent upon Us of defending and preserving against all assaults the full and absolute integrity of the sacred and inviolable rights of if- v h^ un i\ We d0 ' by virtue of the supreme authority which God has confided to Us, and on the grounds above set forth, reprove and condemn the law voted in France for the separation of Church and State, as deeply unjust to God whom it denies, and as laying down the principle that the Republic recognises no cult We reprove and condemn it as violating the natural law the law of nations, .and fidelity to treaties • as contrary to the Divine constitution of the Church to her essential rights and to her liberty ; as destroying iustice and trampling underfoot the rights of property which the Church has acquired by many titles and in addition, by virtue of the Concordat. We reprove and condemn it as gravely offensive to the dignity of this Apostolic See, to Our own person, to the Episcopacy, TwJ 0 w S 7 * and all lhe Calhol i c s of France Therefore, We protest' solemnly and with all Our strength against the introduction, the voting, and the promulgation of this law, declaring that it can never be Church ag£U the imprescriptible rights of the We had to address these grave words to you, VenerS«i ™ w" 1 to the , people of France and of the +r?a r h / lst i a * Z ovld > in order t0 make k °own in its true light what has been done. Deep indeed is Our distress when We look into the future and see there the evils that this law is about to bring upon a people so tenderly loved -by Us. And We are still more grievously affected by the thought of the trials S vi^ nSS> and tr \ bulati <™ of .all kind's that are to be visited on you, Venerable Brethren, and on all your clergy. \ et, m the midst of these crushing cares We when Sa o V nr + excess * ye affliction and discouragement when Our mind turns to Divine Providence, so rich in Sat™?™ - an «V O . the ll ?,°, Pe ' a thousand ***» *etSi«£ j£l Iw- ? nSt , « " not aband on His Church or then £? EL 1 "? °v HIS untailin g «»l>Port. We are, Sic/f?; T * eelm S any fe *r for the Church. Her strength and her stability are Divine, as the experi5 thP Jm S tnum P!\ ailtI F Proves. The worß knows ,JV, °J endless calamities, each more terrible than the last that have fallen unon her during this loqg course <?n JtT^ b ;* Where ' al i p , urelv human institutions mult •ir £X? T f!^ Um * cd ' the Church has dra ™ from a, +« A onlyfTe£ *! strength a " d richer fruitfulness. W 9 *! he Persecuting laws passed against her, histZllr- a c Jl es \ even m recent ii mes and France ' itself confirms the lesson, that though forged by hatred, they ET «* 7 ay £ a ast wlsely abrogated, when they are found to be prejudicial to the interests of the State, (roa grant those who are at present on power in 'TmTLXJ t°° n J- lloVr S^^aVe srt'fo? them £ this, matter by their predecessors. God cra*t that 'they may, amid the applause o! all good people, make

haste to restore to religion, the source of- civilisation and prosperity, the honor which is due to her together with her liberty. Meanwhile, ' and as long- as Oppressive Persecution Continues, " ' the childreil of the Church, putting on the arms of light, must act with all their strength in defence rf Truth and Justice— it is -their duty always, and to-day more than ever. To this holy contest you, Venerable Brethren, who are to be; the teachers and guides, will bring all the force of that vigilant and indefatigable zeal of which the French ■ Episcopate has, to its honor, given so many weli known proofs-. But above all things We wish, fox it is of the greatest importance, that in all the plans you undertake for the defence of the Church, you to endeavor to ensure the most perfect union of hearts and wills. It is Our firm intention to give you at a fitting time practical instructions which shall serve as a sure rule of conduct for you amid the great difficulties of the present time. And We arqf certain in advance that you will .faithfully adopt them. Meanwhile continue the salutary work you are doing ; strive to "kindle piety among the people as much as possible ; promote and popularise more and more the teaching of Christian doctrine ; preserve the souls 'entrusted to you from 'the errors and seductions they meet on all sides ; instruct, warn, encourage, console your flocks, and perform for them all the duties imposed on you by your pastoral office. In this work you will certainly find indelatigable collaborators in your clergy. They are rich in men remarkable for piety, knowledge, and devotion to the Holy See, and We know that they are always) ready to devote themselves unreservedly under your direction to the cause of the triumph of the Church and the eternal salvation of souls. The clergy will also certainly understand, that during the /present turmoil they must* be animated by the sentiments professed long ago by the AposUes, rejoicing that they are found worthy to suffer opprobrium for the name rf Jesus, ' Gaudentes quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Jesu contumeliam pati " (Rom. xiii. 12). They will, therefore, stoutly stand up for the rights and, liberty of the CBurch, Trot without offence to anybody. Nay more, in their earnestness to preserve charity, as the ministers of Christ Jesus are especially 'Hound to do, they will repVy to iniquity with justice, to outrage with mildness, and to illtreatment with benefits. And new We turn you, Catholics of Prance, asking you to" receive Our words' as A Testimony of that Most Tender Affection with which We have never ceased to love your country, and asi comfort to you in the midst of the terrible calamities through which you will have to pass. You know the aims of the impious sects which are placing your heads under the ycke, for they themselves have proclaimed with cynical boldness that they are determined to ' de-Oatholicise ' France. They want to root out from your hearts the last vestage of the faith which covered your fathers "with glory, which made your country great 'and prosperous among nations, which sustains you in your trials, which brings tranquility and peace to your homes, and which opens to you the way of eternal happiness. You feel that you must defend thisi faith with your whole souls. But be not deluded — all labor and effort will be useless if you endeavor to repulse the assaults'made on you without being firmly united. Remove, therefore, any causes of disunion that may exist among you. And do what is necessary to ensure that your unity may be as strong as it should be among men who are fighting fcr the same cause, especially when this cause is of those for the triumph of which everybody should be willing to sacrifice something of his own opinions. If you wish, within the limits .of your strength and according! to your imperious duty, to save the religion of your ancestors from the dangers to which it is exposed, dt is of the first importance that you show a large degree of courage and generosity. We feel sure that, you will show this penerosity ; and by being charitable towards God's ministers, you will incline God to be more and more charitable towards yourselves. - As for the Defence of Religion, \t you wish to undertake it in a worthy manner, and to carry it on perseveringly and efficaciously, two things are first of all necessary ; you must .model your selves so faithfully on the precepts of the Christian law thai all your actions and your entire .lives, may do honor to the faith you possess, "and then you must be closely united with the se whose special office it is to watch over relieion, wiith your priests, your ; and above all with this Apostolic See, which-! is. the pivot of the CafcholiC faith and of all -'th£t§can be done in its name. Thus armed for th'eiffeatjsjslo iorth

fearlessly for the defence of the Church ; but take care that four trust is placed entirely in Gcd for whose cause you are working, and never cease to pray to Him for help. ' ,!„ F ° r ™F S ' a ?,, 10n S as you have to struggle against danger iWe will be heart and soul in the midst of you ; labors, pains, sufferings-We will share them all Hh l? U V- and P° urin S forth to God, who has founded the Cnurch and e\er preserves her, Our most humble and instant prayers, We will implore Him to bend a glance -of mercy on France,' to save her from the storms that have been let Joose upon her and by the intercession of Mary Immaculate, tot re-store soon to her the blessings of calm and peace. As a pledge of these heavenly gifts and a-proof of Our special predilection, We impart with all Our heart the Apostolic Benediction to you, Venerable Brethren to your clergy, and to the entire French people. Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, on February 11 in the year 190G, the third of Our Pontificate. PIUS X, Pope.