Tolerance and Intolerance in Germany

New Zealand Tablet, 22 July 1909, Page 1143

Tolerance and Intolerance in Germany

Germany, like England, has its Protestant Alliance. And the soul of one of its representatives in Lorraii.<? (Pfarrcr Sell) is grieved over the intolerance of the Catholic majority in that province towards the Protestant minority. But with Pfarrer Sell there have been ' wisioos about,' for the Catholic Lorrainers show towards their no.v Catholic fellow-citizens that broad spirit of tolerance a>id good feeling which Catholics in the South of Ireland (?•>> play towards those who differ from them' in religious faith. The great German Catholic organ, Germania, promptly took Pfarrer Sell to task (we quote the translation of part of its article from America of May 1, p. 73): 'Is it "intolerance ",' asks Germania, ' that has permitted the Protestant Church in Lorraine to draw from the tax revenues of the Reichsland since 1875 no less than 2,869,000 marss in excess of the sum rightly coming to it on a basis « f percentage of population, whilst the Catholic Church on a like basis has xeceived 5,924,000 marks less than its proper share? Is it "intolerance" that allows the Protestant clergy on an average double the salary per caput allowed to their confreres of the Catholic clergy? Is it " intolerance " that grants to the ministers of the evangelical churches in Metz a perquisite of 1200 marks for household expenses, whilst the Catholic priests of the same oitv receive the sum of 480 marks? Is it "intolerance" whi:h permits the standing burden of a collection in all the Catholic churches of Metz every Sunday, the proceeds of which are handed over to the civic charity officials to be used for the benefit of Catholic and evangelical poor alike, whilst no such collection is asked for in the evangelical churches ?' A long series of similar ' evidences or intolerance ' are rehearsed, and the final word is added : ' Certainly the Protestants in Catholic Lorraine are far better off than are the Catholics in Protestant Saxony c:r Mecklenburg, in which provinces- Catholics are not p?rmitted to erect church edifices at their own expense, whilst their clergy may not celebrate solemn Church functni's without permission in each case from the evangelical ministers.'