A Concordat.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 15, 10 April 1902, Page 29

A Concordat.

In \arious items of Catholic news fi om European countries the word

' Concordat ' is often used, and as many of our readers may not know the meaning of the term the following explanation from the ' Lamp ' will be of interest —

A concordat is an agreement between the Holy See and some secular go\ eminent between Church and State for the regulation and practice of religion m that State. From 1 imo to time the Church has found it to be necessary for practical purposes to have an understanding with the. State regarding the exercise of leligion. The Church has been constituted to work for the salvation of souls. To her Almighty C!od, "Who gave this mission, has entrusted powers in proportion to the duty imposed. The State, too, has its mission and its corresponding faculties. But, as in the human person, there is contention of the lower nature ag\ainst the higher, so in that system, where social and religious elements enter, the forces that make for this world array themselves against the spiritual. ' AVhy have the Gentiles raged and the people devised vain things "> The Icings of the earth stood up and the princes met together against the Lord and against His Christ. Let us break their bonds asunder and let us cast away their yoke from us.' So David described the too frequent attitude of the world, and its power against Christ and His Church.

One. of the most famous concordats was that between Pius VII. and Napoleon Bonaparte. France had become the prey of the irreligious. Napoleon was wise enough to comprehend the necessity of religious inlluenco to control |a people. His own personal lack of religion and of respect of its ministeis did not blind him to the great advantages for the Go\cniment and its rulers in having the nation believing in God and worshipping God. And the Pope understood that the best practical results for that time, at least, were obtainable by agreeing with the Emperor. The Church had been robbed, persecuted, and (loomed to death, but after its delirium, France in a return to reason invoked the aid of the Church as necessaiy to Us own piesei\ation. This concordat was m a measure to repair the thievmgs of the Revolution by according salaries to the bishops and priests It is well to note that after the signing of the concordat, Napoleon's Government added a number of clauses called ' organic articles.' As these ha\e noAor had the sanction of the Holy See, they are certainly not binding on the bishops and pnests of France.

Other famous concordats are that of Worms in 1122, be-I\u-(>u Tope Cnlixtus 11. and the Emperor Henry V. , that of Frankfort or Vienna (11468), called the concordat of the German nation; that of 151 o, between Ja'o X. and Francis I Later times, there have been concordats with Russia, in 1817 , with the Republic oi Costa Rico in 1852, with Austria in IS jo.