THE CRISIS IN FRANCE

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 1, 3 January 1907, Page 11

THE CRISIS IN FRANCE

ARCHBISHOP KELLY ON THE SITUATION

* His Grace the " Coadjutor-ArcbUshop of STydney (Mqst Rev. Dr. Kelly) presided at the Christmas entertainment St. Benedict's Girls' School, and dealt with- the position of affairs .in France. It is. almost' incredible (said his Grace) that the' Catholics -of France can no longer hear Mass on Sundays, except under police " inspection and with, a threat of legal penalties hanging over them, in view of the fact that they have" been hearing Mass for 1600 years, except during the time of the French Revolution. The Mass is the same now as it was then. Why are they hindered ? Here is the point : In the name of the law, regularly voted. - That is what' is claimed: When the law is against reason- and the -rights of God a,nd of the Christian, however regularly that law may be votod; it is an unjust law, and I would not have it go here in Australia without a challenge. No Parliament i& entitled to make what law it pleases irrespective} of the rights of God and of the people.. There is _an<Sther cry, and I am afraid it is deceptive to many. l \-at the Church- and the 'State be separated,' they soy. We, ■ Catholics, say the same. -In so far as the proper sphere of the Church aud of the State is concerned we. say, ' Give to Caosar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to Gad.' But in France separation means suppression ; it means as far. ns possible extinction.. War is declared on God and on the liberty of conscience. And this is called separation. Lately I visited the gaol in Parramatta, and there are some people there who qualify their transgressions by saying they are relieving the necessities of the poor by delivering others, fioin their burdens. Some, they say, were burdened with wealth, and these men are to" be delivered from the burden of wealth'; and the poor man who is in need let him go to Ms neighbor's purse at- night and help" himself. They give these names to -the- most malignant actions.

The Plot Against Catholicity.

I do not place any limit to the force of the suppression of religion in France, for 1 know according to my own limited opportunities that ever since the year 1850 there has been plotting, and plotting, especially in Belgium, France, and Italy against Catholicity in every shape and form. Some time ago .the religious— like the nuns of the Sacred Heart at Rose Bay, or the .. Sisters—here at St. Benedict's, for example— bad to leaved They were told :— ' You are a religious, you must go ; you .are not to teach because you are a religious.' They said they would have the secular clergy to teach, and now they will not have the secular clergy. They are shutting the very churches and preventing peopje from assisting at the Holy Sacrifice and from carrying out any public functions whatever in the churches. All this is done under the plea of the separa- - tion between Church and State. In that sense.

This Policy will Work Ruin in France, for, and we here in Australia should ..keep this in mind, Divine Providence recognising in every man a soul as. . ■well as a body, and a future in eternity as well as a career on earth, consults for man by two great institutions—and both belong to God— one is the State, which is providing for man's liberty, security and progress , the other is the Church, which teaches man his origin, his destiny, his -duty, and helps man to lead a virtuous and" happy life on earth that he may ' have happiness for aU eternity when his life is. no/ more. These two departments of Divine Providence— the Church and the State— are seoarate iii 'their respective spheres. The State is for this life, and the-Church is for this and the next lile. This life is the beginning of things, and as a/ man lives here so will he find himself in the next world. That you may' know . and walk in the way there is a society instituted - by "Christ, which now has a history of 1900 years, and is known here in Australia- and the universe over. And that Church works with every - Government; whether it 'be republican, monarchical, -or anything ■ else. That Church renders to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but it claims for God and . the 1 Christian the rights of God, and the rights of sanctification of our lives by religious worship. You can no more separate the Church and State in this sense than you can separate the soul from the body or time from eternity. I wish to state this for your benefit and ' for the benefit of those who wish to be instructed from our point of view.