Foreign News: No Popery!

Agitation in France over the alleged Radical intention of withdrawing the French Embassy to the Holy See is reminiscent of days in 1829 when the Duke of Wellington and Robert Peel forced the Catholic Emancipation Bill on the unwilling English—days when the cry of “No Popery!” agitated England from end to end. M. Edouard Herriot, who was considered certain to be made Premier of France the moment President Millerand was forced out, stated in a letter to his allies the Unified Socialists, what his foreign policy would be. The two main points were: 1) abandonment of Poincare policy in the Ruhr; 2) suppression of the French Embassy to the Vatican. As might well be expected the conservative French press let out one prolonged howl and showed that it intended to make full use of the proposed break by appealing to religious sentiment, 38/39 of the population of France being Catholic. The Vatican showed some surprise at what was termed an “unlocked for move,” but passed the whole thing off by contending that France gains more than does the Holy See in maintaining good relations with the Pope. In this connection it was asserted that French interests are constantly ‘being furthered by employment, through the Vatican, of Catholic missions in the Far and Near East. The power of Catholicism in France received its first great blow in 1789 when all Church property became nationalized. From 1801 to 1905, however, relations between the State and Church were governed by the Concordat of Pope Pius VII, which stipulated: 1) that all nationalized Church property be placed at the disposal of the Church;

2) than all salaries be paid by the State;

3) that the Government appoint Archbishops and Bishops only with the consent of the Pope; 4) that the Bishops appoint priests only with the consent of the Government. The power of the Church became more an all-important factor in France, and religious orders multiplied with alarming rapidity. In politics the clergy exercised great influence, so much so that in 1871 Gambetta exclaimed: “Clericalism—that is our enemy!” The power of the religious orders was weakened by the law of 1901 and by that of 1904. In the latter year Premier Combes had declared : “Clericalism is, in fact, to be found at the bottom of every agitation and every intrigue from which Republican France has suffered during the last 35 years.” By the law of 1905, amended by that of 1907, the State and Church were separated. The Church was allowed the gratuitous use of the Churches under contract from the civil authorities ; the State granted pensions to the elder clergy and allowances to the younger clergy for a limited period, but lost any right to participate in the appointment of Bishops and priests. Naturally all this resulted in bad relations with the Vatican. Good relations were reestablished, however, in 1919, when France, following the precedent established by Protestant Britain in 1914, sent an Ambassador to the Holy See. The Left Parties, following a tradition which dates from the Revolution of 1789, were violently opposed to such action. The results of the recent election (TIME, May 19) having given to the Left a Parliamentary majority, it is only a logical sequence in the concatenation of events for the Left Parties to withdraw the French Embassy from the Vatican. The withdrawal of the French Embassy cannot affect the indirect power of the Pope in France, but, on the other hand, it is sure to be treated at the Vatican as a hostile gesture. Some interest, therefore, attaches itself to the attitude likely to be taken up by Pope Pius XI, present ruler of Roman Christendom. Pius XI (Achille Ratti), 261st successor of St. Peter, is fortunately a man of broad views and every bit as much a statesman as he is an ecclesiastic. Elected Supreme Pontiff within one year of being made a Cardinal, he is regarded as “the young man’s Pope,” although he is in his 68th year. His policy during his two years at the Vatican has been solely guided by motives of peace and it has been said of him that he is playing a big game of persuasion for a big end. What he will say to France, if diplomatic relations are severed, is a matter for conjecture, but he is hardly likely to stir up more ill-feeling than is avoidable. It would appear, at any rate, that a Pontiff who permits baseball to be played in the Vatican grounds and who enjoys watching the game from his window, will tolerate without ire the French version of “No Popery!”