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Show Ii! SIWII Iff SMI , TROUBLES WTKM i i 1 1 Premier Canalejas Will Make ' Effort to Modify Status of 'Religious Orders, i . . , LONG FIGHT PROMISED Cardinal Merry del Val Returns Re-turns to Rome to Battle for the Church. I BY CAMILLO OIANFARRA. Special Cablo to The Tribune. ROME. Sept. 6. The sudden return, to Rome this week of Cardinal Merry del Val, who was spending a vacation In the' Umbrlan hills, hns ceased to puzzle the Vatican world and la now furnishing tho Catholic prcca with material for a very Important discussion. The Vatican soc-rotary soc-rotary of state was not expected back until late In September and would certainly cer-tainly have remained In his summer residence res-idence had not extremely Important developments de-velopments In church politics called him back to his post. The Catholic prc3s frankly admits the church of Rome Is on the eve of another ions political tight of tho same nature as that waged with France a few vears apo and with very little hope of cmersr-1ns cmersr-1ns victorious. This time the fight will be in Spain, where the trouble, owing to the Intervention of King Alfonso, aeomlnglv was approaching speedy settlement. I Plan of Premier. It is now learned that the Canalejas cahlnct Intends to resubmit to parliament parlia-ment the bill modifying the present status of tho rHIglous ordcif. with the view of converting It Into law before tho end of the present year. If passed, th now, bill will deal the church of Rome a Etaggering blow in more than one ro-spert. ro-spert. While on one hand the law gives the government absolute control of church organizations. It will abolish many prl-Ileges now enjoyed bv tho ecclesiastical ec-clesiastical clement. For instance, tho exemption of asplnrnls for holy orders from military service. On tho other hand, tho law will render ren-der members of many religious orders in paln economically Independent of their Roman superiors, but also will emancipate eman-cipate the secular clergy by allowing the parish priest to mako a good jiving through tho support of the central gov-, gov-, crnmcnt. Injures Church in Spain. The new status resulting from the proposed pro-posed law Is greatly at variance with the traditions of the Roman Catholic church and deeply Injures the church's interests in Spain. In a certain senFe It also will curtail cur-tail the power of the Roman curia over Its dependents and fears are entertained that. Judging by what has alrcadv happened hap-pened In other countries where spa ratlin ra-tlin of church nnd state is an accomplished accom-plished fact, even ultra-Catholic Spain Will witness In th near future the spectacle spec-tacle of suspended or excommunlcatd priests exercising their ministry in ignorant ig-norant and remote communities. . Whether King Alfonso wlli again Interere In-terere with the plans of his minister Is difficult to predict. In the Vatican Plate chancellqry tho Impression prevails that tho king, who until a few months ago had resisted all outside Influences, h8H finally surrendered to lho English "lenient, which dally is becoming stronger. strong-er. This party, which has the full support of the queen, who Ik an English woman, long has been advocating tho separation law. |
