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Show CHURCH 0RDER8 AWAIT DECISION Washington, D. C, March 2. Upon thdeclslcJaot thoBupremo court in a caso to bo considered this week may rsst tho future of every brotherhood brother-hood and sisterhood of tho Catholic church In tho United States. The court will docldo whether tho vows ot poverty In theso orders are against public policy, as recently declared by tho United States circutt court ot appeals of tho Eight district. The cose In question arises out o the death ot Father WlrUi, a member of tho Order of St. Benedict who at tho tlmo of his death In 1901 was In charge of the German Catholic church at Springfield, Minnesota. -Nearly fifty years before his death ho took the vows of tho Benedictine Bocloty of chastity, poverty nnd obedience. obe-dience. By this vow all his right of possessing property was transferred to tho order nnd the order became obligated to support him for Uto. Private Property Awarded Heirs Bccauso of suporlor work in Minnesota, Min-nesota, Father Wlrth was permitted possession of somo $5000 In addition to royalties from books he had written. writ-ten. The probato court of Drown county, coun-ty, Minnesota, recognized his heirs U entitled to property. They succceaei In getting a decision from the Umvoc States1 circuit court that tho vow ol poverty was against public policy end therefore void. Tho heirs were held entitled to tho property. In tho application for Uie supreme court to review the decision it was pointed out that thp dlclslon might afTect religious orders of the Episcopal Episco-pal church and some of the Protestant Protest-ant churches. |
