Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1923-04-16 | Page 2 | Reds Explain Church Trials

REDS REDS EXPLAIN CHURCH TRIALS I Intend To Seize Pr perty and Ban Ownership In I In Future I MOSCOW April ADril By 16 BY By the As A I Press Pr 9 In In connection with th the th recent r cent tria trial ot o the Roman Archbishop and the forthcoming trl trial of at the Most Rev Dr Tikhon former patriarch of all Russia nu ls Commissar r of Justice today mad made to the tho cd ed Press Press the followIng statement I The Th legal position of the ehu chuch chu th in soviet nus Ja and Its allied I rp republics lID publics Is best belt Illustrated by be fundamental regulations fixed by bythe 1 the decree of separation of church and state slate in 1918 Hl According to this every citizen first may profess proCess anY I l or none non at all nil second when the Ille carrying out of re rites does docs not Interfere with public I order and the rights of ot citizens free freo of them Is third no church lIo has the th right to own property fourth all property belonging belon lne to chuich societies In Rusala Is do- do de declared cia dared red to be bo national property but I de-I buildIngs and articles of service a ale ae e handed bandEd over to religious societies stor for free use aI I But such tuch an attitude toward the church the of Justice continued placing It In a condition I of freedom fredom while while- depriving I he clergy of certain material welfare heI I called forth at first hidden and Aft Afterwards an open struggle