第1085章

Meanwhile Catholic opinion came to the aid of pontifical opinion， and， in France， the clergy spontaneously became ultramontane because there was no longer any motive for remaining Gallican. Since the Revolution， the Concordat and the Organic Articles， all the sources which maintained in it a national as well as particularist spirit， had dried up； in ceased being a distinct， proprietary and favored body； its members are no longer leagued together by the community of a temporal interest， by the need of defending their privileges， by the faculty of acting in concert， by the right of holding periodical assemblies； they are no longer， as formerly， attached to the civil power by great social and legal advantages， by their honorable priority in lay society， by their immunities from taxation， by the presence and influence of their bishops in the provincial parliaments， by the noble origin and magnificent endowments of nearly all their prelates， by the repressive support which the secular arm lent to the church against dissenters and free-thinkers， by the immemorial legislation and customs which， erecting Catholicism into a State religion， imposed the Catholic faith on the monarch， not alone in his quality of a private individual and to fix his personal belief， but again in his quality of public magistrate， to influence his policy and to share in his government. This last article is capital， and out of its abrogation the rest follows： at this turn of the road the French clergy is thrown off the Gallican track， every step it takes after this being on the way to Rome. For， according to Catholic doctrine， outside of the Roman Church there is no salvation； to enter it， to rest in it， to be led by it is the highest interest and first duty of man； it is the unique and infallible guide； all acts that it condemns are culpable， and not only private acts， but likewise all public acts； the sovereign who commits them may， as an individual， be Catholic by profession and even loyal at heart； but， as a ruler， he is disloyal， he has lost his semi-ecclesiastic character， he has ceased to be "the exterior bishop，" he is not worthy to command a clerical body. Henceforth， the Christian conscience no longer bows down before him with love and respect；nothing remains to him for support but social prudence； and again is it with resignation， because the Church commands obedience to the authorities， and the same Church commands disobedience to these authorities when， abusing their power， they encroach on its rights.

Now， ten years ago， the State had done nothing else， and， to the old Concordat which was not good， it had just substituted a Concordat that was worse. This new alliance， concluded by it with the Church in 1802， is not a religious marriage， the solemn sacrament by which， at Rheims， she and the King promised to live together and in harmony in the same faith， but a simple civil contract， more precisely the legal regulation of a lasting and deliberate divorce. - In a paroxysm of despotism the State has stripped the Church of its possessions and turned it out of doors， without clothes or bread， to beg on the highways； next， in a fit of rage， its aim was to kill it outright， and it did partially strangle it. Recovering its reason， but having ceased to be Catholic， it has forced the signature of a pact which is repugnant， and which reduces their moral union to physical cohabitation. Willingly or not， the two contracting parties are to continue living together in the same domicile， since that is the only one they possess； but， as there is incompatibility of humor， they will do well to live apart. To this end， the State assigns a small， distinct lodging to the Church and allows her a meager supply of food；this done， it fancies that it may cry quits； and， worse still， it imagines that she is always its subject， and still pretends to the same authority over her； the State is determined to retain all rights conferred upon it by the old marriage， and these rights it exercises and adds to. Meanwhile， it admits into the same lodging three other Churches which it subjects to the same régime： that makes four mess-rooms to be maintained and which it watches， supports and utilizes the best it can for the temporal advantage of the household. There is nothing more odious to the Catholic Church than this advertised， practical polygamy， this subvention granted indifferently to all cults， this patronage in common， more insulting than abandonment， this equal treatment[11] which places the pulpit of truth and the pulpits of falsehood， the ministry of salvation and the ministries of perdition， on the same footing. Nothing is more serviceable for alienating a Catholic clergy， for making it consider civil power as foreign， usurping， or even inimical， for detaching the Gallican Church from its French center， for driving it back towards its Roman center and for handing it over to the Pope.

Henceforth， the latter is the unique center， the sole surviving head of the Church， inseparable from it because he is naturally its head and because it is naturally his body； and all the more because this mutual tie has been strengthened by trials. Head and body have been struck together， by the same hands， and each on the other's account.

The Pope has suffered like the Church， along with and for it. Pius VI.， dethroned and borne off by the Directory， died in prison at Valence； Pius VII.， dethroned and carried off by Napoleon， is confined， sequestered and outraged for four years in France， while all generous hearts take sides with the oppressed against his oppressors.