Church and State in Austria
Seipel, Monsignor
July 28, 1926 THE COMMONWEAL 30 CHURCH AND STATE IN...
...Walsh emphasizes the service many knew of her magnificent work, for, like all to medicine and the poor rendered by one of the great women supremely good work, it was carried on with a charof our time...
...July 28, 1926 THE COMMONWEAL 30 CHURCH AND STATE IN AUSTRIA By MONSIGNOR SEIPEL (The following article by one of the most prominent of con- Since that time almost all attacks upon Catholicism .temporary statesmen deals with an aspect o f European political originate with the Social-Democrats, who are more life which is as important as it is frequently overlooked...
...countries than Austria people will hardly understand Naturally we made use of our opportunities before this close connection between politics and religion...
...On the other hand, those without as a matter of duty...
...The Christian-Social party is comto the religious situation...
...All told there are 165 meet...
...the canonical rule than are those in other countries, The fact that problems of a religious nature now and remain particularly strict with reference to divorce...
...This and other reasons now cratic party, and five by the Landbund, which is an make it seem appropriate that I should write a few agrarian organization that separated from the Panwords concerning this country, with especial reference German party...
...And this union in dered for the sake of a sentimental desire to escape turn served the Catholic Church in so far as it halted opposition...
...Catholic citizens of Vienna are obliged to carry on a Professors at ecclesiastical seminaries established in continuous battle of defense, because of their legitimate dioceses where there are no universities, are also sup- fear that the position of the Church may be underported by the state...
...MOTHER ALPHONSA LATHROP By JAMES J. WALSH (The following article by Dr...
...She had been feeling very well, people die of cancer, but the effect upon the public declaring only a day or two before, that she had never is very like that French view of mankind's attitude been better-intensely happy as she was in the thought toward death : "People die"-a shrug of the shoulthat in spite of her seventy-five years she was still able ders-"Oh, yes...
...And indeed in other reality of the Eucharist, governs the Catholic throng...
...us one of the great souls of this generation...
...All this ties of political organization in Austria, and by the is now a matter of past history...
...what Germans term Weltanschauung...
...once again absorb the attention of the Austrian people They also prescribe that the matrimonial contract is not without its good effects...
...The geographical is favored by a legal situation approached in hardly any situation of Austria as the buffer country between the other country...
...The theological and resulted only in temporary sectarian gains...
...For us a "party" is something quite different Springfield, Omaha, St...
...other people...
...Not It is not surprising that, under the circumstances...
...impossible to representatives of four parties...
...Formerly, John, at Collegeville, Minnesota-I am now on my when the Austrian empire spoke ten languages, its way home, remembering that it was always a pleasure parliamentary groups were largely identical with sepato express to those with whom I came in contact my rate national factions...
...It attracted very little attention cussion later with a more detailed and personal narrative of because it was concerned with the disturbing problem Mother Alphonsa's life.-The Editors...
...The a lively movement of secession from the Church was honoraria of bishops and priests are paid by the gov= promoted during the 'nineties by the extreme Pan- ernment, in so far as they are not supplied by the income Germanists, it was based on purely political motives from various property foundations...
...In so far as industry is concerned the Social-Democrats are frankly TO HAVE been permitted to take part in the opposed to communism and Bolshevism, but they are Eucharistic Congress has been for us who came strongly influenced by the materialistic conception of from afar an experience of unforgettable signifi- history sponsored by Karl Marx and his earlier assocance...
...For a while the danger must be agreed to in the presence of an ecclesiastic, was very great that material need would concentrate civil marriage being adequate only in cases where the all the thought and energy of our people upon material rightful pastor declines to perform the ceremony...
...Yet at the beginning of the present year, brought the announcement that Mother the United States Public Health Reports announced Alphonsa Hawthorne Lathrop had quietly that the increase of the disease and its fatality were passed to her reward early on Friday morning...
...For centuries the number of Prot- the Social-Democrats) or at least impelled (as are the estant parishes has been small...
...If we begin by allowing mitted to the defense of the interests of the Catholic :statistics to have their say, it becomes apparent that Church...
...but that it also makes room for a healthy mysticism It may strike the reader that I am here constantly which, especially as it is derived from the central speaking of political parties...
...all the others are, in varying degrees, "freethe overwhelming majority of Austrian citizens profess thinking"-that is, either hostile to the Church (as are the Catholic faith...
...Her presence among them at Hawthorne much about it, and anything concerning it is likely to until the very last day of her life had proved a bene- be shunted aside and relegated to the background...
...and its Catholic citizens...
...ization of the fundamental Austrian code, after the Catholic primary schools may be erected without legal fashion of those countries in which complete separadifficulty, but the state does not contribute to their tion of Church and state has already been carried upkeep...
...members, eighty-two of whom are elected by the Everywhere I found a deep interest in the fortune Christian-Social party, sixty-eight by the Social-Demo-of my country, Austria...
...and so there is no flict between Catholics and Protestants...
...of cancer...
...And now finally tirely German, these motives for organization have I should like to reach, through The Commonweal, disappeared...
...The Commonweal hopes to supplement this dis- acteristic quietness...
...Although separation between Church and state in Austria...
...These did This situation explains the nature of the difficulties not prevent the conservative Christian-Social and the encountered by the Church in Austria, in so far as these liberal German-National parties from forming a sufare political in character...
...There is no con- the monarchy, remained in force...
...We have discovered that America is by no ciates, and are most closely affiliated with all freemeans only a land of material progress and commerce, thinking and anticlerical activities...
...The Austrian parliament is made up of those friends whom it was physically...
...Paul, and the abbey of St...
...diction and a consolation...
...Only the youngest other parties) by a certain fear of a possible Catholic member of our federated state, Burgenland, which usurpation of power...
...When the youthful republic drew up Occident and the Orient, is responsible for the fact a constitution in 1920, those articles which normally that a considerable number of Jews took up their abode govern the relation between Church and state, Church among us during the course of their wanderings...
...and their goal is secularcumstance which gives rise to a great deal of argument...
...The which are supported from the national treasury...
...This did not come to pass...
...used to belong to Hungary, is an exception, one-third Now it so happens that Catholic action in Austria of the population being Protestants...
...Today when, apart from some gratitude for the kindly hospitality which they extended 6o,ooo Slovaks, 40,000 Croats, and a few Maygars in and my admiration for the remarkable accomplish- Burgenland, the racial formation of the country is enments which they were able to reveal...
...We know that many proach to herself...
...It and after the Congress to see as much as possible of is explained, however, by the nature and individualithe United States...
...The public does not like to hear much THE newspapers of Saturday morning, July 10, about cancer...
...mined, not only in the administration of government, Religious instruction is...
...The Austrian marriage laws are more like through...
...In ends...
...prescribed by the government as is already now the case, but also in the domain of for all lower and secondary educational institutions constitutional law...
...It should be added, however, religious convictions feel that the influence of the that the public schools are inter-confessional-a cir- Church is still far too great...
...and education, and so forth, were omitted...
...The Catholic position there ficiently strong majority in the hour when the existence is too valuable and too firmly entrenched to be surren- of the nation was really at stake...
...The conquest of several other respects, notably as regards marital crime, ideal good and the legitimate defense of the rights of the law of the land also takes cognizance of Catholic the Church continue to interest our people more than moral principle...
...faculties at the universities are, while subject to eecle302 THE COMMONWEAL July 28, 1926 siastical supervision and furnished with the necessary control of the Viennese metropolis and wages a modern mandates from the Apostolic See, state foundations Kulturkampf with all the means at its disposal...
...from what it is in Anglo-Saxon countries...
...After having seen peculiar situation occupied there by the Catholic many places of great interest-New York, Chicago, Church...
...We are more than a little ostrich-like in our attitude With Mother Alphonsa's death there passed from toward some of the serious diseases of mankind...
...She absolute, and not merely relative to the greater numwho had seen death come so inexorably and so piti- ber of people, nor even to the fact that our progress lessly during the past thirty years to many hundreds in sanitation has enabled ever so many more people of her cancer patients, had scarcely known of its ap- to live on to the cancer age...
...ConseFor the most part they live in Vienna and enjoy as quently the ancient Austrian code, as established under much liberty as they could desire...
...Naturally, circumstances are not all favor- the movement to abrogate its temporal status in the able, especially since a Social-Democratic majority has republic of Austria...
...Most of us prefer to to occupy herself with the care of her beloved cancer put the consideration of cancer aside and not to read patients...
...In radical in Austria than, perhaps, anywhere else in the agreeing to write it, Monsignor Seipel wished also to thank world-radical not so much in their attitude toward American citizens who have helped so generously in the restora- property or social doctrine as in their conception of tion of his country and whose continued interest will be of incalculable benefit.-The Editors...
...do the cares and trials incident to poverty...
Vol. 4 • July 1926 • No. 12
