Catholic Claims of Religious Rights
At a national convention of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, held lately in Boston, Bishop McFaul told them that “if Catholics were organized, they would get their religious rights better than they do.” And the things in which he claims that the Catholics have not had their rights, are suggested by his further words: that if they had those religious rights, “those prejudiced against Catholics would not have been selected to investigate and report on the affairs of the church in the Philippines; the Indian schools would not have been treated so unjustly; and there would have been more Catholic chaplains.” What he refers to as the unjust treatment of the Indian schools, is simply that the United States government ceased to make appropriations of the public money to the Catholic Church, for the support of her mission schools among the Indians; in other words, the United States ceased to make appropriations to the Catholic Church for her church work among the Indians. But this speech only renews the old, old principle of Rome, that wherever she can not have full sway, in all things, to do exactly as she pleases, and enforce her will by the power of the state, her “religious rights are invaded,” and she is “oppressed” and “persecuted.”