THE CHURCH AND THE LAW IN CHILE.
By H. F. Ketring
RELIGIOUS teachers who believe that the church has the right to rule in all things, civil and religious, sometimes place themselves in very unenviable positions before the people. This was strikingly illustrated recently in Chile. In that country the law provides that marriage must be performed by a civil officer authorized to perform such ceremonies. Those who believe in a religious ceremony have the privilege afterward of going before the priest or minister, and being married again; but the second marriage is in no way recognized before the law. Moreover, the law also provides that when two persons are united in marriage by the State, the union is for life. If the marriage proves to be an unhappy one, there is provision made for divorce, but not for after marriage to any other person. Both must live single lives until one or the other dies, when the survivor is at liberty to marry again. This, however, is repudiated by the Catholic Church, which declares that persons married only by the State are not married at all, but are living in adultery; and Catholic priests will not grant absolution of sins to a person thus married. The following clipping from El Progreso, a Chilean paper, relates what would be an amusing anecdote, were it13not for the sad consequences to the persons concerned:— The subject of conversation among the social circles of Chilian is that of a young couple who were married by the civil law, and four days later were married religiously, after which they went to confession. The bride declared to her confessor that in her marriage to her husband she had broken her engagement to her former lover, whom she had previously promised to marry. The priest refused to grant her absolution, and commanded that she should go and ask the pardon of her former lover, repudiating her civil marriage, and be married to the man she had first promised. The girl obeyed, and immediately went to the house where lived her former sweetheart. During this time her husband and his family were hunting her, and having found her, she was taken before the judge. Here she made the same declaration that she had made to her confessor, and begged that she be taken to the monastery of the “Buen Pastor” (Good Shepherd), where she refused to speak to her husband and his family. The disappointed lover then went before the judge, saying that the girl had been over-influenced, and asked that the marriage be annulled. The priest, frightened by the consequences of his advice, has offered to interpose his influence in behalf of the re-establishment of the peace of the new marriage. Chilian Society is much occupied with the matter. Not only should this priest learn a valuable lesson from this experience, but all those who are following his example in meddling in civil affairs to the end of bringing them under the domination of the church. Púa, Chile, So. America. H. F. KETRING.