CHURCH LANDS IN THE PHILIPPINES.
By G.
THE ownership of church property was a burning question at one period in the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine, and it has become a controversy of like moment again, this time in the Philippines. Incidentally, in the former contest the decision by the government comprised the decision that the Catholic party to the contest was the Christian Church. Under the reign of Diocletian all the property of the church had been confiscated by the government, and, after Constantine came to the throne, and had made his famous agreement with the bishops for mutual assistance—religious and political—it was declared by an edict of the Council of Milan that the property which had been confiscated should be restored to the church. When it came to carrying out the edict, the Catholic bishops denied the right of other Christian bodies to any consideration, as they had been declared heretics. Appeal was made to the emperor, who decided in favor of the Catholics. But there was still a question as to which faction of that body should be recognized, and the emperor decided that point, also. In ruling on this technicality, he went against the party known as Donatists, or followers of Donatus. The difference between the parties, doctrinally, was so slight that the disputants themselves could not make it plain to the masses; but the emperor favored the Catholics of the stronger party, because it was deemed of greater advantage to the state. Now in the Philippines, as most of our readers are aware, a native priest named Aglipay, desiring to cut loose from the rule, or misrule, of the Spanish priests, has organized an Independent Catholic Church, with himself as “national archbishop of the archipelago.” He has secured a large following among the native Catholics, and his congregations hold much of the church property; and a crucial test is about to be inaugurated involving the permanent possession of this property. Of course Aglipay’s rank and his independent organization are not recognized at Rome. A new apostolic delegate, Monsignor Agius, has been appointed for the islands, and, after a visit to Washington, reported prospects to Rome. According to the New York World, he reported that “the United States Government has consented to enlarge the powers of the local courts in the islands so that all questions regarding the ownership of church property there may be finally settled by the local judges. This is considered a very important point in favor of the church, which has always contended that the church buildings and other properties at present in the possession of Aglipay’s followers are by right the property of the Catholics in the islands, altho their title was not vested, as is the case in America, in the persons of the bishops or other ecclesiastics, but was the property of the congregations at large. As there is not a single instance in the archipelago where a whole congregation has gone over to Aglipay, Mgr. Agius has been instructed to make the contention in the courts that such property must be returned to its lawful holders previous to the schism, and that the rightful representatives of such owners are, in every case, the bishops recently appointed in the islands.” Thus it will be seen that the government, like its prototype of old, is confidently expected to shape affairs to the advantage of the Roman Catholic Church. It is thought in Rome that a decision awarding the church property to the Roman authorities will be a “crushing blow to Aglipay’s following,” and to his independent native church scheme. In addition to this expected decision, through special favor of the government, the new apostolic delegate claims to have received assurance that the church’s claims for damages during the Philippine war will soon be settled, which are said to amount to about three million dollars.