DOES THE POPE OWN ALL AMERICAN CHURCH EDIFICES?
The San Francisco "Chronicle" of January 1 says: "It [the Roman Catholic Church] does not dispute the right of the French Government to abolish the Concordat. It does dispute its right to TAKE AWAY CHURCH PROPERTY or in any way control church polity or worship. It demands, on the contrary, that the church be let alone, and its property be let alone. The government of the Catholic Church, the direction of its worship and the control OF ITS PROPERTY rest with the church authorities, of whom the pope is the head." In such case, of course, the "Chronicle" would hold that the disposition of all Catholic Church property in America rests ultimately with the pope of Rome. It is to this that France objects. Many of the great structures in France were built by the French Government, and France does not propose to turn them over to a foreign power. Is she wrong?