Présentation de l'éditeur
The question of the Cliui-cli in Mixico has not been well understood in the United States, l)eeause the conditions of the Mexican Catholic Church differ vastly from those of the Catholic Church in the United States. In Mexico, ninety-nine percent of the population profess the Roman Catliolic faith, and, therefore, the influence of the Catholic clergy in religious matters has no counterbalance of any sort. In the United States there are other Churches which counter)alance the influence of the Catholic Church. On the other hand, the Catholic Church in the I nited States does not hold unlimited sway over society, nor can it attain uncontrollable political power; the very education of the American people has prevented Konic from exercisi Ugso far the influence which it exercises in other count lies. rTT core the war of the Reform (1856 to 1859), the Catholic Church was the strongest temporal powei existing in Mexico, and the laws of the Reform enacted during that period all tended to deprive the Cliurch of its poweiand bring about the alsolute independence of Church and State. The la Avs of the Reform are a collection of rules passed previous to 1860, with the aim of depriving the Catholic Church of its temporal power; and these rules have remained effective, because the conditions which then demanded their enactment still prevail and still make it necessary that the laws should remain in force. The aim of the Revolution of A yutla, from 1856 to 1859, was to deprive the Church of economic power and of its social influence, and it had to place the ,C hurch in a condition which, apparently, is disadvantageous and unjust, but which in reality was and continues to be the only possible manner of reducing the Catholic clergy to impotence. The principal laws enacted previous to 1860, for governing the Church and stripping it of the temporal power which it enjoyed, are
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)
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