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CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN |
LAUDS JUDGE. TAFT }
Father: Vattmann Says Our Com- \
> missions in Philippines Are Pe
Impartial—Thinks an American .
Bishop Should Have Been |.
Named.«. | |
:
i
Washington, May 1.—Extracts from the
report uf Father F. J. Vattmann, chap- ip:
lain of the Twenty-ninth United: States |f:
Infantry, to the Catholic bishops’ as- |F
sembly, in. annual convention here last
week on the status of the Catholic
{Church in the Philippines, were made
{public to-day. Father Vattmann, with
the knowledge and consent of the War’
J Department and under direction of the
church authorities, recently made a care-
ful investigation of Catholic interests in
the archipelago. He is unsparing in his 1}
praise of Governor Taft and other nem-4.::
pers of the Philippine Commission for :
their, honesty and impartiality in re-
‘ligious affairs. He also comments on the
‘influence of Aglipay, an insurgent priest
in the islands.
“To my mind,” says Father Vattmann’s
report, ‘it is deplorable that certain of
“Al our Catholic papers persist in misrepre-
\i senting Governor Taft and his admin-
istration. He is a clean and honest man,
proad-minded and liberal, with no taint
of bigotry in his composition. His atti-
tude toward the church and to. Catholic
interests in general is simply admirable.
“As to the Aglipay. heresy—for it may
bo so called—I am.sorry to say It. has
|! attained very considerable proportions,
and bodes danger to the faith of the
people. Remembcr there are 10,000,000
Catholics in the Philippines,. about as iE
many as there are in the whole United
States. ‘I have the impression that had
an American archbishop been appointed
to Manila the breach would not have
been so wide and {it would have been
quickly closed. Monsignor Guidi has
done very well, but I really believe the
appointment of an American archbishop
sould have carricd with {t more of
prestige. Most unfortunate {t Is that
there is such a deep feeling against the
friars, indeed, they are really hated.
They are looked upon as part and parcel
of the old oppressive Spanish regime, and
it is this feeling that has given an im-
petus to the Aglipay heresy.”
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