IBTCPOTME Novel - Chapter 164
**Chapter 164**
<Secularization (1)>
After the coronation, people waited for the new emperor’s first move.
Some were expectant, while others trembled with fear and anxiety.
On Sunday, January 2, 1848, the emperor attended mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Monday and Tuesday were quiet.
Finally, Wednesday.
The silence was broken.
A bill was introduced that was likely to cause a huge stir in the legislature.
The Emperor Party members, who made up more than half of the legislature, and the Republican Party, who must have made some kind of deal behind the scenes, all agreed to the law.
The Landowner Party members were horrified. The content of the bill was too radical, but there was no way to stop it.
The name of the law was as follows:
Law of Ecclesiastical Secularization (Ley de Secularización Eclesiástica).
The name itself was ominous, and the law contained provisions to confiscate the property and privileges held by the Church and clergy.
The specific contents of the bill were as follows:
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Law of Ecclesiastical Secularization (Ley de Secularización Eclesiástica)
Article 1 (Purpose)
– This law aims to strengthen the secular foundation of the state and place the Church’s social and economic influence under state control.
Article 2 (Religious Neutrality of Public Officials)
– State institutions and public officials must maintain religious neutrality and may not display or wear religious symbols while performing their duties.
Article 3 (Church Property under State Control)
– Property owned by the Church and religious organizations, such as farms, land, commercial real estate, residences exceeding a certain size, buildings for tourism purposes, and other real estate that is not directly related to religious activities, will be controlled by the state and confiscated as needed.
– Valuables, works of art, and excessive decorations unrelated to religion that are held by the Church and religious organizations will be reclaimed by the government. Items with strong religious symbolism or essential to religious practices will be subject to limited reclamation and will remain under the management of the relevant religious organization.
– Churches, prayer rooms, and land and buildings essential for basic religious activities operated by the Church and religious organizations will be exempt from state confiscation. These properties will be specially protected to guarantee freedom of religious practice.
Article 4 (Nationalization of the Education System)
– All religious-based educational institutions will be nationalized, and the curriculum will be reorganized based on scientific evidence and secular values.
– The Ministry of Education will establish guidelines for the operation and curriculum development of nationalized educational institutions, which will be reviewed and updated periodically.
Article 5 (Abolition of Legal Privileges Related to the Church)
– Clergy will be subject to the law equally with ordinary citizens, and all legal exemptions and privileges will be revoked.
– The legal immunity of clergy will be abolished, but military service obligations may be replaced with specific social service obligations.
Article 6 (Religious Events in Public Places)
– Religious events in public places are generally permitted, but prior permission from the Ministry of the Interior must be obtained for public safety and order.
Article 7 (Political Activities of Religious Organizations)
– The political activities of religious organizations are restricted, but they are allowed to express opinions on state policies. However, such expressions of opinion must be separate from religious ceremonies, such as sermons or mass.
– Religious organizations and clergy are prohibited from participating in elections and engaging in support or opposition campaigns for specific political parties.
– Political donations by religious organizations are generally prohibited, but limited donations for public interest purposes that are free of religious connotations are exempt.
Article 8 (Taxes on Religious Organizations)
– Tax exemptions granted to religious organizations will be partially adjusted, and tax benefits will be maintained only for non-profit and public interest activities.
– Taxes on the personal income of clergy will be applied equally to ordinary citizens.
Article 9 (Registration and Supervision of Religious Organizations)
– All religious organizations must be registered with the Ministry of the Interior, and their activities will be audited periodically.
– Unregistered activities of religious organizations are restricted, and the registration process will be carried out fairly according to law.
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Reporters rushed to their newspapers to write about the new bill.
“Extra! Extra! If you want to know about the amazing law passed today, buy one!”
Some newspapers, not wanting to miss out on this scoop, wrote and printed articles in a few hours and began selling newspapers that evening.
Naturally, the clergy began to hear about the contents of the bill.
“This, this, what kind of ridiculous law is this?”
“This kind of heinous act must never be tolerated.”
“Let’s call the Archbishop.”
This was a conversation among priests at the Metropolitan Cathedral, where the coronation had just taken place.
Bishop Bayesteros, who was acting as Archbishop of Mexico, should have remained at the Metropolitan Cathedral, but he had returned to his original diocese, Sonora, on the pretext of recovering from an illness.
January 6.
A priest, carrying a newspaper, boarded the train to Sonora.
“What’s the big deal? You’re acting unpriestly.”
“You need to see this.”
The priest showed Bishop Bayesteros the slightly crumpled newspaper he had brought all the way. Bishop Bayesteros wanted to say something, but he held back.
Bishop Bayesteros quietly took the newspaper and read it.
His hands began to tremble.
“···Is this true?”
The anxiety Bishop Bayesteros had felt at the coronation had materialized in the worst possible way. This was far more serious than he had imagined.
According to the contents of this law, were the clergy just supposed to live in the church and say mass? It was absolutely unacceptable.
“Yes, I’ve already confirmed it with the Landowner Party members.”
Rip-
Bishop Bayesteros, enraged, tore up the newspaper.
“How much money did we spend on those Landowner Party bastards? How could they not know that this kind of bill was coming?”
“···”
The Landowner Party, which had been losing ground, had joined forces with the Church and regained quite a few seats, reaching a level of equality with the Republican Party. This was because a few members of the Emperor Party and the Republican Party, who were deeply religious, had moved to the Landowner Party. It was an event that showed the influence of the Church.
But in the end, this was the result.
“Useless bastards.”
In the end, he had to act himself.
Bishop Bayesteros headed to Mexico City.
The clergy of Mexico City gathered to meet his arrival.
“You guys prioritize convincing the faithful. I have other things to do.”
Following the Archbishop’s instructions to engage in public relations, the clergy quickly generated their arguments. They were experts, having done this for hundreds of years.
The clergy quickly organized public gatherings and protests.
It wasn’t difficult to mobilize the faithful who were psychologically dependent on them. This was because the arguments the clergy put forward seemed legitimate on the surface.
“My fellow faithful, the Secularization Law has recently been passed by the legislature.”
Even when speaking in the middle of Mexico City, not in a church, they still said “My fellow faithful.” This was because all citizens were their faithful.
“The Secularization Law declares from its first article that it will control religion. This is a part that could violate freedom of religion. State control of religion hinders our pure devotion to God, and we cannot accept it.
Our Church has been the spiritual pillar of this land for centuries. The Secularization Bill ignores our traditional role and seeks to control everything.
If this bill is implemented, the moral and spiritual foundations of our society will be weakened. This will first and foremost disadvantage the most vulnerable members of our society.
The Church has long been the first to reach out to the weak. Many have escaped hunger, poverty, and spiritual suffering with the help of the Church. This is our duty, but we can no longer fulfill it if this bill is implemented. This is because the bill confiscates the Church’s property.
Confiscating the property that is used to maintain the Church and carry out countless charitable works is an act that ignores legal ownership.
My fellow faithful, the Church’s property is made up of the offerings you have made to God. Although it exists on this earth, it is actually God’s property. Don’t let the government take what belongs to God.
···(continued).”
It was the Catholic Church’s specialty to weave religion and God into real-world issues to create public opinion favorable to them.
There were many points they could attack.
Starting with the fact that the bill could violate freedom of religion, they argued that taking away the Church’s ‘legal property’ was like coveting what belonged to God. And they threatened that if this happened, they might not be able to enjoy the various social services that the Church provided, such as education, healthcare, and social welfare.
They also frequently made the arrogant claim that if the Church, the ‘conscience of society’, was prevented from speaking out on social and ethical issues, society would degenerate.
But these appeals from the priests, who crossed the line between persuasion and intimidation, resonated with the citizens. After all, they were the people they saw every weekend. They were the spiritual leaders of the people.
“This bill is too radical! It’s saying that they will confiscate all the property and privileges the Church has at once, isn’t it?”
“That’s right! Is there really a need to be so radical?”
The Landowner Party members also provided supporting fire.
They approached it differently from the clergy. They argued that even if there was a need for secularization, it should be done gradually, considering the social upheaval.
But they didn’t completely turn the tide of public opinion. The Emperor’s approval rating and control over public opinion were still impressive.
“Almost all newspapers are supporting the Secularization Law.”
“What about the Landowner Party newspapers?”
“They have been increasing their investment in the media since the university incident last time, but the Republican Party is also actively supporting this Secularization Law, so…”
The priest trailed off.
“What the hell do they have against us… Could it be because we opposed them in the university matter last time?”
Bishop Bayesteros was completely wrong. It was a mistake caused by a lack of understanding of republicanism and liberalism.
Republicanism and liberalism are distinct concepts, but most republicans of this era were also liberals.
The Catholic Church in present-day Mexican society was a scourge from both a republican and a liberal perspective, so it was only natural for the Republican Party to support the Secularization Bill.
Republicans believed from the outset that politics and religion should operate independently of each other. The current situation, where the Catholic Church was not only exerting influence behind the scenes but also openly joining hands with the Landowner Party, was quite unpleasant.
Liberals also emphasized equality before the law. The fact that the Church had privileges that were governed by canon law, not secular law, had long been a thorn in their side. They had endured it because they didn’t have the power to overturn it.
The fact that the Church had a tremendous amount of land and property and didn’t pay taxes was also unbearable for liberals. Liberals often believed that economic actors should compete on a level playing field.
“But newspapers aren’t invincible. From today, we’ll mobilize all the priests across the country. We have more persuasive power than a newspaper, which is just paper, because we meet face-to-face and persuade people every week.”
Bishop Bayesteros had misjudged many things, but this was one thing he was right about.
‘That emperor. They say he’s a genius, but he doesn’t know anything about religion.’
Religion, strangely enough, becomes more powerful when it’s suppressed.
The Secularization Bill was passed by a snap vote without even consulting the Church, the party involved. But since it was passed, it had to be implemented. The faithful would see with their own eyes the government confiscating the Church’s property and suppressing the clergy who resisted.
Most of the people are faithful to the Catholic Church. If they think that the Imperial family is suppressing and persecuting the innocent Church, their support for the Imperial family, which is as strong as a mountain, will inevitably decline.
‘Once the veil of approval rating is lifted, the emperor is just a human being.’
The emperor doesn’t have the power to remain unscathed even if he’s shot, or to break the army with his own hands.
But Bishop Bayesteros, who was indulging in bold fantasies, had forgotten.
That the European Catholicism, which had enjoyed a position higher than the emperor for over a thousand years, had been brought down by Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.
Religion is not invincible either.
Especially if the clergy who lead that religion are corrupt and degenerate.
The karma that the Mexican Catholic Church had accumulated over a long time was flying towards them.