IBTCPOTME Novel - Chapter 165
## Chapter 165
< Secularization (2) >
Although the Mexican Church in the mid-19th century did not sell indulgences, it was far from being considered incorruptible.
They were large landowners who possessed vast tracts of land, and they exploited countless peons like serfs. Many clergymen enjoyed luxurious lives.
The citizens of the Mexican Empire were aware of this. All the workers over 35 years old who were now employed by various companies had once worked on farms. Many of them had worked on the Church’s land.
These were matters that could have been hushed up if they hadn’t been brought up, but that was no longer possible.
At the end of January, when clergymen across the country were vehemently opposing the secularization bill.
Posters were put up in Mexico City.
Mateo Salazar, who revealed his name, posted posters in various parts of the city for everyone to see.
“Isn’t this a bit dangerous? He’s openly criticizing the entire Mexican Church.”
“Well… He’s not wrong, though.”
Mateo Salazar’s 21-point rebuttal, which imitated Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, had fewer points than Luther’s, but it was more blatant and critical.
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Driven by a love for truth and a desire for Church reform, Mateo Salazar, a professor of humanities at the Royal University of Morelia and a supporter of the secularization movement, wishes to discuss the issues presented in the following text.
Those who cannot meet with him directly are urged to participate in the debate, even through letters. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
1. Freedom of religion means freedom of individual belief and practice, not freedom for the Church to interfere in the running of the state. True freedom of religion can only be guaranteed within a secular state.
2. It is true that the Church’s tradition has had a positive impact on society, but its role should be confined to the spiritual realm. A Church that colludes with secular power will lose its moral authority and the trust of its believers.
3. The nationalization of Church property is intended to ensure that the property is used for the public good as originally intended. It is unjust that clergymen, who have fallen into luxury and corruption, are using the property as their own personal property.
4. While the Church’s social service functions are recognized, they do not justify its privileges. The secular government can fully fulfill that role.
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9. Is it really in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ for clergymen to live luxurious lives in lavish mansions with numerous servants? He walked with the poor and taught that we should value souls over material possessions.
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15. The Catholic Church in Mexico owns a hacienda larger than all the haciendas of the landowners combined, and through its high-interest lending business, it is producing countless peons and forcing them to labor on the farms. This shows that the Church is functioning as a landowner, which is far removed from its identity as a spiritual community.
16. In many dioceses in Mexico, there is material competition and factional fighting over the position of bishop. Isn’t the position of spiritual leader being reduced to a position of honor and privilege?
17. There are constant rumors that many clergymen are indulging in depravity, such as drinking and fornication. As the illegitimate son of a clergyman, I confess that these rumors are true. If those who should be models of ethics and abstinence are indulging in worldly pleasures, who will trust the Church?
…(To be continued)
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The early part of the rebuttal refuted the Catholic Church’s rebuttal of the secularization law, but the latter part went on to explicitly denounce the corruption and depravity of the Mexican Catholic Church and its clergy.
It was fatal because everything was true. Any clergyman who was not incorruptible would blush red in the face as they read the text.
“Huh? Th, there… ”
“Are they… taking down the posters themselves?”
It was pathetic.
The sight of them tearing down the posters with red faces.
Despite their pathetic efforts, the contents of the posters spread like wildfire throughout the Mexican Empire.
It had a similar format to Martin Luther’s rebuttal and was filled with even more stimulating content. It even included a confession that he was the illegitimate son of a clergyman, making it a sensational event that the media would go crazy over.
***
The implementation of the secularization law began.
Finance Ministry officials, with the support of the police or the army, began to confiscate Church property.
“Stop!”
“This is religious persecution!”
The clergymen protested and shouted, but the response from the believers was lukewarm.
Their perception had changed due to Mateo’s 21-point rebuttal. Most believers thought that the situation was closer to ‘the Church and clergymen who don’t want to lose the privileges they had enjoyed for so long’ than the ‘Church and clergymen who are being unjustly persecuted by an oppressive government’ that the clergymen wanted.
“They’re not blocking the entrance to the church, and they’re confiscating the mansion, so religious persecution is a bit…”
As they watched, that perception deepened.
This was because the amount of wealth coming out of the mansion and the warehouses attached to it was beyond imagination.
“Load it all onto carts!”
“Wow… How much is all that?”
“It’s a treasure trove.”
“Don’t come near the carts!”
The police reacted sensitively.
No wonder, because not only grain but also paintings, jewels, and precious metals, luxury goods, were pouring out endlessly.
Enough to temporarily paralyze the rationality of the citizens watching.
Mid-February.
The news the Church had been waiting for arrived.
Archbishop Gioacchino Pecci was dispatched to Mexico once again to resolve this incident.
“…I should have stayed in Mexico.”
The incident broke out the day after he left Mexico, and he had to cross the Atlantic again as soon as he arrived in Europe. He looked quite angry.
“That’s true.”
Bishop Bayesteros had slightly opposed Archbishop Pecci when he came for the coronation, but now he felt like he had gained a powerful ally.
The news he brought was good news for the Mexican Catholic Church, which had been unilaterally suffering.
“First, we will proceed with the installation of the Archbishop of Mexico.”
When the Mexican Empire, which had gone to great lengths to send an archbishop to the coronation, immediately stabbed them in the back, the Vatican hastily filled the vacant position of Archbishop of Mexico. The one who received the installation was Bishop Bayesteros, who had been acting as the archbishop.
The installation ceremony was held quickly. A papal bull appointing a new archbishop was issued, and the pallium, a symbol of the archbishop’s authority, was delivered.
That wasn’t all.
Pope Pius IX issued a special encyclical criticizing the secularization law in the Mexican Empire and urging resistance to it.
“Foolish. Is the Pope still living in the Middle Ages?”
That was the remark of a pro-emperor congressman.
As he said, the days when the Pope’s word made even the emperor tremble were over.
The criticism contained in the special encyclical sent by the Pope was not much different from the arguments of the Mexican Catholic Church. It was the same content that had already been refuted by Mateo’s rebuttal.
“It seems like these measures won’t be enough.”
Archbishop Pecci also felt the inadequacy of the measures.
The Vatican still had some cards to play.
There was still excommunication, which had brought even Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire to his knees about 800 years ago.
‘If they use that, they have to completely overturn the bill.’
If they can’t do that, the Pope’s authority will be diminished. Archbishop Pecci thought so.
‘But…’
If they were going to excommunicate, they should excommunicate the emperor. If they excommunicated the prime minister or a congressman instead, it would be widely known that the Pope was scared.
But would excommunication work on the emperor? Would he feel pressured enough to overturn a law that had already been passed? Archbishop Pecci was skeptical about this question.
“Excommunication is too risky.”
After much deliberation, Archbishop Pecci concluded.
“But… If not that, there’s nothing we can do, is there?”
Archbishop Bayesteros said.
“There is a way. But it depends on how much you’re willing to risk, Archbishop.”
***
The Austrian Empire was proactive.
They issued a strong statement of criticism and even resolved to impose trade sanctions.
It was at the request of the Vatican.
Immediately after receiving the Mexican contact, the Vatican requested that major Catholic countries such as the French Republic, the Austrian Empire, and the Spanish Republic support the Mexican Church and criticize the secularization law.
France and Spain were lukewarm. They knew the Mexican Empire’s strength well, but they had also implemented or were implementing secularization.
France had already abolished Church privileges and nationalized Church property during the French Revolution. During Napoleon’s rule, they reconciled with the Vatican and signed the Concordat (Treaty of Church and State), but the establishment of the Second French Republic enshrined the principle of separation of Church and state in the constitution. Therefore, they were not in a position to criticize secularization.
The Spanish Republic was similar. They were currently in the process of implementing secularization.
Only the Austrian Empire, which had implemented secularization in the late 19th century but had restored some Church privileges under the Metternich system, had the will to oppose the Mexican Empire and the justification to criticize the secularization law.
“Are you going to sit back and watch them take everything away?”
“Isn’t Austria going to provide support?!”
“… ”
The bishops, who had pretended to be devout before the secularization law, shed their masks once they actually began to have their property confiscated.
“There are still many citizens who support us, and there are generals within our sphere of influence. What are you hesitating for?”
“The landowners will help too. If we’re cut off, they’re next.”
“That’s right. And isn’t Britain, Austria’s ally, going to help?”
Archbishop Bayesteros began to wonder if the bishops were fearless or if he was the one who was afraid.
The surrounding bishops, the Vatican, and the Austrian Empire all urged him on.
To oppose the emperor.
At first, he thought it was absurd, but with continued persuasion, his mind was gradually changing.
The bishops were blinded by anger, greed, and arrogance, and Austria and the Vatican were encouraging them because they could withdraw if necessary, but with everyone urging him on, the archbishop was swayed.
“…But they’re not sending troops, they’re just going to provide supplies.”
“That’s enough. If our generals rebel, the believers will flock to us. Add to that the supplies from Britain and Austria, and we can definitely fight.”
“That’s right. We don’t have to capture the emperor directly, do we? If we really show our strength, even the emperor will have no choice but to negotiate.”
“… ”
Fighting would actually make them traitors who were doing Austria and Britain a favor, but those blinded by the desire to protect their privileges couldn’t see that.
To others, it looked like he was agonizing over whether to jump off a cliff, but the archbishop was mistaken, thinking that he had to make a decision to save the Mexican Church.
Fear of losing power and wealth, anger towards the emperor, and a sense of duty to protect religion combined to drive his decision. Behind the justification of acting for everyone, he was hiding his personal desire to protect his privileges, convincing himself.
With malice, anger, and desire hidden behind the facade of faith, the conclusion of his agonizing was predetermined.
“Yes. Sometimes, we have to make choices that seem reckless.”
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