The first
Consul, in an article in the Moniteur, haughtily gives the clergy their
instructions and explains the course that will be pursued against them
by his prelates. "The Archbishop of Paris orders the cure of Saint-Roch
into retirement for three months, in order that he may bear in mind the
injunction of Jesus Christ to pray for one's enemies, and, made sensible
of his duties by meditation, may become aware that these superstitious
customs..., which degrade religion by their absurdities, have been done
away with by the Concordat and the law of Germinal 18." From now on
all priests and cures are prudent, circumspect, obedient, and
reserved,[5198] because their spiritual superiors are so as well,
and could not be otherwise. Each prelate, posted in his diocese, is
maintained there in isolation; a watch is kept on his correspondence; he
may communicate with the Pope only through the Minister of Worship;
he has no right to act in concert with his colleagues; all the general
assemblies of the clergy, all metropolitan councils, all annual synods
are suppressed. The Church of France has ceased to exist as one corps,
while its members, carefully detached from each other and from their
Roman head, are no longer united, but juxtaposed. Confined to a
circumscription, like the prefect, the bishop himself is simply an
ecclesiastical prefect, a little less uncertain of his tenure of office;
undoubtedly, his removal will not be effected by order, but he can be
forced to send in his resignation. Thus, in his case, as well as for the
prefect, his first care will be not to excite displeasure, and the next
one, to please. To stand well at court, with the minister and with the
sovereign, is a positive command, not only on personal grounds, but for
the sake of Catholic interests. To obtain scholarships for the pupils of
his seminary,[5199] to appoint the teachers and the director that
suits him, to insure the acceptance of his canons, cantonal cures, and
candidates for the priesthood, to exempt his sub-deacons from military
service, to establish and to defray the expenses of the chapels of his
diocese, to provide parishes with the indispensable priest, with regular
services and the sacraments, requires favors, which favors cannot be
enjoyed without an affectation of obedience and zeal and, more important
still, devotion. Moreover, he is only a human being. If Napoleon has
selected him, it is on account of his intelligence, knowing what h