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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
JOAN OF ARC AND THE CHURCH
Particular attention is called to the following ar
ticle, being part of a letter written by one of our
editors recently to an inquirer in Mississippi. He
wrote to find out why the Church that “had once had
Joan burned as a heretic was now making her a
Saint. He seemed to be inclined to think the Church
had reversed itself in this matter. And this view is
taken by more than one editor. For instance, The
Omaha World-Herald expressed its gratification at
seeing the highest of honors given the Maid of Or
leans By the very Church which disowned, repu
diated, condemned and executed her.” Therefore,
our reply to the Mississippi inquirer may be of in
terest to all our readers, many of whom are meet-
mg this same kind of talk. The body of the reply
follows:
Now about Joan of Arc. The Church is not re
sponsible for her death. True a Bishop and his Coun
cil, all under the power of the English, condemned
her. But a Bishop is not the Church. Only a few
years later the Church repaired the wrong the Bishop
had done, declared the trial null and void, the Maid
free from guilt, and Cauchon, the Bishop, excommu
nicated. This was fourteen years after her martyr
dom, four hundred and fifty years ago. The canon
ization of the Maid is a thing apart. This did not
have to be. She was not canonized because she
was burned. She was not canonized to repair the
wrong. It is entirely a thing apart. The Maid was
condemned in the name of the Church on the false
charge of heresy. The Church was obliged to repair
that wrong, and quickly; and when you remember
that it was the English who compassed her death, and
that they occupied France for over six years after
wards, and bear in mind the slowness of means of
communication in those times, you will admit that
the Church acted quickly enough in the matter since
it could not possibly act quick enough to save the
life of the Maid from those bent on her destruction.
Here is the matter in a nutshell. By treachery of
the Burgundians, the English secured possession of
the Maid, paying John of Burgundy a hundred and
ten thousand dollars for her betrayal (a rather tidy
sum for the times). The English did not dare to put the
Maid to death straightway, because the French be
lieved in her, and many of the English, too. English
diplomacy was too keen even then to spread discon
tent where it could be prevented. They conceived
the plan of having her declared a witch; that would
account for her Voices” and strange power. They
would have her declared a heretic, too; that would
give them the right to kill her under the forms of law.
A crime committed by means of the law is always
safer and more diplomatic than one committed in
violation of the law. And here were the fine parts
of the scheme: The cause of the French King would
be discredited from having been defended by a witch;
the armies would be ashamed from having been led
by a witch; the people would be rebellious from hav
ing been deceived by a witch—and France would be
long to the English. All they needed now, having
secured the Maid, was an ecclesiastical tool, and
Pierre Cauchon, who wanted to be Archbishop of
Paris, which already was in possession of the Eng
lish, was the tool they found. He went to Rouen,
though he had no jurisdiction there, and called a
Council of ecclesiastics attached to the University of
Paris, which went through the mockery of a trial
and declared the Maid everything the English desired.
You will find the grim tragedy described in its true
aspects in Maxwell-Scott’s “Life of the Maid,” or in
the non-Catholic Lang’s biography, either of which
you can procure by writing Benziger Brothers, New
York. You will not find anything in the ungarnished
tale to shake your belief in the indestructible char
acter of the Church of God, but much to confirm it,
for in spite of the English, in spite of Cauchon, in
spite of treachery and corruption and force, the right
upheld by the Church has triumphed; thus again veri
fying the promise of our Lord to His Church that
the very gates of Hell shall not prevail against her.
REV. FATHER DAHLENT.
The body of Rev. Father Dahlent, pastor of St.
Peter Claver’s Church, Macon, who died there Mon
day night, will arrive here today. The body will lie
in state at St. Benedict’s Church from tomorrow
morning until Friday, when the funeral will be held
at 9 o’clock. Interment will be in the Cathedral
Cemetery.
Father Dahlent was a native of Alsace-Lorraine,
having been born there on April 4, 1876. He finished
the course of study at the parochial school of his
home and then went to Clermont Ferrund, France,
where he entered the apostolic school of the mission
aries of Lyons.
He made his theological course in the city of Lyons,
France, in 1895, and was ordained a priest in 1899.
He had been working in different places as a profes
sor and a priest and was first engaged in college work
in Cork, Ireland. On account of his lifelong delicate
health his superiors sent him to Valhy, Island of
Samos, where he remained for a year. He ultimately
came to Georgia.
Father Dahlent was a former pastor of St. Bene
dict’s Church for five years and he had been entrusted
with the Mission of Macon for the past seven years.
His sunny disposition and gentle character made
many friends for him in Macon and Savannah.—Sa
vannah News, May 12.
The Ladies’ Altar Society of the Sacred Heart
Church, Atlanta, have planted a tree in honor of Fa
ther Ryan, in Piedmont Park.
A few days ago the Savannah papers announced
that Mrs. Annie Jones has left by will $300 to Fa
ther William Quinlan.
