Folia Canonica 8. (2005)

STUDIES - Szabolcs Anzelm Szuromi: The Changes of Modern Era Relation of Church and State in Europe

68

SZABOLCS ANZELM SZUROMI

existence, which acknowledged the secular rulers as Church’s lawmakers such as Switzerland, Norway, and until December 31, 1999 Sweden.18

At the end of 19th century, the Church institution was driven out of performing those most important state duties, which in the Middle Ages were traditionally belong to Church responsibilities such as registration of birth and death, matter of inheritance, or marriage. Therefore the Church preserved for the most part her participation in public matter of education and social welfare; furthermore state approved and supported pastoral matter, military, university, hospital pastoral service, or prison ministry. In individual countries depending on internal political situation the legal foundation of separation of Church and State took place with different intensity and degree, which happened in radical form first in the United States of America, in 1791, with the first constitutional amendment.19 In France the ever increasing anti-Church atmosphere fundamentally influenced the separation. In 1901 the French House of Parliament voted for the so-called Law of Association, which guaranteed the possibility of founding association for intellectual, social, cultural purposes, and even of state support.20 The application of that law for monastic Orders and their institutions was anxious both internal and ecclesiastical politics. While the new French government closed monastic schools and houses one after the other, the bishops turned toward representatives and senators, which effort was positively valued by Pope Leo XIII, however, the law approved on December 18,1903 resulted in the closing of monastic educational institutions. Following that the law announced on December 9, 1905 stipulated surrendering of all Church properties within one year to religious associations, the membership number of which were exactly determined by that law, too.21 Those were authorized to accept and manage donations within the limit settled by the law.22 On February 11, 1906 Pope St. Pius X

18 Ziegler, A.W., Das Verhältnis von Kirche und Staat in Europa, II. Müchen 1972. 87-111, 185-192.

I9Bayer, H.W., „Das Prinzip der Trennung von Staat und Kirche als Problem der neueren Rechtsprechung des United States Supreme Court”, in Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht 24 (1964) 202-218.

20 Flores-Lonjou, M., Les lieux de culte en France, Paris 2001. 24-25, 28.

21 Flores-Lonjou, Les lieux de culte, 30-36.

21 Loi du 9 Décembre 1905 concernant la séparation des Eglises et de l’Etat, Art. 7: Les biens mobiliers ou immobiliers grevés d’une affectation charitable ou de toute autre affectation étrangère à l’exercice du culte seront attribués, par les représentants légaux des établissements ecclesiastiques, aux services ou établissements publics ou d’utilité publique, dont la destination est conforme à celle desdits biens. Cette attribution devra être approuvée par le préfet du département où siège l’étabilissement ecclésiastique. En cas de non-approbation, il sera statué par décret en Conseil d’Etat. Flores-Lonjou, Les lieux de culte, 209. cf. Loi du Janvier 1907 concernant l’exercice public des cultes, Art. 3: À l’expiration du délai d’un mois à partir de la promulgation de la présente loi, seront