Father Corbelan's dream-ideal consists of the church. "Confiscated church
property" might also have a spiritual meaning, in the sense that the religious
mindset has been "confiscated" by the secular outlook of the material
interests. Hence Decoud's jibe at Charles Gould in this paragraph: Father Corbelan's
motive for Ribierism is diametrically opposed to the materialist San Tomé
motive.