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.