The National Register. — London, England, 1819-05-24 00:00:00

TrOr slam 11114 4 NIW giN•44,4,4* Our sting, Condtitution anb abW No. 1184.—Vot. XII.] THE CATHOLIC QUESTION. IN a late number of oar !laper we expressed our in tention of again reverting to the Qnestion of the Catho. lic Claims, fur the purpose of noticing a point con. neeted with Mr. Grattan's motion, upon which, time would not then allow us to enter. The cirdinntance we then alluded to was a short but very animated dia. cession which preceded the Debate, nn the propriety and constitutional character of Petitions reedited to Paha silent on this suirject by the Established Clergy, professedly petitioning as a distinct body, and calling therm:elves the the Church. The importance which attaches to this discussion is, that tt drained, even from the boldest and regularly retained advocate of the Rights of the Enab 4ishmetit, Mr. Kel, a concession that the Clergy can with no more propriety petition as a distinct body upon questions of State .polity dun the First Regiment of Guards ; that the usurped title of being themselves the, Choirch, is both resitinplous and ;Mom! ; that they are in fact no more than its paid ministers and servants, and lastly, that any petition coming from them, of the elta• racier above-mentioned, can only and simply be consi dered as the prayer of so many private indii ;duals When we reflect upon the tone and tendency of many of these priestly document*, we cannot help sincerely wishing that this decision of the House of Commons may net be forgotten. The Alermist says it is but tan artarent, that in the 19th century Papal doctrines and discipline are of as in tolerant a character as they were in 1564, when the Council of Trent proclaimed the power of the Roman I'tee to judge, punish, WA anathematize all who were disobedient to its will. Now, PS this is a solemn charge which involves on one hand the best in terests of Ilk country, and on the other the character and the rights of fir•. millions of his fellow-subjects, we tnist he will either feel the reernsibility lie is under of staying such an assertion by partieulariziug s o me of his notorious and inconvertible facts, atul by answering the following questiomi, or ht. will admit how justly the best apology he can render is due to those, whom, in our pre sent state of ignorance, eve firmly believe hint to have grossly slandered. In the first place then, where are the buntings of heretics, where arc the indulgences, where are the palace hulls which, in those days of darkuees lie has mentitmed, agitated, and often •cootribeeed to con vulse Europe lit the neat place, in what temporal con cerns (if airy government in Europe has the present Pope interfered? what intlisithi3l, fur Italy* civil allegiance to his lawful rulers, has the present Pope punished ? What temporal causes, those of his own temporal dominions, has the present Pope ever presumed to judge? and lastly, whom has the present Ripe anathematized fur want of obedience to his will? if these facts are not forthcoming, then we must continue to believe that au assertion has been made which cannot be proved, and to hope that though such Hobgoblins may still hold their revels its the brain of the foreseer of evil, yet that they are all, in reality, pint away like the dew a the morning, and are now contemplated with as muen abhorrence and disgust by Catholics as they are by the adherents of the Church, to which we ourselves belong. But again, indignation is alive, because the word Catholic Emancipation is still used, after so many concessions, as they are called, have been already made. About words and names it is idie and ab surd to cavil ; lest one thing is quite clear, viz. that if ever these was art;' justice in the claim to the civil MONDAY, MAW - , fth 1819. Rights, on the part of the Catholics, and that justice has surely time too often reoogoieed s• bandy. , den:ed s then it may be safely urged that the terniceseistion h at least as inappropriate on one hand, as osarecipalion call be .on the other. Whatever right is withheld. is, pro 'unto, subjugation, but the restoration of Right is no concession. Again, the securities, he says. which were once talked of, are now no longer mentioned. Upon this point we arc happy to assert that alarms are entirely groundless. Securities are neither forgotten by the ativocates of Catholic Claims among Protestants, nor are they refused by Catholics themselves. Every secu rity than can be eithei framed ordemanded, as coastected with civil allegiance, the Catholic is quite ready togive. even the Vera Itself .though necessarily in some cases connected with their spiritual concerns, the great body of the Cathulicswould not have refused, and the Pope, without hesitation, expressed his perfect readiness 105311C -110(1 such an arrangement. Dr. Milner, though one of the original proposers of that measure did indeed of succeed but too well itt exciting that sort of •clamour to which, Protestants themselves are no xtrangers, of their Chute& king in changer, and prevailed with a few indiri duals, calling themselves the Catholic Board, todelegate a person, not unlike himsel; named Hayes, to remon strate with the See of Roast upon the conciliatory ten dency of its conduct—and let us observe the issue of this mission-.-Hayes was (measly banished from the Papal States for the mischievions office he had under taken, and the Pope immediately addressed a letter to those who had sent hint, beginning with these words With what pain do we find it expressly declared in your letter that the expedient for satisfying the govern inent of the loyalty of those to be elected Bishops, did not only 1101 meet your approbation, but appeared toproatets destruction to MK:mitotic religion of I 'eland. It is founded on a principle laid down by one of ()inmost disunion,. pre decessors, St. Leo the 'Great, that none be ordained Bishop without the consent and postulation of the flock, lest an unwelcome intruder incur its contempt and hatred. Now this pipet*, although literally applica ble to the people only, mast rightfully be extended to Princes also, even to those who are not in communion with us, who, from the very nature of their power in temporal affairs have so easily the mean .f preventing a Bishop, who may lv the object of their ditlike or suspicion, from the care of the flock committed to his charge." And he concludes in the following words of feeling, gratitude and respect to this country, both for its general course of liberality towards the Catholics, and particu larly for its services towards himself. " Remember that the f'sovernment which you cm accusing of designs hostile to tour faith, is the same, which by laws, and especially those of 177:3, 178, and i 793 repealed a great .part of those penal statutes by which gun were ;vies irmsly oppressed : remember how George 111. sad his i!lustrious Son have extended their protection to Catholics, and that the.Britisli Government was among. the chief of our supporters in procuring our return to the Pontifical Chair, and our restoration to our ancient independence in the exercise of those spiritual rights which the hand of violence had wrested from us." Such was the language and such the sentiments of power, whose doctrine and diseipinte we are nevertheless now to he told are just as intolerant as they were in the dad s of Crantner, and McVey, and Latimer, and Bonner. But the plaits history of the Pete is, that a snore mature consideration of the subject has led all our ablest States men to view it as a thing not worth demanding nit nor part, and to agree with one mind that the whole ques tion is °sestet of religious het purely of civil policy. But [Paws 94d. let to jusi coonskin skis iptestion of securities in another view. One of the best and noblest maxims of British in tlependence is, that every man be held innocent till he is proved guilty! Now in what has the Duke of Norfolk. or Lord Petri., or Sir G. lersingham offended, that they are to be bound over to keep the peace before they can be admitted to the common privilege of the constitution tinder which they live, and the support and protection of whick they hold so valuable a stake? In what has the whole body of Catholics offended to merit the ex• elusions to which they are exposed? Do we talk of securities to the Presbyterians, to the followers of Wesley or of Whitfield, did we demand them ever from the mad and deluded followers of Johanna Southcote? And yet are these, or any of them, more friendly to Protestant ascendancy than Members or the Church of Rome. No, and if any of them were asked whether their own pecu liar faith had not their first and dearest wishes for its preveleere, must they not answer, " Yes?" Yet who thinks of subjecting them to civil incapacities ou each pounds as these? In short, to legislate for thought and conscience is a system of which experience has abundantly shewn us both the inutility and folly. But then " the Order of the Jesuits," says the Alarmist "the Popes lest Gulioork," has been re-established," and )et in the very same sentence we arc told that in 1773 the Pope himself suppressed it; and why, " for their mischievous interferencein temporal concerns." This objection might assuredly be safely left to its ewe mormar, but We will further normal this trembling Alarmist, that considerable numbers of these very Jesuits have for years and years'beest living in thia country without any detri ment either to its civil policy or its religion, that the Catholic youth of England have been very generally educated under their care, that the establishment of Stonyhurst, an establishment under the immediate patronage and protection of Government, is chiefly, if we are correctly informed, its their hands, and that it is therefore now too late to begin to hold up these " itub, fatigable Papagandists" as objects of terror and dismay- Again, we are told that 4004) souls have within a few years been added to the Runtish faith; where . this won derful scrnc of conversion to Popery has occurred, we are not informed.; brat if it embraces the whole scope of Europe it is hardly as a grain of sand in the Irdance, ar, , l men if it he intended for our own Empire it is but as 1000 to Inci millions and totally inadequate' eve', in the increase of the populating. But can it be for gotten that persecution is of itself not only the firmest bond of union, but the strongest instrument of conver sion also, and thatthe maxim of Snoods Markgrwis sewn est Rectesica, is coeval with cl sully itself? But as the last asserted fact which we shall notice. the Pope is an many Societies, and therefore the Catholics should not he admitted to their civil rights. How many of the high and mitred Dig nitaries of the Church of Ent:land are enemies to to Bible 6tocieties likewise:? glow many more of those who ate loud in crying the watch word of Protestant ascendance? But granting even that it is co, has lets Holiness ineYented the hirmation . of these Societies, either in France or Holland ? Have not the Monarchs of both these Catholic commies not only permitted their establishment, but themselves heroine their patrons? And are net sonic of the leading-Catholics in this coon. try amount theAvarm and eager sonporters of these be tivolent Institutions I Whither fail the zeal anti blind. pelts of. new conversion carry us? In short, if there he any iroloartial man who .ntay do us the fat our to read there remarks, to him we may safely appe a l w h et h er such objections es have keen .crapril together, do not savour of the last days Of u falling contras era'', and that if such be the strongest aranments which can lee le , nal for comittriiitg opon the necks of the Catholics the yoke of their Liu-vitae, w h ether every friend of justice. and ewers' lot Cr of his country vvill not devouty wish and pray that such a staitt may he soon wiped bolo out civil pbes.. and that they may speedily be restored to • the free ei,inyinent of that inheritance which their fa thers fought and bled to establish, and the W36111'24 01 .11Cii fir:7 have tntintdVes douse every thing to deserve. iv . fryz