The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-10 00:00:00

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS v. THEIR

CLERGY.

We hare repeatedly referred to the " Statuta Pro-
posits" for the goverante..t of the Raglish Roman Catholic
Church, a di comsat " proposed " by the late Pope Gregory
XVI. in 1838 to his Eaglish vicars apostolic and clergy for
consideration sad adoption. By the clergy it was unani-
mously adopted, by the prelates as unanimously refused ; and
it therefore wee never eseeted. We now print it, with the
petition prefixed on whisk it wu issued by the Pope. A
rrasal will satisfy every unprejudiced reader how mon-
strous are the premaces el the cardinal that the late changes
were nassasary—that they were conomsions to the clergy end
laity—and that they were in the spirit of these " Statute
prepposita."

TO HIS HOLINESS GREGORY XVI.
►OTITIOII OF CIIII,TAIN sIIOLtIt CATIIOLICS,
. .

We, I;aliaineeinteen 011;;—es.
beg leave, with great similarity of heart sad purpose, to amore
your Holiness that the attachment to the holy we, the centre
of faith and unity, for which our fathom suffered so long
end se *evenly, is in no deems diminished in us their de•
seeadeats ; and that, while we bail with minds truly grate-
ful so the giver of all good gift, the unsisturbid liberty of
performing the rites of our hie religion, we feel it to
be eon duty to eodeavoar as much as poseible to correspond
with the nitrated ways of providence, in order that nothing
en oar part may forfeit the effeem of his beauty, sad the
blessings mien Ire= the religion of way sad lent.
Tour Holiness suet be &wannest dogleg the long period
of distress with which He who chastinth whose He torah,
was pleased, in ft/thereat:a of his inscrutable and adorable
designs, to TiTit our portion of the nnivervl church, many
ditlizolties and irretularitiee sermsesily gram in one teeth 'l-
atent polity to which your Hoboes's predecessors of happy
memory, applied such remedlu as eiroumethecas permitted
and their wisdom suggested.
The days of peace and religious freedom, through the
knandhil dieponsatios of OUT gracious (1 .1, have again
dowsed upon our coustry ; and we respectfully submit to
the essakieration of your Holiness's wisdom and podium,
that them is now so obstacle whatever to the catholic church
is this Wand beginning to return, under the guidance sf
year paternal sohcitude, to a more perfect sjstein of canoni-
cal prectice.
1. We therefore make it our respectful but earnest peti-
, floe, that all nature caodidates who are to be renewed to
year Holiness for promotion to the episcopal order in**
Illoglisk catholic chunk, may, previously to unto presents-
tins, be eleeteo by the clergy whom they are to govern, and
that each pr.est actually engaged in the ears of souls is a
coogregation ba entitled to a vote in the choice of the epin
Mittel superior of his district.
2. We also venture to suggest to the consideration of your
Hansen the prudence of dividing our emir siastical disuiets
let° smaller portieres, sad the consequent increase of the
somber of episcopal aoperion, in order that certain limn.
yeniences may be removed, and a .or. watchful and gni-
slant vernment obtained.
3. W goe further humbly but most earnestly implore that
your Holiness will command that each View Apostolic shall
ben, his dean aod chapter selected lies all orders entitled to
wire our misoon, whose virfue, Lewd.a, and cops rience
best quality thorn, not only to assist the Vicars Apostelic in
the arduous daise of government, bat also to form for your
Helium's apprebation (with a moat scrupulous attention to
all rights and privileges enjoyed amongst es, and sanctioned
by the Hely See), such a canonical code as our circumstances
""finWe p.arposely, and with pleasure decline making any re-
flections on the present state of things and persons, bat we
beg your Holiness to understand trot we are entti lent in the
belief that an elecuon of ecclesiastical superior., in sufficient
umbers, with deans end chapters. such as we implore, and
whisk is enjoyed by our brethren of the Irish Church,
with so much trait of euitleat.on, will also, with us, coatri-
butes most effectually to secure the ep:itude of persons in
authority, general confidence in their government, and con-
cord and respectability to the ditlereut bodies of clergy—
sad, by giving general setisfac.ion, remove evils from among
us, *hien ono raise, at no duo ,at period, may produce oil
donee, distal in, and insubordination; which may the great
and good Clod avert, through the ministry of your liolians,
.s whom we reverent* the chief pastor on earth of the church
' which our Redeemer purchased by his blood, and whom we
beseech the Almighty long to preserve tots, as well for the
acreage of your Holiness's future rewards, as for the well
' being of the holy people of God. Amen. A.D. 1837.
Its not in this place necessary to give the detailed history
of the petition, especially as the writer is informed that a full
account of its origin sad pogrom, as well as of the means
taken to (moment it will in due time be given to the public
• by one well Informed on the subject ; but it is thought useful
to prefix it to toe proposed decrees which it produced from
the Rely See. It may be as well to add, that it was signed by
a large portion of the secular eh fey and most influential
I laity of the North ; and that a petition similar in he leading
- principles was drawn up in Leneashiret, and adopted by a
• large body of the secular clergy of that district.
The reader will otnerve that in every point the petition
awarded with the fleets of Bose, es expressed in the answer
- of the sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide.