The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-13 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(mom oos owl comsrostotwEl
PAHA TEI7IIIDAT
Three more prelates, the Archbishop of Benner,
tits Bishop of Angers, and the Bishop of Poitiers,
have protested against the government interdietion
of the EneyclicaL The two first write to M.
Baroche in very moderate language, and seem

really sorry for the conflict. The Archbishop of
Rennes admits that the empire, in prohibiting et its
discretion the promulgation of a bull from Rome,
merely follows in the wake of the old monarchy and
the Restoration. But then he sighs for the

good old times when the King of France
we. underatood to reign by divine right, when
the catholic religion was recognised as the

one state religion, when the clergy: were the first
political body in the State, and when they Lad so
much property that instead of being beholden to
the country for a wretched stipend they were often
able to help the State over a stile by a pecuniary
aid. The archbishop clearly gives it to be under-

stood that if these clearable aims could be restored,
he for one would cheerfully co-operate with the
crown in the maintenance of Clallican indepen-
dence. But now things are very different, and he
joins in the cry that under universal suffrage
the clergy should be abeolutely free, i.e., al-

lowed to take their orders exclusive from
the Pope. We know by more than one frank
avowal of ultramontaniste leaders what freedom in
their mouths means. They say—the Univers said
it over again—we ask you, the State, to grant us
liberty because that is your principle ; but if we
were in power we should refuse it to you because
liberty is not our principle. Both the archbishop
and the Bishop of Augers (who writes very shortly)
hint at misfortunes as likely to betel the Empire if
it quarrel with the Church. The bishop humbly
bops that thel prayers, the devotedness, and the
" prudence " of the episcopacy may avert these
calamities " Prudence," you will remember was
tie word imputed by the elegraph to the Emperor in
his new year's speech to the:Nunoio, but which was
not need by his Majesty on that occasion. Mgr.
Pie, the stout Bishop of Poitiers, instead of
writing to M. Baroche, made a flaming oration
from his cathedral altar, the salient point of which
was that, however hampered about the Encyclical
by state persecution, he did not believe that any
human power could pretend to deprive him of the
right which be " held personally from God" to
condemn writers whose publications assailed re-
ligion and endangered spiritual interest. Accord-1
ingly, confounding together the semi-official and
liberal journals, he launched a curse on the
true Slawkenbergius pattern against the France,
the Constitutionnet, the Pays, the Debats, the
&Me, and the Opinion Nationale, which he had
found deserving of reprobation, and he accordingly
condemned them as being erroneous, false, offen-
sive for the honour and orthodoxy of the whole
clergy of France, insulting to the Holy See, con-
trary to the authority of Jesus Christ and to the
Divine rights of His Goepel and His church, sub-
versive of religion, schismatic, heretical, and im-
pious. He consequently warned all good catholia
not to give any credit in that matter to those pub-
licists, or any other writers of the same colour.
The Bishop of Moulins, you will have seen, is
cited before the Council of State, which will of
course say he was wrong ; but little he will reek
for that. He is an old offender, and was censured
by the Council of State in 1857. It appears, how-
ever, and a circular of M. Delangle's, dated April,
1861, has been reprinted as authority for the doo-
trine, that in certain oases of "abuse," the bishops
may be not only blamed but banished.
A Paris letter in the /*dependance of Brussels
says
The French government is now reaping the (mita of the
deplorable facility with which an ez-Misister of Tublio
Worship, Y. Tortoni, allowed himself to be overreached
by the edemas and skilful protemations of • religious
coterie. The (motor amber of the prelates sow occupying
episcopal ONO was nominated from the Weals( of 1862
to 1859, and with very sere exception all the bishops who
date from that period bolos' to ultramostaaism. Is
fact, we may ley with some kind of whilst, that. oat of
Sites archbishops, we have only is who probes Gillian
eenvistions„ sad that oat of 70 bishop, ese-balf at
least may be cossidered so giving sII their sympathise
to the doebises el soother age eastaised is the Eseyelloal
letter. Until the publication of that document that situa-
tion bad esly mused egitstioss sad amesinem for which
palliatives were always found. Bat fears are now enter-
tained that what bad before only the character at Mindsets
more or lea painful may to eoeverted is the future into
serious diffloultiee and einhattesementa, spirt which the
patience and the moderation hitherto displayed may be
poetises. I inesilossi to you the other day that the
" Mum de la &era Oansragatioa ' had acted • rude soh
for the imperial goveremeet. But, acceding to all that
is said in our °SW salons, the eabiriel he, perfectly viewed
the poeltion, sad is fully resolved to meet it without Mech.
lag and without yielding for • eagle moment.
A Paris correspondent of the Nord writes to that
journal:
Omani de Ideolalemtert is mid to have recnosied Ky.
Dapealoep toaddrem the following question to the Pope :
" Is it possible to be et the same time a loyel French clam
rad a seed initialler lis me way gaareatee the Lathan-
*des d this query, bet it Eseerilar will tie stele of Waded
aatiolke who have beet placed is a ddeetes by tie Dare-
ailed letter.
The first ball of the season took pleas at the
Tuileries last night. 3,000 invitailoos had boo