The Express.
London, England, 1860-01-30 00:00:00

ha, isso.
'LATEST INTELLIGENCE.
FRANCE.

♦ LETTER FROM THE POPE TO THE
FRENCH BISHOPS, AND SUPPRESSION
OF THE ,i UNIVERS" BY THE FRENCH

GOVERNMENT.

The Univers of yesterday published the encyclical
letter of the Pope, dated /annoy 19, addressed to
all Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops. Bishops, and
others in communion with the Apcstolio Bee. In an
exordium, abundantly stuffed with the verbiage
which commonly characterises inch documents, the
Pope refers to his last encyclical letter of June 18,
and then takes up the matter in hand as follows :
• • • "But while, Venerable Brethren, your
Keel and admirable love towards Us and towards
this Holy See, and also the sentiments of the faith-
ful in general, lightened Our grief, a new canes of
sadness arose in another quarter. It is on this ac-
count that We write these presents, in order that
the sentiments of Our heart in an affair of
such great importance may be clearly known to you.
Recently, as many among you already know, the
Parisian journal called the .fifoniteur published a
letter from the emperor of the French in reply to a
letter from Us, wherein we urgently prayed his Im-
perial Majesty to protect the integrity and inviola-
bility of the temporal rule of the Holy See by his
moat powerful patronage in the Congress of Pa-is,
and also to relieve it from a criminal rebellion. In
his answer the very high emperor, referring to cer-
tain counsels which he had formerly given Us on the
subject of the rebellious provinces under our pon-
tifical rale, advises Us to renounce the possession
of these same provinces, because he sees in
th;n renunciation the only remedy for the present
tronblous st►te of affairs. Ranh of you, Venerable
Brethren, must perfectly well understand that,
remembering the duties imposed upon Us by
Oar high charge, it was not permissible for Us to
remain silent after having received this letter.
Without any delay We replied to the sad emperors
and oat of the apostolic liberty of Our soul We
clearly and distinctly told him that We could not in
any way whatever accede to his advice, for the reason
that such advice involved insurmountable difficulties

for Oar dignity and that of the Holy See; consider-
ing Our sacred character, and that the light of the
' Holy See did not appertain to the dynasty of a royal
family, but to all Catholics. And at the same time
We told him that We could not yield on this point,
which regards not Ourselves alone, and that We per-
fectly understand that the victory which may
be gained by the rebels of Emilia would be
aa inventive to native and foreign disturbers
of the pesos in Oar other provinces to commit the
like crimes. And, among other things, We in-
formed the said emperor that We could not abdicate
the aforesaid province. without violating t►re cilemn
oaths by which We eve bound, without exciting
complaints sod rebelliors in the mat of Oar States,
without doing a wrong to all Catholics, and, in shorts
without weakening the rights, not only of the
princes of Italy, who have been unjustly deprivrd
of their dominions, but also the rights of all princes
of Christendom, Who cannot behold with indifference
the introduction of certain very pernicious princi-
ples. We did not fail to observe that his Majesty
could not but know by means of what nice, by what
money, and by what support the recent crimes
of rebellion bed been excited end perpe-
trated in Bologna, Ravenna, and other cities,
while the immense majority of the people
were everywhere thunderstruck by these risings,
which to them were perfectly unexpeet,d,and which
they are in no way whatever disportid to adhere to-
And forasmuch as the most serene emperor thought
that these provinces should be abdicated by Us on
amount of the seditious movements which have oc-
curred in them from time to time, We most oppor-
tunely replied to him that this argument was of no
value because it proved too much, since movements
of a like kind had frequently taken place in other
regions of Europe end elsewhere ; and everyone
must see that the argument might lead to the dimi-
nution of the possessions of any civil government
whatever. We did not omit to remind the said em.
peror that he had addressed to Us a letter of a very
different kind before the war in Italy—a letter which
brought Us consolation and not affliction. And
forumuch as, according to the tenor of certain ex-
pressions in the imperial letter published by the
aforesaid journal, We had reason to fear that Our
rebellious provinces of Emilia were already regarded
as separated from Our pontifical domination, We
prayed his Majesty in the name of the Church, and
out of regard to his own welfare and his usefolness
in the world, that be would completely re►ieve Our
apprehension. Moved by that paternal charity
with which We must always watch for the eternal
salvation of all, We reminded him that we must all
one day render a strict account before the tribunal
of Jesus Christ, and be subjected to most severe
judgment, and that therefore we ought all to do the
utmost in our power to deserve mercy rather
than justice. Such, amongst others, are the
things which We have said in answer to the very
great emperor of the French. And We haws thought
fit to communicate them to you, in order that you
first, and after you the Catholic wurld, may know
that by the help of God, according to the duties of
Our most important ministry, We fearlessly make
every effort and omit nothing in Our power
courageously to defend the cause of religion and
justice, to preserve inviolate and in its integrity the
civil power of the Roman Church with its temporal
possessions, and all those rights which are the
property of the Catholic Church at large."
The letter concludes by demanding the prayers
end the aid in every possible manner of the
ecolesisatics to whom it is addressed. In the above
translation we have adopted in every case the capital
letters used by the Univers. It will be seen that a
typographical distinction in favour of the Pope as
against the Emperor is sustained throughout.

This awning the Moniteur publishes a decree of the
Emperor suppressing the Univers, and stating as
reasons for this measure the irritating oontroversy of
this journal, by which religions opinion was dis-
concerted, the country agitated, and the fundamental
basis on which are established the relations between
the church and civil society undermined,—this
journal having further published doctrines tending
to resuscitate pretensions which the ancient French
monarchy had always struggled against.
The following report of the Minister of the Inte-
rior precedes the decree :
" The Univers was the organ of a religious
party whose pretensions were every day becoming
ia more direct opposition to the privileges of the
state. The incessant efforts of this party tend to
dominate the French clergy, to confound the reli-
gions opinions, to agitate the country, and to under-
mine the fundamental bases on which the relations
between the church and civil society are founded.
This war made against our mast ancient national
traditions is most dangerous to religion, which it
compromises, because the French clergy have never
separated their respectful submission to the Holy
Bee in spiritual matters from their amiss of