The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-18 00:00:00

ARCHBISHOP MANNINO AND RELIGIOUS TOLF.RATION.
_ _

Dr. Manning, says the Times, has given us most
excellent advice in his exhortation at Birmingham on the
benefits of religious toleration and of treating all denomi-
nations with fairness and equity. Will he allow us
in return, to invite him to consider whether the
same good advice might not be usefully addressed to
other people besides protestant& ! The Pope would
save the world • great deal of trouble if he would
consistently act upon the principles of his lieutenant ;
and, as the latter holds • high position in Rome, will be
not write to his friends there and urge the duty of fairness
and equity towards that handful of presbyterians who
were threatened the other day with imprisonment if they
continued to meet in private for religious worship ! We
are aware, indeed, that there are some Roman catholics
who regard this matter from a very different point of
view according as it is their own religion or protestantism
which appeals for consideration. Roman catholicism is
truth, whereas proteetantism is error; and it is one thing
to repress error, another thing to stifle truth. But Dr.
Manning's view is much too decided and generous to
admit of such an exception. Wherever the golden ago
of unity is disturbed, there he exhorts to the silver alter-
native of perfect toleration. If, therefore, there are any
dissentients from the true faith either in Route or Spain,
or in any other catholic country, Dr. Manning
will doubtless exert his influence to insure them
perfect freedom for the exercise of their religion.
Though protestant& have been greatly to blame, history
informs us that they were not the first to offend against
Dr. Manning's silver rule, and we are disposed to think
they are not the greatest offenders at the present day.
We shall have great pleasure in obeying Dr. Manning's
advice, but we should have still greater satisfaction in fol-
lowing his example.

Though the Herold has known Archbishop Man-
ning
anything but reckless and inconsequent, even in his
displays it has never met with such presumption, joined
to fatal admissions against his own cause, as is to be found,
scattered broadcast, in his speech delivered to his co-reli-
gionists at Birmingham on Tuesday evening last. Dr. Man-
ning is constantly in Rome ; will he repeat there some of
the deliberate assertions which he made on Tuesday night?
Will he suggest to the Pope that " if justice is to be done,
the religion of men must be respected ?" If he does he a ill
lay himself open to the penalties of the Holy Inquisition,
and will he forthwith unfrocked. But he will do nothing
of the kind. And what is more, the next time he gets
upon his legs be will be found extolling the government
which will allow a protestant neither to pray nor to be
buried within the walls of its capital. He will defend
with sophistry a government which treats Jews with

venomous contumely, which kidnaps their children, abuts
them up in the Ghetto, and leaves them to misery in the
narrow precincts of the Piazza del Pianto, or Place of
Weeping.

It is absurd enough, remarks the Star, for an advocate
of persecution as obvious policy and undoubted Christian
duty to point to America, Australia, and Canada as ex-
amples of n►tiona which earn the Divine favour by the
perfect equality and equity with which they respect all
religions ; but what are we to say when we find the Pope
quoted in the same connexion with an artful hiatus in the
reasoning which leaves us to believe that he too owes the
stability of his government, forsooth, to the same cause!
Is Dr. Manning content to accept from protestant., and
even to praise as Christian and wise, a liberty which he
would deem himself an-Christian and a fool to grant to
protestant' were he in absolute pewee