The National Register.
London, England, 1811-11-24 00:00:00

AMERICAN CATHOLIC PRELATES.

FROM THE GENERAL ADVERTISER, PHILADELPHIA,

COMMONLY CALLED THE AURORA.
Translation of a Letter from the original Latin, into English,
.of
the Catholic Bishops of North America, to the Catholic Bi-
shops of Ireland. •
To the most Illustrious and Reverend Catholic
Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland, the Arch-
bishops of the United States of America send greet-
ing in the Lord :
" We have received, venerable brethren, with
gratitude, and with the respect which is due to your
distinguished merit, the letter dated February 26th,
which you addressed to the Bishops of the whole
Catholic Church.
a We are resolved, with the Divine assistance, to
preserve the Unity of the Church of Christ, and to
assert and defend that authority of the Holy See,
and primacy of Honour and jurisdiction, which the
Chief Pontiff is possessed of, and which are essential
to the maintenance of this Unity. We are equally
led by sentiment and by duty to profess our fidelity
and obedience to Pope Pius VII. who now holds
that supreme station. We adhere, like Members to
their head, to this incomparable Pontiff, and since,
as St. Paul says, ' when one Member suffers, the
-the other Members partake in the pain,' how much
more sensibly must we feel the bitter affliction of
this our spiritual head.
" We lament, in common with you, venerable
brethren, and we are animated with a pious indig.
naticn at the idea of 4 a Reverend Ancient being
turned out of his house and driven from his country ;
of our innocent Bishop being cruelly oppressed ; of
the Head of the Church being stripped of its patri-
mony, and of a most meritorious Pope being over-
whelmed with contumelies.' It is our duty to con-
fess that 'se, in particular, are under the greatest
obligations to the venerable Pius VII. since it is
owing to his wise and apostolical conduct that this
portion of the Lord's flock, situate in the United
States of America, has been formed into a regular
ecclesiastical province, consisting of the Archbishop
of Baltimore, and of our Suffragan Bishops.
" We firmly trust in the Lord, that the same
invincible fortitude which - shone forth in Pius VI.
of happy memory, will at all times be equally con-
spicuous in his successor, Pius VII. ; and we have
not the smallest doubt that he will continue to ex.
hibit, for the consolation of the Church, that invin-
cible firmness in hearing afflictions which he has
hitherto manifested, whatever may become his duty
to pronounce, to transact or to endure.
" In the mean time, we declare before God, that
we will respectfully listen to the admonitions of our
Holy Father, notwithstanding his capacity ; and
that we will yield a cheerful submission to his direc-
tions and ordinances, provided they bear the proper
and genuine characters of the voice of Peter, and of
the real intentions and authority of the Supreme
Pontiff. But we shall not think ourselves bound by
any briefs or other documents of any kind which
m.iy be circulated in his name, and under his al-
leged authority, unless the least apprehersion of
his not enjoying full and perfect liberty in deli- •
berating and resolving, shall be removed from
our minds.