The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-03 00:00:00

(Front the Manchester Guardian.)

We fear an impression is entertained among the nu-
merous and worthy members of the Roman Catholic
body in this country, which, for more than one reason,
is to be deprecated. It is thought by some, at least,
that the severe animadversions which the Austrian con-
cordat has called forth are utterances of nothing more
than an uncharitable prejudice against the doctrine and
ritual of an unpopular communion. Now for the justi-
fication of many who, like ourselves would not willingly
lie under the imputation of being actuated by bigotry, it
is highly desirable that this misapprehension should be
corrected, and, if possible, removed. We have not the
slightest wish to meddle, otherwise than argumentatively,
with the extension of the Roman Catholic faith ; nor
should we think of interfering with any arrangements
which its adherents, acting simply as members of a Chris
tian church, may be pleased to make among them-
selves for the preservation of their unity, and the pro-
pagation of their opinions. But that which we fear and
detest, almost beyond expression, is the growth of eccle-
siastical influence in the direction of civil affairs. To say
that we have no right to deplore and denounce a huge
stride taken in this direction by an absolute government
because that government does not happen to claim our
own allegiance, is tantamount to shutting us out from
all interest in the political development of foreign na-
tions. Our pretension to this degree of liberty does not
require, in the present day to be defended. The adminis-
tration of Austria already presses more heavily on the
springs of human dignity, and worth, and happiness,
that that of any other civilised country in the world. The
introduction of the catholic priesthood to extended in-
dependent power is calf ulated to make it infinitely wore
not on account of their doctrines, but because the domi-
nation of their order is opposed to every sound theory of
civil government. We s..y, as it was said by our own
Cromwell on precisely a similar question, that this is a
matter which touches us nearly.

Can any man, who is a thoughtful politician as well
as a pious Catholic, regard with approval or indifference
the future condition of the Austrian states, as sketched
in the Allocution of Pius IX. read in the Secret Consis-
tory of the 3d of November? We will not strain words
to their utmost meaning, or insist on a literal interpre-
tation of the loc ast that, henceforth, the Catholic religion
is to enjoy in Austria all the prerogatives which belong
to it by virtue of the canonical constitutions. A distin-
guished seceder from the English establishment has
shown, with admirable ingenuity and wit, that it is
' possible, by rigid reasoning on formal expressions, to
convict the British constitution of upholding its own
share of atrocities and absurdities. But there is no
ambiguity about the fact, that the concordat repudiates
and banishes " the opinion,—false, perverse, fatal,
and entirely contrary to the Divine priority of rights
—according to which the placeat or the cxequce-
tur of the civil Government should be obtained
for what concerns spiritual things and ecclesiastical
"affairs." Now what are included among " spiritual
things" and " ecclesiastical affairs ?" There are such
trifles as the validity of betrothals, marriages, and bap-
tisms among the faithful, the administration of all church
property and patronage, the creation of new dioceses,
parishes, and benefices, the imposition of punishments on
all who transgress the ecclesiastical law and canonical
prescriptious, the taking cognisance of the offences of
clerics against the civil and criminal law, and the con-
trol, to a huge extent, of everything pertaining to public
education. We will take this opportunity of fi ling up a
statement which was inadvertently left it complete ire some
remarks which we made last week. When we said that
in the gymnasia, or middle-class schools, none but cat h i-
lk professors were to instruct in any department, it
should have been added that this was spoken only
of those institutions which were intended for the
catholic youth. We willingly supply the omission,
and hope the apologists of the wilful act of abdica-
tion committed by Francis Joseph will find their
case reinstated in all the advantage of which we have
unintentionally deprived them. It is equally true, how-
ever, that all private as well as public schools for catho-
lics are to be compulsory under the superintendence of
the bishop. It is still true that in all public and private
schools—and in this case there is no qualifying condi-
tion with reference to the faith of the pupils—the teach-
ing of theology is interdicted to everyone who has not
received from the bishop a license which may be with-
drawn at pleasure. It is still true that the Government
engages itself to prevent the spread of all books which
archbishops, bishops, and ordinaries may point out to it
as calling for suppression. On the whole, we do not find
that our argument is sensibly affected.
But no greater mistake could be committed than to sup-
pose
that this monstrous clerical ururpation is only ob-
jected to so far as it interferes with the us
enjoyent of pro-
testant liberty and the spread of protestant opinions.
On
o inions
On the contrary, it is on account of the
catholic.
population themselves that we protest against the sub-
jection of the country to the very worst kind of rule that
malicious ingenuity could devisfer.omlfsowmeeaorneetwolhdothhaast
sympathy,
pthatahty'avwere-
hpmilpaeiceet, the im-
-1
tdhiedrneoatl
aver-
sion ihorani theygl
to
ot areeltti
ohen
evo
speaket
Ritoraw consciousohiineh n
their
eieeooierfnhd
sbe r.oaeerrhqa:u.
form
onif requiring i
intnhglecf) it is
f
w fiesvr willostr s
questions.
fir
any one
motive of our professed uneasiness,
at all stages
pthuiteantiaotniebnyretswisot,
of their power resisted, ecclesiastical pretensions of this
and have not many others
ledxttoplelraactee Jur a moment
very kind, at a time when their hearts were still devoted
ptorettheenda ancient i ebne tl faithev e Ltlsnetheheeen
the concession of similar prerogatives to the Church of
England, even if its adherents constituted as lar
ma-
jority in the 'United Kingdom as the Catholicsgfeoarmn
all but the Hungarian provinces of Austria ? The ques-
tion does not admit of an uncertain or confused reply.
Englishmen have always been able to distinguish be-
tween attachment to a church aud the transference ofcivil authority to its ministers. We must rather wonder
that any are now to be found who will contend that dif-
ferences of opinion on the merits of priestly government
are simply referable to inequalities of religious earnest-
nese and zeal.

It is worthy of notice that the imperial patent accom-
tiaeon suspends
y'ng the concordat in the Viennese official publica-
t
for a time the execution of the articles re-
lating to Catholic schools and matrimonial causes. We
would fain race.v h
tei
he
1 mi, s
people;s. sor a r
aaprt
erhoenorn,f
tt thi hnaadtti
frt theeh
reeynGwt o
tivol el rtnnhomet
feebnte.
ters imposed 0t
well knows that
indifferent whey the galling pressure of the spiritual chain
begins to be felt.
of
fhhe the a t under these circumstances the
arrogant demands
ceded in full, with the Church should have been con-
ope of a time hereafter arising
put in
when they may bepracticalne execution, is a striking
necessities to which the young
proof of the miserable
Austrian Emperor is reduced,
saying
t: conveyed Ve
thatho pwbeye
the 'vb el i evle aal 1
offend no honest Catholic by
profoundly false impression to b
voluntarily
state-
ment of the Pope, this " religioushapsrinfeal)l'e'
" solicited" the heavy blow which
Crown and dignity. We doubt not that thenforufpeiotnrhis
grudgingly and sadly rendered. The treacherous sacrificeas
abafadilinmgearnulse;rafnd
of his civil rights is the price paid by
a vast instrument of political surveillance and control.
Bad government must be propped by
the concordat of the sth of November is the natural
Complement of the Ordinances of Scloenbrunu,