The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-12 00:00:00

as to sins against chastity, the confessor mu,t interro-
gate most cautiously, especially lost his younger peni-
tents should learn those vices which, without that

confession, they might net have understood.—(Hear,
hear.) And he adds that he had known penitents on
the bed of death confess that they have lived for a long
time in the commission of sins, of which if it had not
been fur the teaching of the confessors, they would have
remained in entire ignorance. That is all I will say
upon that part of the subject; but there is something
else which has a greater demand upon our consideration
here. I again quote the words of the late Sir Robert
Peel, who, speaking on the motion of Sir Francis Bur-
dett, on the 6th of March, 1827, said:—" I will own,
fairly and candidly, that I entertain a distrust cf the
Roman Catholic religion. I object not to the Catholics
on account of their faith. For them I have the highest
respect. In private life I have never made any distinc-
tion between persons on account of their religion. It is
a matter of perfect indifference to me whether or not a
party professes the doctrine of transubstantiation; but
if there is added to that doctrine a scheme of worldly
policy of a marked character, I have a right to in-
quire into its nature, and observe its effects upon man-
kind. Can any man acquainted with the state of the
world doubt for a moment that there is engrafted on
the Catholic religion something more than a scheme
for promoting mere religion—that there is in vie w
the furtherance of a means by which man may
acquire authority over man? Can we know what the
doctrines of absolution, confession, of indulgences are,
without a suspicions that those doctrines aro entertained
for the purpose of establishing the power of man over
the hearts and minds of men? What is it to me what the
source of power is called, if practically it operates as
such? Ho would ask any Hon. Gentleman present whe-
ther, if he had openly and uncontrolled opened his bosom
to another, and told to him all his secret thoughts and
transgressions, whether he would not feel himself the slave
of the other, in the worst sense of the word?—(Hear.)
And yet that was one of the doctrines which that House
taught at Maynooth. Another point connected with
confession was that the confessor was bound to secrecy,
and that in no case, without the express leave of the
party, not even to escape death, not even to save the
State, could any violation of this secrecy be admitted,
so that, if treason to the Sovereign were confessed, the
confessor would be bound to secrecy. The Honourable
Member then referred to a pamphlet of Mr. Eneas Mac-
donald, published in 1845, when the subject of an in-
creased grant to Maynooth was under consideration, and
which contained extracts from various petitions presented
by Roman Catholic Prelates, in 1792, on the subject of
Roman Catholic disabilities, to the effect that the memo-
rialists were satisfied with the existing National Esta-
blished Church in Ireland, and did not seek in any way
to encroach upon the rights, privileges, possessions, or
revenues belonging to the bishops and clergy of the
Established Church. Dr. Doyle also stated in his evi-
dence, quoted in the pamphlet referred to, that he could
undertake to say that not a single Catholic clergyman in
Ireland would contradict what he stated, that they were
not desirous of disturbing the existing arrange-
ments. It was upon such evidence as this that this
country was deluded in au unhappy moment to pass that
Bill.—(Hear, hear.) He had always considered it un-
just to exclude Roman Catholics from the possession of
their civil privileges; and ho remembered well an argu-
ment used by Mr. Canning on that subject, which ap-
peared to him unanswerable. In reply to an argument
that the Catholics ought not to be admitted into the
house, as they could not be bound by oaths, Mr. Can-
ning said, " You keep them cut of the house by an oath."
—(Hear.) What, however, was the opinion now ex-
pressed by the Roman Catholics as compared with those
used by them before they obtained the grant from the
Government? The Catholic Defence Association put
forth an address a few days since, in which, speak-
ing of the Nob'e Lord opposite in connexion with
the grant, and the conduct of the Catholic clergy, it
stated—" When he agreed to endow Maynooth he ex-
pected that, in consideration of this endowment, the Su-
preme Head of the Catholic Church upon earth would
abandon the measures which he thought necessary for
the good of the Catholic Church. He really believed, it
seems, that he could buy the holy Roman Church to
abandon her own principles and duties, and that not in
Ireland only, but in other countries, for the sum of
26,000/, per annum to the college of St. Patrick, May-
nooth. This is the exact price at which he valued the
holy Church throughout the world. It is strange that,
with history before him, ho should have dreamed that
the Catholic Church could bo bought at any price;
stranger still, that he should suppose any men, however
base, would sell it for a bribe so contemptible. He va-
lues the consciences of rulers and members of the whole
Church throughout the world at the sum of 26,0001."
It was not, he found, the Noble Lord opposite to whom
reference was made, but the Noble Earl now at the head
of the Government.—(Laughter.) He saw nothing at
which Hon. Members could laugh, for he believed, judg-
ing from the strong speeches which that Noble Lord
had made on the subject of " the Papal aggression," that
the sentiments which he entertained on the subject were
similar to those of the Noble Earl. The subject to
which he had called the attention of the House
was not yet exhausted, but he was anxious
not to weary the House by going into it at greater
length. What ho wished to impress upon the House
was, that they were giving aid, and calling upon the
people to pay for a religion which he thought he had
shown was subversive of morality, which was dangerous
to the existence of the social compact, and which was in
direct opposition to the duty of allegiance to the Sove-
reign.—(Hear, hear.) He knew that the late papal ag-
gression had opened the eyes of the people of the
country, and from ono end to the other they were crying
out to put a stop to the rebellious, contumacious, dis-
loyal, and dictating conduct of the Irish Ronson Catholic
clergy. He would show, if they granted him the Com-
mittee, that the whole of this conduct was in strict ac-
cordance with the teachings and doctrines inculcated at
Maynooth, It was the bounden duty of the House to
grant him the inquiry, and he called upon Irish Mem-
bers to meet it like men who were challenged to inves-
tigate the truth. If he was wrong, they were right, and
if the Committee were granted, full opportunity would
be afforded to them of vindicating themselves from the
charges which he brought against them.—(Hear, hear.)
For his own sake he hesitated not to say that every word
he had used was capable of proof, and he challenged
Honourable Members to refute it if they could.—(Hear,
hear.) The country would not be satisfied except a full
and searching investigation and inquiry took place
before a Committee of that House impartially selected.
—(Cheers.) The Honourable Member concluded by
moving the resolution.
The Marquis of BLANDFORD seconded the motion,
which he said had been so ably moved by his Hon. Friend
that it was unnecessary for him to say more than a few words.
He knew that propositions of this nature only emanated from
parties out of doors, holding rather narrow religious views;
but he took that opportunity of saying that he had had no
connexion with any party of that nature. There might have
been such expressions of opinion out of doors, but he had
taken no part in them, reserving to himself an opportunity
of freely expressing his opinion in that house. There could
be but one inference come to from the statement of his Hon.
Friend, namely, that it was their duty to repeal the grant to
Maynooth.—(Hear, hear.) That was the conclusion to which
he had come, and he had no hesitation in adding, that was
the object with which he seconded the motion ; and he be-
lieved that the inquiry would prove that repeal to be neces-
sary as a measure of wise and conscientious policy.—(Hear,
hear.) He was one of those who had supported the late Sir
Robert Peel in 1845, by voting for the increased grant to
Maynooth. He believed that eminent statesman, how-
ever, at that time, looked upon the continuance and in-
crease of that grant as not a new policy, but merely the
sequence of that which had been pursued from the time of
the Union. He had stated that there were three courses
that might be pursued, either to repeal, the grant altogether,
to suffer it to remain in its then inefficient state, or to in-
crease it in such a manner as would confer upon those edu-
cated at Maynooth a superior and satisfactory education.
That great statesman adopted the last, as, in his opinion, the
best, and anticipated from it the happiest results for Ireland
and the empire ; and many men, also eminent statesmen,
had been equally deceived in their anticipations, and acted
from as pure motives. In 1792, when the French Constitu-
tion was dawn
nr of
viewed
of that House, that. Fog,
asiownasthethn a
e
light breaking upon the darkness of despotic power. He
little apprehended what would follow, but said he believed
it would be the foundation of the most splendid edifice ever
raised in the world. Other statesmen, eminent for ability and
integrity, took a different view, and they all knew which
proved most correct. In 1813 Mr. Canning, in introducing
his Bill for removing Catholic disabilities, animated by the
noblest and most generous motives, was still mistaken as
to the policy and the results he anticipated from it._
that great statesman said, "If we pause, if we retrograde,
we shall descend from the pinnacle on which we now
stand, and from whence we command a view of Protestants
and Roman Catholics becoming loyal fellow subjects. To
give up this would be to lose all we have gained. There is
a tide in the affairs of men, on the summit of which we are
now riding. Let us not turn back. The hands of Protes-
tants and Catholics are now stretched forth to each other, and
have nearly met." That was another instance of the er-
roneous views which have been entertained by the most
illustrious men. Under these circumstances, therefore, they
were warranted in inquiring into the facts of the
case. We had no doubt conscientiously endeavoured to
educate the people and the priesthood ;of Ireland.
He made no objection to that, though he said the most im-
portant part of education was religious instruction. But
let them look at a few facts, and what were the con-
clusions to which they led ? lie had no wish
to hurt the feelings of Roman Catholic Members, but he
said there were three great principles on which we had been
in error in dealing with them. In 1795 the grant was
given to Maynooth for the express purpose of educating the
Irish priesthood, and keeping them in a better spirit.te
Since then that grant had been enlarged, and )
found in the Tablet a letter from Lord Clarendon
l'et
slightestto they
Earl of Shrewsbury, which there was not
dthe that, though
the Pope had ordered the Irish priests 8
n
doubt was authentic. The late Viceroy stated
of them had
risen in the attempted revolution of 1
public and political matters, yet that
m
48 when nothing but
the moderation of the Governmentsotatan to meddle with
sent along with their confederates to Van Diemen's
expectations entertained in 1795
saved them from being
Land. So much for the
of these grants upon the
and Lord Clarendon's opinion
Irish Roman Catholic clergy,
e there was the building
and in 1799, and as to the effect
of their loyalty.
'aline Queen's Colleges. He was
and endowment
in introdubing that melte
for Ripon (Sir
his
Graham),
sure, that it wou'd conduce to the con-
not opposed to that measure,
raastnuarem,
),but the Right lion. Member
sure, said it was
Archbishop Cullen, in his address to
tion been fulfilled?.
cord, order, and pelsace of the country. Had that expe2ta-
the decisions of th Synod " ' '
3 .of nudes
the Roman Catholics of the archdiocese of Armagh, dis-
tinctly declared that .
were in full force—were in conformity with the will of the
Holy See, and that all
.Catholic. parents were warned of the
danger of allowing their children to be corrupted by a false
system of religious instruction. Their parents, therefore,
were either compelled to permit their children to be without
education in these colleges or to submit to excommunication.
The best illustration of the error of our attempts to educate
the Irish people was to be found in the National Schools.
They were put forward on the same grounds, and they might
have effected good for the people, and though he did not ap-
prove of it, it was better to have education of any kind than
' none at all ; but how had these schools been treated, he
1 would not say by Dr. Cullen, but by a French prelate,
whom he quoted in his letter? Catholic parents were warned
against aloviDg their children from being corrupted iu schools