The Sun.
London, England, 1815-09-21 00:00:00

FORE IG N I ',.J'ELL (3ENC E.

GER Alil.N. PAPEI/8,

REMONSTRANCE oy 'frit 13ELC;IN
,}3:qiOPS tO
-KING QF ThE NETIii,RLAN6S.
FROM BELGIUM.,

The Re.lizian Bishops hav'epi-Ceoted the follow,

ing Addtt.•.ss to the Kin bf the,Nethet•Lndt.,

r
Sritc—NiVe believe it otii• chit)* no longer tti
clekty expressing to your'-41jesly I he, surprizt 'and
the -griet•which•k•oiir )cl'ai»ath.)ii i,f the 13th of
this ntonth hn's

," In the conviction that it i\ the. first duty of
the, BiShopsto speak the:trutli to thesThrone, wheri.
the grand interests of religion are in-clue.,-tion, vie
now fulfil this doty.‘vith 11)? more cow Pence and
frankness, as your Alje ty freqoently testified to
us your intention to protect religion with all your
power, 'and as in that very Proclamation Inch
the cause of our uneasiness, you assure to the Ca-
tholic Church its establishment and its pi iNiiev,es.
" Site, the existence' and the privileges of the
Catholic Church; in this part of yOur
.kingdom;
arc inconsistent with an article of the plat-) of the
nrw constitution; by which equal favour and pm-
tection are promised to all religions.
" Since, the conversion of the Belgias to
Christianity, such -.11 dangeron3 inn':ivation' has
nery. -been introduced in these Pt ovinces unless .
by fOrce. The attempt of Joseph the Second to
maintain it was fruitiess.-The tyi-anny of thu
last French Government estahli,lied it it) tlpeory ;
but no religious troubles ensued, because-the heixd
of. the State protected the •Protest ant sects as
little as he did,the catholic Church. After this
power, -the declared enctny of ,all re7!igion was
overthrown, the Belgian church recovered all her
spiritual rights. Jo the Ordinance.of 7th March,
I'Bl4, which the Cotrunissioners of the „All4ed
Powers t!xuressly confirmed, the general 'Govern-
ment of --Belgint-o) declared, Ilencelorw,prd the
Ecclesiastical Power anti the Temporal Power
will he inviolably maintained,in their respective
limits, at they are fixed ►by the canon law, and by
the ancient couStitutiono,f the country.'
" Sire, we do not hesitate to declare to your
Majesty, that ;lre Canonical law, which are sanc-
tioned by the ancient constitutions of the cotin
try, are incompatible cvtl.) the projected consti-
totiori, which would in Belgium equal fa..
your and protection to all religions.
" The canonical. laws have ;always rejected
schism and_heresy from the bosom of tile church.
-The Christian Emperors thought it their duty to
maintain these laws, auri to secure theirexecution,"
as nu iy be.c;tsily seen. in the collection of edicts
upon this sultiect'.'
" From Chat lentav;ne.down to the unhapy epoch
i)fpl7Sl , and the following years; all • the Sove-
reigns of this country,' in every age, exclusively
protected the Apostolic and Roman Catholic re-
ligion, mad secured to it the undisturbed enjoy.,
meta of all the rights and pi ivileges, in the pos-
session of-which they found it.

. _
The Co►►ncil of Trent, .all whose resolutions
were published in these provinces, and have there
the force of ecclesiastical law, after cool sming,all
the old hiws of the church, which fix the jurisdic-
tions:, the rlglitsof the bishops, of the chapters,
of the universities, and in general, -of the regular
anal secular clergy,•comtn<inded the bishops to see
the execution of them, and careftilly to watch not
only over the maintenance of the satrea.pledge of
the faith, but also that of the laws which concern
the essential discipline of the Catholic Church,
and secure the consistency and thciinviolability of

its governMent. •
These,- Sire, are the duties of the Bishops of
these provinces; and the laws of the country have
constantly allowed -and facilitated the fulfilment
of them, till a higher poWer prevented them iii
part from discharging them.
It your Majesty, when you scent* to the
Chttra her existence and privileges,- has the
intention, as we conjecture, to'maintain the en-
tire execution of the 'holy canon law, we are in-
capable of duly expressing our thanks to your Ain-
it;tv for it. But we most respectfully take -the
liberty to lay before your Majesty an article of
the new CM:Stitt:6on, ‘vhich, in securing the
same protection to all tel would be incom-
liatible with the free and ,entire exercise of our of-
dutirs.
" arc hound, Sire, incessantly to preserve
the people intrusted to our care, from the doe
trines which are in oppo-sition to. the doctrines of
the Cal holic Church. We cotall not release our-

selves fron. this•obligation tvithou
. •
most sacred duties,; and your Majest‘,
toe tai a fundamental laW, protected In tite•e prO:
vinees the public profession aticl spre-ading these
doctrines., the•progress of whiCh we are bound to
propose with all
..the care and :energy which the
Church expects frxim our 'office, •we
shOuld be in formal opposition to the law.; of the
State, to the measures %vhidi your Ma.ksty'rnight
adopt to paint ain• them' among us, and in spite of
all our endeavours to mahit union•aud peacetime
public tranquillity might -still he disturbed'.. •
-" And since, by Art. 136 of the proposed Cont.
stit Minh, the int bilb exercise of a form of. worship
may be hindered, when it wight distUrb the public
tranquillity, it follows that the free exercise of
our relig' ion might be hindered by a possible con-
sequence of the rights tind liberties of the Cath9,-•
lic chirrch in these provinces. •
we dare not conceal from you, Sire, that
such .I;egulatinns, if they 'were confirmed by your
.m,,je,tv, could only tend to a renewal of the
troubles which desolated these provinces in the
sixteenth CeiltUry j and that they must, gooier