The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-11 00:00:00

rity of the Roman Catholic bishops on subjects un-
connected with moral and theological doctrine pos-
sesses no importance whatever; that the chief end of
that authority, by divine institution, is to preserve
the unity of the separate churches in the Catholic
Church, and to combat schisms and heresies. " The
general institution of bishops, and the special in-
stitution of the Supreme Pontiff, of the bishop of
bishops, pointed, and will always point, through
the grace of Jesus Christ to this, that the unity of
the churches in the Catholic Church shall always
flourish, and shall remain victorious over heresies
and over schisms."

Is this unity fostered by the bishops who chast
away their flocks, who insult them, who treat them
as heathens and as publicans P " Utique," exclaims
Passaglia, " die et nocte plorabo interfectos filios
populi mei, nec antea conquescam a gemitu quam in
Italia universa, populos inter prcesulosque fwdus
Christian 2e pacis, ccclo terraque plaudentibus,
fauste feliciterquo sanciatur."

But the Catholic bishops (adds Passaglia) display
hostility to the kingdom of Italy for two reasons—
for the alleged injustice by which lawful sovereigns
have been stripped of their dominions, for the
alleged impiety by which the Roman Pontiff has
been deprived of his temporal sovereignty. Pas-
saglia hereupon asks, who has given to the bishops
the authority to erect themselves into the judges
of the peoples and of the princes of the earth ?
Their authority was not conferred for earthly, but
for heavenly purposes. And resting on the autho-
rity of St. Barnard, so frequently quoted in this
controversy, he observes—" I have read that the
Apostles were brought up to be judged, but I have
never read that they assumed the character of
judges."

Then drawing from his theological armoury more
than 300 decrees of the Church, he lays it down
that both the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops are
wholly incompetent to pronounce an opinion on
the legitimate or illegitimate character of any
temporal sovereignty. Passing on then to the con-
sideration of the kingdom of Italy and of its con-
stitution, he proclaims and maintains that the con-
stant and immutable rule of the Church has been to
recognise de facto governments. He sums up his
theory in the following words :—" The good of the
Church, the salvation of souls, and the duties pre-
scribed by God to all pastors, urgently demand
that political dissensions and controversies respect-
ing human and civil rights be laid aside, that peace
be stipulated between the Church and all de faetol
governments—all that can show possession in their
favour ; that to none of them be denied any of the
things by which Christian communion may grow
up and flourish." This rule, he says, was laid down
by different councils, and by very many supreme
pontiffs, as late as the celebrated bull of Gregory
XVI. of Aug. 6, 1831, in which it is fully deve-
loped and confirmed. From these rules and laws the
holiest Pontiffs did not depart, even in very ancient
times ; and, amongst other examples, Passaglia
quotes that furnished by the history of St. Gregory
the Great and of the Emperor Phocas. Phocas had
put to death the Emperor Maurice and all his male
children, namely, Theodosius (who was already
crowned), and his colleague in the empire, Tiberius,
Peter, and Paul, likewise a brother of Maurice, and
other native citizens. Nevertheless, Pope St. Gre-
gory the Great, respecting the will of God, " which
changes times and transfers kingdoms," caused the
portrait of the usurper to be placed in the Lateran
Basilica and in the oratory of San Cesario, and, in
recognising him as his lord, addressed to him letters
full of humanity and charity. He augured for the
empire the freedom which confers happiness on
peoples, and concluded his 45th letter with these
words : " Considerare sum gaudiis et magnis actioni-
bus gratiarum libet, quantas omnipotenti Deo lau des
debemus, quod remoto jugo tristitice ad libertatis
tem porat sub imperiali benignitati vestra pict at e per-
venimus." Such examples will perhaps call forth
astonishment and contempt in those members of the
clergy who, puffed up by ignorance, are unable to read
the explanation of the like laws in Christian society.
They are founded on the principle that the soldiers
of Christ ought not to mix themselves up in the
profane things of the world. This principle, on
which depends the preservation or the ruin of the
Church, was thoroughly understood in our age by
Monsignor Sibour, Archbishop of Paris, who, in a
celebrated pastoral letter to his clergy, said that the
ministers of the Lord would escape all social tem-
pests, and would be encircled by universal venera-
tion, only by embracing, in Christ's name, all man-
kind with equal love, only by keeping aloof from all
revolutions, only by eschewing all worldly politics.l
Passaglia remarks that it is very painful to be able
to furnish no answer to those who inquire, " Why
the bishops of Hungary and of Poland side with
the people,
,whilst those of Italy are opposed to
them ; and why the bishops of France acknowledge
the validity of universal suffrage, whilst they reject
it in Italy ?"

" But," says Passaglia, " the Pontiff has pro-
nounced his famous non possumus, and the bishops
only follow the example of the Pope. A futile
argument. The Papal declarations to which the
non possumus refers do not touch the dogmas, are
not derived from the holy writings or the traditions
of the Church. They are not obligatory, therefore;
they are liable to change, therefore ; one must, con-
sequently, hope that, with the view of averting the
immense calamities by which religion is menaced,
the Pontiff will see the danger of confounding ob-
stinacy with firmness, and will return to better
counsels, and that to obtain this result the prayers
of the bishops will be united to remind the common
father of the course which his holy predecessors fol-
lowed, and which the exigencies of religion now
require.

Because the Italian people is HOW so constituted
that, without universal disturbance and extreme
injury to civil and ecclesiastical society, neither the
former state of matters can be restored, nor can the
course of events be arrested, still less can the politi-
cal unity of the nation be delayed.
To no purpose is the objection of oaths put for-
ward. These have no validity, nor can they be main-
tained when in direct contradiction with the welfare
of society ; they are of impossible execution when
a superior force prevents their fulfilment; they
were not instituted to be a bond of iniquity. Such
is the language held respecting them by St. Angus.
tin. And the special oaths taken by the Pontiffs
to maintain the integrity of the Papal States were
merely instituted by Pius V., and Urban VII., to
prevent the Popes from making donations of their
States to their bastard sons and to their unworthy
nephews.
Father Passaglia then passes on to the theory of
a free Catholic Church in a free state—a solution of
the question accepted by him with unmingled
gladness. He then terminates his inquiry by the
passages already given in a previous notice.

THE MAD BULL AT CHELSEA.—We are glad to
learn that the injuries received by upwards of 20 persons
attacked by a mad bull on Tuesday last in Battersea and
Chelsea are in no case likely to prove fatal. Miss Emma
Stephens, a young lady of 17, residing in Camera-square,
Chelsea, is the greatest sufferer. She was overtaken by the
infuriated animal in Park-road, Little Chelsea, knocked
down, and tossed twice in a frightful manner. She was then
rescued by the crowd of 300 persons who were in pursuit of
the animal. Miss Stephens was lifted from the ground in
an insensible state, and placed on a stretcher, and removed
to her residence. Sho remained insensible until the follow-
ing day. She is severely cut in the head, shoulder, neck,
and ankle, but is gradually recovering. Yesterday she was
much better. David Eagle, mother sufferer, was attacked
in the same street. He was chase round a cab several times,
and finally knocked down and trampled upon. Four of his
ribs and his collar-bone were broken. Ho was removed to
St. George's Hospital, and is now out 'f danger. Thomas
Lloyd, knocked down and tossed, and afterwards taken to
the same place, was so far recovered yesterday as to obtain
his discharge. No information has Leon procured concern-
ing the soldier who was gored on 13attersea-bridge. All the
others injured are rapidly recovering.
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