The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-24 00:00:00

one archbishop and twelve suffraganp, whose zeal and
pastoral labours will, we hope, by the grace of God,
bring new and daily increase to the power of Catho-
licism. For this reason we reserve to ourselves and
successors the right to divide this province into seve-
ral, and to increase the number of its bishoprics as
new on,,q, may be required, and in general to settle
their boundaries as It may appear meet before the
Lord.

Meanwhile, we enjoin the archbishop and bishops
to furni,,h at stated seasons reports of the state of
their churches to our congregation of the Propaganda,
and not to emit informing us en all points concerning
the spiritual good of their flocks. We shall continue
to avail ourLelves of the aid of the congregation of
the Propagmda in all that concerns the affairs of the
Church in England. But in the sacred government
of the clergy and people, end all which concerns the
pastoral office, the archbishop and bishops of England
will erijcy ell the rights and faculties which bishops
and archbishops can use, according to the disposition
of the sacred canons and the apostolic constitutions,
and they will likewise be equally bound by all the
obligations to which other bishops and archbishops
are held by the common discipline of the Catholic
Church.

Their rights and duties will not be in any case im-
paired by anything that is at present in vigour,
whether originating in the former form of the Eng-
lish Church, or in the subsequent missions instituted
in virtue of special constitutions, privileges or customs,
now that the same state of things no longer exists. And
in order that no doubt may remain, we suppress, in the
plenitude of our apostolic power, and entirely abrogate
all the obligatory and juridical force of the said spe-
cial constitutions, privileges, and customs, however
ancient their date. The archbishop and bishops of
England will thus have the integral power to re-
gulate all that belongs to the execution of the com-
mon law, or which are left to the authority of the
bishops by the general discipline of the Church. As
for us, most assuredly they shall never have to com-
plain that we do not sustain them by our apostolical
authority, and we shall alway s be happy to second
their demands in all which appears calculated to pro-
mote the glory of God and the good of souls. In
decreeing this restoration of the ordinary hierarchy of
bishops in England, and the enjoyment of the common
law of the Church, we have had principally in view
the prosperity and increase of the Catholic religion in
the kingdom of England ; but we have also desired
to gratify the desires of so many of cur reverend
brethren governing in England, under the style of
vicars apostolic, and also cf a great number of our
dear children of the Catholic clergy and people.
Many of their ancestors presented the same prayer to
our predecessors, who had begun to send vicars-
apostolic to England, 'a here no Catholic bishop
could exercise the common ecclesiastical law in his
own church, and who afterwards multiplied the num-
ber of vicars-apostolic, and of districts, not because
religion was submitted in this country to one cxcep,
tional rule, but rather because they would prepare
the foundation for the future rebuilding of the ordi-
nary hierarchy.
This is why we, to whom it has been given by the
grace of God to accomplish this great work,declare here
that it is not in any manner in our thoughts or in-
tentions that the bishops of England, provided with
the name and rights of ordinary bishops, should be
destitute of any advantages, of whatever nature they
may be, w hieh they formerly enjoyed under the title
of vicars-apostolic. It would be contrary to reason to
allow any acts of ours performed at the earnest prayer
of the English Catholics, and for the benefit of reli-
gion, to turn to their damage. Rather we cherish the
firm hope that our dear chilli en in Christ, whose alms
and largesses have never been wanting to sustain in
England religion, and the prelates who govern there
as a icars, will exercise a still larger liberality to the
bishops who are now attached by permanent bonds
to the English Church, in order that they may not
be deprived of temporal aid, which they will re quire
to ornament their temples and adorn the Divine
service, to support the clergy and the poor, and for
other ecclesiastical services. Finally, lifting the eyes
to the Almighty and Gracious G id, from whom comes
our help, we supplicate him with all instance, obsecra-
tion, and action of grace, to confirm by Divine grace
all that we have decreed for the good of the Church,
and to give of his grace to those whose it is to execute
these decrees, that they may feed the fioek
of God committed to their care, and that their
zeal may be applied to spread the glory of his
name. And, in order to obtain the most abundant
succovr of celestial grace, we finally invoke, as inter-
cessors with God, the holy Mother of God, the
blessed apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, with the
blessed perons of England, and especially St. Gre-
gory the Great, in order that the solicitude we have
displayed, notwithstanding the insufficiency of our
merit, to restore the episcopal sees of England, which
he founded in his days with so much advantage to
the Church, may likewise redound to the good of the
Catholic Church. We decree that this apostolic
letter shall never be taxed with subreptice or obrep-
tice, nor be protested for default either cf intention
or any defect whatever, but always be valid and firm,
and hold good to all intents and purposes, notwith-
standing the general apo3tolic edicts which have ema-
nated from synodal provincial or universal councils,
the special sanctions, as well as the rights of former
sees in England, missions apostolic, vicarages consti-
tuted in the progress of time, notwithstanding, in one
word, all things contrary whatsoever. We likewise
decree that all which may be done to the contrary by
any one, whoever he may be, knowing or ignorant,
in the name of any authority whatever, shall be with-
out force. We decree that copies of this letter,
signed by a notary public, and sealed With the seal of
an ecclesiastic, shall be everywhere received at the
expression of our will.
Given at St. Peter's, at Rome, under the seal of
the fishernisn, the 24th of September, 1850, and in
the fifth year of our pontificate.
A. CARDINAL LAMBRUSCIIINI.