The Sun.
London, England, 1819-04-22 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

it 0 NI AN CATHOLICS

LETTER IV.

mR.EDITOR--Having bisewn that the Toleration
which was established at the Revolution was de-
cidedly 0,410.0 to the Claims now made by the
Rowan Catholics, we shall proceed to consider
whether such a change has been wrought
in
Row Catholic Tenets since that event, as Would
any deviation from the principles then esta-
bli,lied.

The Whig Advocates for the Claims positively assert, that
a most serious change has taken place in Roman Catholic
principles—that RontaulCatholics are become candid, ad-
mirers of Toleration, and Friends to Liberty. It is, how-
ever, soost singular, that while these statements are so po-
sitively made by their Friends, the Roman Catholics have
evinced. no disposition to confirm them. On the cortrary,
they have taken great pains to prove that their Church and
Principles art "semperemleo►," and that absolute conformity
to tie religious opinions of the ancient Catholics is their
chief glory and pride.* With such declarations as these be-
fore our eyes, it is idle to contend that Roman Catholic Prin-
ciples are sufficiently altered 1.0 allow of the concession of the
Clailtis thaw urged, or that the enlightened spitit of the age
has so fir chastened and restrained the operation of such
Principles as to render them conformable to the genius of
the Luglisis Constitution.
The Advocates of the Claims have very judiciously endea-
voured to treat the subject siruily in a religious point of view.
The reason of this is (obvious ; since most of the religious
pr4tOices entertained by Catholics are prejudices which do
not directly interfere with the Civil Goeeruwent of the
Country. A man may worship as many Saints as he pleases,
way adore -the Virgin Mary, believe in purgatory, iudul-
gencies, and extreme unction, and yet be a good British
subject. It is toot the holding of these docttines (however
absurd; which renders restrictive measures necessary; but
it is the holding of other doctrines which directly inter-
fere with Civil tioverumeot, that render Roman Catholics
unfit subjects to he tru,ted with the administration of
Civil Power in a Protestant State. it is a mixture of
Civil and Religious Authority its the Romata Catholic Church
itself, that has wade an exclusion necessary, and which still
makes ench exclusion imperative. The doctrine of hyidlibi-
lily, as maintained in that Church—the authority of Getter-el
Councils, and the Foreign Allegiance created by the supposed
supremacy of the Yapal See, are the dogmas which connect
Politics with the Roman Cat hone Question, and strike at the
very root of the Constitution of F.ogland. These, then, form
the kermel of this ;art of our subject, and I shad therefore
consider them separately, having first established the fact
tisat they are still bidden by the Menibets of the Church of
Rowe. In order to do this, we have tmly occasion once more
to refer to the " Pastoral Letter" of the Titular Arch-
bishop of Dublin. Dr. 'fray there tells us, that "it
" is a fundamental. principle of the Roman Catholic Faith,

4.4 that the Pope or Bishop of Rotue is Successor to St.

" Pater, Prince of the Apostles;" that " in that Sec, he
" enjoys uy Divine Right, as a Spiritual and Ecclesiastical
iopretiiacy, not only of honour arid rank, but of real ju-
" risdictiort and authority in the universal Church;" and
that " Roman Catholics conceive this point as clearly esta-
iti the Scriptures, and by the constant tradition
" of the Fathers in every age, as it is by toe express deci-
" tions of their General Councils, which they consider as
" Ixfaflifile authority in points of Doctrine." Here then
we have a plain authoritative recognition of the doctrine
of tofetfiGiliey, of the authority of General Councils, and of
the Papal Supremacy. It will now be for us to consider how
far these receir ed opinietts affect the Civil and Ecclesiastical
Constitution of this Country.
The doctritte of as maintained in the Romish
Church, iras been justly centidered as " the grand pillar of
Rowan CatlistlielDespotism•ut It has been surly declared to
be a. incompatible a Rh freedom of research in religious mat-
ters as with the civil and religious liberties of the English
People. It is well known how difficult it is in all cases to
draw the line between civil and religious obligations, and this
didieulty has hero considerably increased amongst the Mem-
bers of the Romish Church, by the extraordinary connection
subsisting between Roman Catholic tenets and the domestic
atlnirs of life. It has ever been the policy of that Church to
irisinuate itself into the private concerns of families ; in the
doctrine of auricular confession, it here finds a must power-
ful auailiary, and its Priests arc thereby made, in a great
measure, complete toasters cf the lionour,t he properties, and
the influence of their Hocks. Here, then, the dogma of It.-
fallibility roost powerfully operates; the Pritsts, in subordina-
tion to the Bishops, arc regarded as the local dispensing au-
thorities of that Infallibility, and by the disclosures necessa-
rily made to them in confession, therhare a wide field laid
oven fur the exercise of their supposed jurisdiction. If n
doubt were to arise as to whether any certain obligation were
a civil or religions one, to wheal would a Roman Catholic
apply fur a solution of the doubt, but to his Priest. Should
the Pilest feel a diiliculty, to whom would he apply but to
the Bishop; asot would not the Bishop have recourse to the
Sovereign Poutia, were he to experience a similar difliculty ?
Were Catholics admitted into Parliament, or into the higher
Cruces of the State, they would frequently have to decide
op.!' questions esseutially connected with the Protestant Es-
tablishment ; and could it be endured that were a doutst to
cross their minds whether the point involved a civil or a re-
ligious obligation, that an appeal should be made in the first
instance to an authority net recognized by the Constitution,
and in the appointment of which the State is not even suffer-
ed to have a negative, arid iti the Bernier resort to a Foreign
Authority at direct variance with the temporal power of the
Government whereof the Roman Catholics would then form
a part' Would not this lead to the most dangerous, the must
frightful consequences ?
All these apprehensions would be groundless , were a
Romani Catholic permitted to reason on the justice or in-
justice of any particular Decree of his Holy Church ; hut this
is not likely to he the case ; if it were xis, the manic of Roman
Catholie would lie lost—the slavish chains with which his
mental powers are now fettered would fuer their galling in-
teeny! ; he would become accustomed to think fur himself,
and the splendour of that ratiom.l " Emancipation," which
would be loilled with triumph by the true friends of civil and

* Vide I'lowden's " Case Stated," and Dr. Tray's " Pas-
toral Letter," published 1793.

T Vide " The Claims of the Raman Catholics considered,
toh referrlice to the safety of the Estat4h3ticd Chinch, and
I:igl►t>, ul liel4iuus Tuterativn."—tadell and Davies,