Star.
London, England, 1825-10-28 00:00:00

LETTER WRITTEN FROM ROME TO THE ARCHBISHOP OR

MA LINES.

"MY LARD--I find it my duty to give you an ac-
count of an examination, made by order of the Holy
Father, of the two Decrees of the Belgian Government,
of June 14th last, and have heard with satisfaction that
all the Heads of the Dioceses have united with the
Archbishop of Matlines in making an attestation against
these Decrees, and that M. Chamberlane has followed
the same course with the Clergy of Holland. The So-
%ereign Pontiff has, on 11:s part, ordered a strong re-
reu ntaticn to be made to the Government of the King
of the Netherlands, in a note put into the hands of M.
Reinhold, Envoy to the Coprt of Rome. His Holiness
will judge hereafter, according to circumstances, what
is proper to do ; in the meantime he is of opinion, that
all the Ordinar ics ought to act with one common accord,
and remain quite passive should the Belgian Govern.
ment proceed to the execution of its orders. His Ho-
,iners, whose heart has been filed with the most lively
regret by these two Decrees, is convinced that the ge-
neral protestation ai:l be worthy of the Heads of the
Dioceses with whom it emanates, and that it will be
modelled on that made by the Ordinaries of Belgium
in 1787, against the general seminaries erected by tl.e
Emperor Joseph at Louvain, and that they will net
have I ist sight of the declaration made by the King of
the Netherlands, in July, 1815, in virtue of which he
guaranteed the Catholic religion its dignity and security.
By Order (S'gned) " R. MARIO."
REPLY TO THE GOVERNOR OF ANTWERP BY THE ARCH-
BISHOP OF MALINES, FROM HIS COUNTRY SEAT OF

lIOSOE, NEAR LIEGE, SEPTEMBER 16, 1825.

reedy to the letter which your Excellency
addressed to me Lir the 10th of this month, and which
I have just-received here, I am obliged to declare that
the suppression of my Archiepiscopal College at Ma-
lii.es, being in direct opposiiion with the interests of our
holy religion, with the orders of the Council of Trent,
•elative to the forrn•ttion of a virtuous, regular, and
orthodox College; wi,ll the rights beh.riging to the
episcopacy of divine right; wiih the flee exercise of the
ICatholic religion, and the protection guaranteed it
by t!ic I.w:damn:al
.lani which I have sworn to

rain, and also by the second Article of the treaty which
is its basis; and, with several declarations and
piomisfs made to us by his Majesty himself, I cannot
in any case interfere with this suppression.
F. M. ARCHBISHOP OF DIALIN•ES."
On the former of these letters, the Courier Francais
rnokes the following reflect;ons:---1. It presents to us
the Catholic Governments as placed under the superior
jurisdiction of the Court of Rome. Acts emanating
from them, are submitted to the examination of the
Pope, who decides whether these
.subjects ought to
obey them or not. The Holy Father, lisy forbidding
the Priests of BAgiom to obey the orders it their Go-
vernment, wishes them not to oppose theit' execution.
He recommends to prepare a reclamation similar to
that of 1787, and then, according to the Etoi:e, they'
made an energetic protest agabist the proceedings of
instph 11. S :cis a po.ver, vested in a Eneign Prince,
organizing resistance in States which acknowledge his
spiritual authority, appears incompatible with ti e dig-
nity of Government, and the public peace. Vi 'e ac-
knot ledge that the letter from Rome is written with are
ser v e Ana moderation not imitateoliby the Welsape
the the Coort of Rom, stthinit to the /Juan of
ssrpe troub!esome fanatic,:—that, it will 4Qt brave .the
Government of the N'etherlaodx-,,thn: it will npt, prt-
tend to .11:nul its acts, nor compel it. to a humiliation
opposed both by honour and dignity. The expeljence
of what has recently happened in Mexico will not, we
hope, be thrown away. Too rigorous pretensions, and
a too absolute unle,i'sava weakoncd the bonds between
America and the Holy See; and.will, in the end, de-
stroy them, if cha'ity and conciliation do n.:t dictate
the re:olutions of the Court of Rome. Let it be cau-
tious riot to 1 nd as ear to the clamours of theJesnits,
and their partisans. They do nothing but mischief.
Last year they prevented the emancipation of the Catho-
lics of Ireland, and they are again beginning. their in-
vectives against the English Government. By their
public dectama:ions and their secret manoeuvres, they
am endeavouring to widen the breach bet wten the
Netherlands and Rome. Their influence brings only
trouble, discord, and hostility, and he is to be pitied who
does not know how to guard against it."