Star.
London, England, 1827-03-29 00:00:00

ROMAN CATHOLIC*.

Lord KING held.* Petition well entitled to the serious
attention of the House. It was from the general Body
Of the Catholics of Ireland, and complained of the cruel
-cast on their religion by the law which required
ilelegy.Minaber of the Protestant Church, of that and
die other House, and every Judge in the Courts of
,to declare that their religion was superstitious nd
atemselves idolaters, a slander which was totally un-
founded. Their Lordships had received numerous Pe-
titions from the Right Rev. Bench opposite, chiefly
from the Clergy of their ewn Church, stating anything
lint what bore the character of Christian charity. In
that they had exercised their own discretion, and much •
Lead might it do them. But how different was the
ipirit displayed in other btates ? He had lately read in
a German Paper, that the King of Prussia had ex-
pressed his approbation of their conduct to a Catholic
Priest and a Protestant Pastor, because they had united
'to Femme harmony amongst their respective Co-Re-
rysionisti ; and in reading it he could not help ex-
chiming, " Oh ! happy country, where there is nothing
to be got by bigotry and intolerance !" But here, in
order to prosper in the Church, it was necessary is
preach up Protestant Ascendancy and Catholic degra.
dation. Here pestilent Petitions were promoted by
'Parsons, and more pestilent pamphlets wire pu Dished
for preferment, and aftesviards presched in a Chapel
linst far from that House, by an Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman, to please the palate of a Noble and Lea:ned
Lard; whilst in Prussia everything was done to cherish
peace amongst the professors of different creeds: here,
a crusade was set up to convert some of our n fellow-
' subjects, and their Lordships were told that the finger
of GOD was in it. The finger of GOD was seen in every
crusade by enthusiasts or by artful men. But the failure
of the crusades of old was a bad omen for the success
of that now undertaken to convert the ei benighted
Irish." The undertaking had been well characterised
in a Journal of the day, as about as feasible as an at-
tempt to boule off the Atlantic. But whilst those Pro-
testant Jesuits were pursuing this course, it was grati-
fying to find it condemned by the highest authority iu
the Irish Protestant Church. In his charge to his
Clergy, the 'enlightened Archbishop cf Cashel had
lately stated that, in his cool and deliberateopinion, the
attempt was not advisable under present circumstances,
that its success was not probable, and that it was fraught
with danger, not only to Religion, but to Christianity
itself. Yet others would be found to cry woe, woe. and
to inflict woe upon those who did not enter into their
views. They professed themselves ready to stiffer mar-
tyrdom ; but wiss-cornmeritators said ih it 4L is as msr-
tyrdom of promulion;ead that the flames iu which they
would revel would be those of preferment. The Noble
Baron then read part of the Petition, which prated for
the repeal of the oaths and declarations which tended
to disgrace the men who took them, and_ the
whom they applied.
E.trl STANHOPE admitted, that in Prussia
Austiia no political difference was made between
iestants and Catholics; but the Noble Baron

gotten to say, that in those States there Vas
Constitution. All depended upon this, and
no Constitution to preserve in this country,
wady to make every concession; but he di
that concessions could be safely made under

he people to
Pras,ia and
ietween Pro-
'on bad for-
s oo popular
were there
hewould be
lid not think •
a Protestant