The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-09-19 00:00:00

SPECIMEN OF THE POPE'S LIBERALITY

On the occasion of the canonisation, a few days since,
of a Peter Claver, in the first place, Pius IX.. proclaimed,
ex cathedra, the validity of two miracles necessary to
qualify a new saint about to be canonised for his place in
the calendar. The sifting and public approval of miracles
which have happened a sufficient time back to prevent the
inconvenience of living witnesses is so common an occur-
rence at Rome that this circumstance would have excited
little attention, but for the fact that the proposed saint,
Peter Claver, was a member of the Jesuit order. What
the particular miracles were with which the memory of
the holy man has been illustrated is not mentioned in our
account of the transaction; our readers may, however,
rest satisfied that his life was sufficiently miraculous, for
he laboured so successfully as a missionary amongst the
negr')es that, as the legend assures us, he baptised, during
the forty years which he spent in his mission, upwards of
three hundred thousand blacks, that is, seven thousand
five hundred per annum, or at the rate of more than a
score a day. The fact of the saint elect being a Jesuit,
and the cause of his sanctity being advocated by a Jesuit,
was sufficiently significant at a time when the order of
Jesuits has ceased to have any publicly recognised exis-
tence at Rome.
But, significant as this circumstance was, Pius IX. gave
additional zest to the proceedings of the day by delivering
himself of the following tirade against Protestantism.
After paying a compliment to the order founded by St.
Joseph Calasanzio, and acknowledgingothe encouragement
tnrres rr ar the zeal of the
fathers, his Holiness went on to say that " he prized this
consolation-all the more highly, as he had lived to be
afflicted by the temerity of those who had ventured to in-
troduce into Italy, all Catholic as it was—yea, into the
very centre of Christendom—Protestantism, by means of
one of a thousand, yea, of ten thousand accomplices."
The reader will note the "reciprocity" of the expression.
At Rome, according to the "•Sovereign Pontiff," to hold
Protestant opinions is sufficient of itself to make a man a
criminal ; the mere profession of Protestantism, and the
endeavour to propagate it—common to all religions sin-
cerely held and exeecised—is adverted to in terms gene-
rally employed in referring to criminal machinations. But
let us hear more.

" They (the ten thousand accomplices) expresi the
most ardent wishes for Italian nationality"—good citizens,
therefore, so far, according to the definition of the Pope
himself, who took the lead, it will be remembered, in the
crusade for Italian nationality—" and in order to serve
that cause they make use of abominable means, directly
calculated to destroy it." Hear it, most Presbyterian
Lord John, the propagation of Protestant opinions is pro-
nounced an abomination by that Roman Pontiff with
whom you were so anxious to open relations of amity,
for whom your Lord Lieutenant of Ireland has so pro-
found a veneration ! Listen, we entreat you, to the
Pontifical Throne, which desires free liberty for Roman-
ists in England, and by way of " reciprocity" would gag
good Protestants in Rome !

"At the moment," proceeds the Holy Father, when
Germany, animated by the same spirit (of nationality)
acknowledges the diversity of religion to be the greatest
obstacle to the end proposed, so much that the Protes-
tants form projects of union, men are to be found in Italy
who, without dreading to cause an immense religious
scandal as well is an immense political danger, attempt
to introduce the pestilential seed of separation from the
unity of the faith, on pretence of bringing about the unity
of the nation. This is what the blindness of passion leads
to. Let us pray God that he may scatter these deeds of
darkness; and relying on the Divine promise, let us re-
member that the gates of hell shall not prevail against
the Church."

Such are a few of the evidences of amity and good fel-
lowship which Rome desires to set on foot in her nego-
ciations with Protestant England, and in demanding reci-
procal concessions from her Protestant Government.