The Statesman.
London, England, 1813-05-24 00:00:00

A BRIEF

The Bill► wiL
the Roman Catholics,
femes to " put
town his Wilkey
i'ito cwcution,

4ltimoiity, and
ligimis innovation
it wit: even certain!;

'of religious persecuL
nicite to the °mholtei

i; okerment

0, %dale from

to typre:4, io their
a numerous description
sertices which the,

country, and
win to render
expect to be particol
the t:• Catholic "

Ist. By the ten•r
(toned person are '

cretion, and merc

their own body,

anJ arbitrary in
,j, I equivition)

CJ nduct, 'without

less without those

loyalty and peaceable _
redress or appeal from a decision that mardiltitive
them of their character, and- evoritdelfy of ,their
country, to which all British subjects steantitled.
Idly, By appointing cit-lain lay persons., pro,
rasing the Catholic Religion, to senate the loyalty.,
of the Catbolic.Prelature and Clergy (whereas it it
the office, as it has bees the• practice of title latter, by.
their ministetial &dr,' to secure that of the former),
and by admitting the oath of a few la,•Catholimos a
sur9Cent security, and rejecting that of the- whole
Catholic Prelature and Clergy as insecure, these
wruld be andeservedly degraded in iheir ci r lusd
social charactets, before their own body end the
public at large.
The Constitution of the Catholic Chureb h.
essentially Episcopal; whereas the tendency of the
proposed clauses, is to render it, in this kingdom,
in a great degree deuiocmtical, by making the INshops
and Clergy dependent :on theie laity, both as to
their appointment and their ministry, 'Thus, for
example, if the Clergy should not preach, or minister,
or write, according to the.opinions or the sentiments
of the lay Cotamissionerw;* it is out of the order of
things-that they should be judged worthy by the lat-
ter of a tesiiitionial -of peaceable Conduct.

4thly, To be a Catholic Commissioner it .is WI;
iltint, wetting to the clauses of the Rill, 6' to pro=
1,5 s the Roman Catholic Religion.:" now this may
aid has been done by many persons who have set its
essential doctrines, discipline, and spiritual authority
at op! defiance. The tendency, therefore, of the
in question, is to subvert the Religion, which
t!.e Bill professes to protect.

5:111y, It would be an act of schism against the
Catholic Religion, for any member of it, by word
or act, to concur to that clause which declares, that
persons in. Holy Orders—appointed, according to
the usages of the Roman Catholic Church, to exer-
cise episcopal duties, shall not be capable of exer-
cising such duties—in whose favour a major part of',
the Commissioners shall have-refused to certify their
loyalty and peaceable conduct." Of course, no
Cithi)lir, and still more no Catholic Bishop, can,
.7,nisl,tetatly with his religion, accept of or act under
:fir Commission in question. •
Notwithstanding all, this, it is humbly presumed
lilt no danger to the Establishment in Church or
can arise from the proposed admission of Ca.
tuoiL ,
laymen to civil or military privi!eges, is con-.
I•tence of their Bishops and Clergy continuing to_;
elect other Bishops (as they .have hitherto done,
without restraint or complaipt from the Legis-
lature, and conformably to the practice of the
iifferent classes of Dissenters), because the, are all
his Majesty's sworn and approved 'loyal subjects;
because they are ready to swear• that, "they will
'lose none but those whom they conscientiously be.
Here to be such," [and it must he admitted that they
know one another'i conduct and dispositions better
than any layman, whether Catholic or Protestant,
CAD know them)) and because it h evidently their
interest and that of their religion, as well as it is
their duty to provide, to the best of their power,
that their Prelates should not only be loyal and or.
possible, acceptable to
riPily, but also, as much as
his Majesty's Government.
ithly, With respect to any communicetion be.
'.r,.eti the Catholic Prelates and .Clergy, and Cm
`lead-Bishop and other Prelates of their religion, it
ilcnaspatible with their character and duty to
,Alle,t this to the opinion of their laity ; neverthe.
1,•3b Cie)! are 'ready to swear that they " will not
'nmmunicate, directly nr indirectly, with the Pope,
ke• er with any other person in foreign parts,
ri any matter or thing affecting the safety and
Peur of his Majesty's Government, or of the
Estaiilisliment in Church and State, or on any
other political sehjgct whatsoever* ; and that its
case they should fnceiire any letter or other deco.

. It %deed be too hnrab a tersest, to require the illohopik and
(ht'es Nboror that they " rill ew 'eot►e.poitd or etnnesoni-
cate•oithibi popt or with filly person natterritted by hinty-oa
;inv matter sot ?Wyly eerleakiiiteatv" b the eltelitilmo of etre
bter.rr sobjee a, or thole of Itaossoityr or pug civility.