The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-10-18 00:00:00

Ono of that confidential COtiliortion in spiritual con.
• teems. which, at present, so Its opity .o.)%krit he, %eel"
the llnly liar and the Roman Cuholire of 11+41111 %
The Prelate. and Priesthood would he shunned soil
despised; the altars and e.infessionsls would he de.
serted ; a state of irreligion and immorality would
succeed in the place of the religious and moral con-
duct which at present distinguishes the people of
Ireland ; public disorders and private mi.fottunes
would follow, and our neglected Church would
become en easy prey to those who now latiour fur the
estirpttion of the Roman Catholic faith from this

testi, n.
We desire to assure your (Tonnes*, that the Rn.
man Catholic Laity of Ireland feel towards their
Prelates and their .Priests the most enthusiastie
esteem and attachment; they look up to them, not
merely as spiritual guides, but also as confidential
friend' and faithful advisors. The trials of persecu-
tion created a system of mutual affection and sup-
port, which enabled each to bear up against the se.
verities of sanguinary laws. These mutual services
are not forgotten ; the sentiments which they ge-
minted remain unchanged ; and, therefore, we ne. ;
vet can consent that our pore and pious Hierarchy
Should be oontaminated by such a connection as
Must endanger their just influence, and render them ,
objects of dislike and distrust among their faithful
locks.
These are some of the revolts expected by the fa.
VOMIT, of the proposed measure to follow its enact.
tweet ; but there ere other• objects also in their
doetemplation. They seek, and ardently desire, to
destroy the Spiritual Authority of the Holy See in
this country ; and we are Confident that their ex.pec-
titimis would be ultimately fulfilled, if they could.
establish the desired revolution in oar ecclesias;
tical system, because experience has taught es, that
wherever any interference of the Ministers of the
British Crown has been allowed, they have ultimate-
ly succeeded In obtaining absolute and exclusive
controul.
Your Holiness most be sensible of the injustice of
the impositions directed* against our venerable Ilie.
rerchy by those persons who espress a desire to pro-
vide future securities for their peaceable and loyal
conduct. Their correspondence with the Holy See
is, of course, open to the inspection of your
Itoli-
ness ; and we entertain no doubt hut they may, with
perfect safety to their political characters, challenge
the most scrutinising and jealous reference to the
communications which constitute that correspond.
once. Again, their conduct at home is watched with
OM than common vigilance; the most trifling in-
stance of disaffection would be gladly etposed, and
yet their characters not only remain unimpeached,
but the highest Officers of the Crown, resident in
this island, have Verne testimony to their loyalty,
and to their laudable exercise of that influence, attach
their station and condect had obtained- for them,
over thiir respective flocks. The Ministers of the
(Drown are already invested with ample powers to
correct soy subject, or stranger, who may disobey
the laws ; and no instance has occurred in this coun-
try of any man, of any station, having escaped pa..
nishment, in consequence of the Insufficiency of the
existing laws to provide for his correction.
Neither should it be forgotten, that our venerable
Prelates are hound, by most solemn oaths, to observe
strictly loyal and peaceable conduct, of which oaths
we annex copies hereunto, and humbly submit them
to the inspection and consideration of your Holiness.
And we are, therefore, confident, that this demand
for further securities is not founded upon any appro.
bension of the existence.of a necessity for them, hut
that it has originated solely from a desire to enable
the enemies of our holy religion, by the admission
of such interference and encroachments, to accom-
plish the destruction of a Church which they hare so
long ineffectually assailed.
We feel that we should be wanting in the practice
of that candour, which it is our pride to profess, were
we not farther to inform your Holiness that we have
ever considered our claims for political emancipation
to be founded upon principles of civil policy. We
seek to obtain from our Government nothing more
than the restoration of temporal rights, and must,
most humbly, but most firmly, protest against the
interference of your Holiness, or any other foreign
Prelate, State, or Potentate, In • the contrivel of our
temporal conduct, or iu the arrangement of our po-
litical concerns.
We, therefore, deem it unnecessary, Most Holy
Father, to state to your Holiness the manifold ob-
jection's of a political nature which we feel towards
the proposed measure. We have confined ourselves
in this Memorial to the recapitulation of objections,
founded upon spiritual considerations; because, as,
on the one hand, we refuse to submit our religious
concerns to the controlsl of our temporal Chief, so,
on the other hand, we cannot admit any right, on
the part of the Holy See, to investigate our political
principles, or to direct our political conduct ; it
being our earnest desire, and fixed determination,
to conform, at all times, and under all circumstances,
to the injunctions of that Sacred Ordinance which
teaches us to distinguish between spiritual and tem.
viral authority, giving into Caesar those things
which belong to Casar, and unto God those things
which belong to God.
Thus, then, Most Holy Father, it appears, while :
this obnoxious measure is opposed by every order of
our Hierarchy, that we, tor whose relief it purports
to provide, feel equally ardent and determined its
our resistance to it, solemnly declaring, as we now
do, that we would prefer the perpetuation of our;
present degraded state in the empire to any such bar-
ter, or exchange, or compromise of our religious
ldelity and perseverance.
We therefore implore your Holiness not to sanc-
tion a measure so obnoxious to the most faithful and
disinterestedly attached portion of the universal
cork. Our hostility is founded on experience and
observation ; whereas, the remote situation of your
linliness renders it necessary that the Holy See
should rely upon the representations of others who
may have been interested in the practice of delusion
or deceit ; for the Ronan Catholics of Ireland never
can believe. that their Revereud Pontiff, who had
endured so much of suffering in maintenance of his
spiriteal station, would, knowingly and intentional..
I), ',AO, or oppress the conscientious feelings of a
Cathode p. opt., who had endured nearly three cen-
titles I I p rsecution, is consequence of their devo-
din to the same religious system.