The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-07-10 00:00:00

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!Siff LONDON,

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this itipulition and condition, that after the erasure
of those names a sufficient number of Candidates
shall remain from which we, and the Popes of Rome,
our successors, may. freely. choose him whom we
shall judge of all the most worthy of the Episcopal
rank and nffice.
Wherefore, Venerable Brethren, it is unquestion
ably evident, that-whet we have done amounts only
to this: We have agreed to act steadily towards the
British Government, according to file same rule (a
rule in itself founded in prudence) which our pre.
decessors, the Roman Pontiffs, even before those
limes when thy onmiirstion of Bishops was granted
to Princes, determined in their wisdom, to maintabel
as effectually as might he; that is, not to promote
(ea/aOre -41,F411f5. to vacant Sees iny persons whom they might know
to he onpleasing to the powers under whom the Dim.
Tar following is igi'D;c'Ompot which Mr. Seery-
ceses to be administered by them were situated: hick,
ary trey bas breitetargeeeted by the Irish Catholic sole, far from being limn
Boartl. to .putitish s the Church, and far from having brought any evil ea
To imar.lrescrahle Brother,
TflßAltell'atthstipPs AND BISHOPS OF IRELAND. it' is justly approved of and praised by all. For it
. .• PltlS P: Pe TIC is founded on a principle laid down by another of
Vinitst)lllt.e, BaoTtittsa, HIALTH AND APOSToLI- our most illustrious predecessors, St. Leo the Great,
CAL.BarsketCTION I—The perosal of sour Letter, de- " that none he ordained Bishop, without the con.-
livered to 414 by out Venerable 8r0th.,,,, sent and postulation of the flock, lest an unwelcome
Archbishop of Hierapolis, Coadjutor of the Arch. intruder incur its contempt or hatred." Now (hit
bishop of Dublin, slid John, Bishop of Cork, to. principle, although literally applicable to the People
pettier with certain Resolutions passed with your (only, to whose postulations at that time regard was
joint coucurrestre at a Synod held its Dublin, on V.I. had io the election of Bishops, must rightfully be
41341 slid t4th days of August, of the last year, 1815. extended to Princes, the necessary circumstances
has impressed our mind with a deep sense of concern. concurring, and even to those who are not in' come
Fur we, hating openly declared the conditions to munion with us, who, from the nature of their
which we assent, in case the expectation, excited by power its temporal affairs, have so easily the means
the Government, of granting Emancipation, should of preventing a Bishop, who may be the object of
he realised, imagined we had, as far as in our power 'their dislike or suspicion, from the care of the
lay, removed the difficulties which opposed the Entail. flock committed to his charge.
cipelion of the Catholics of the Kingdom of Great Bd. But you appear to entertain serious apprehensions
lain, and, in a certain degree, had prepared a way for that, if the power spoken of be granted, the Govern.
the obtainment of a benefit so long moil so earnestly mead may seccesvively erase from the list to be pre..
looked for. With this 'tripe, and relying on it with assisted to it. the names -of those most worthy of the
certain confidence, we gave instructions to our vesser• honour of Episcopacy, and- by this means compel
able hrnther, La orence,Bishop of Sabinum,Cardi mil of those who shall have the transaction of the business,
the I:oly Roman Church, and Prefect of the Cinque. to name the Clereymais whom it shall judge most
points de Propaganda Fide,to communicate nersen• likely to be subservient to its views, and Our the
timents in a letter to our Venerable Brother the destruction of the Catholic Religion may thence take
Archbishop of Dublin, through whom they might its rise. Observe, however, Venerable Brothers.
subs•quently be made known to your whole Body how destitute these your apprehensions are of all
also : which has been performed by him according to reason and all foundation. Remember that the Go-
the instructions received from us. With what pails, vortirestitt which, under other sircumstances, might
then, do we find it expressly declared in y our letter, he suspected of entertaining, projects hostile tcethe
that the expedient which, amongst others, for saris. Catholic Religion,. is the same which by laws, esper
tying the Government of the loyalty of those to be cially those passed in the years 1773, 1788, 1701,
elected Bishop', not only did not meet your appro. and 1793, repealed a great part of those penal sta.
Wine, but appeared to you to threaten destrectiou lutes by which the Catholics of the British Empire
to the Catholic religion in Ireland. Wherefore, in were so grievously oppre-tteti ; remember how often
conformity with our duty, we dispateh the present your most excellent King, George lif., and his 11.
letter to..you, for the purpose of effering from your lustriors Sun, have Wended their protection to Ca.
minds the not.sufficiently oeil.founded opinion a isich t holies, and that the British Government was
you appear to entertain, in regitd to the expedient amongst the chief of our supporters, its procuring
above alluded to. We trust that God, aid out Lord our return to the Pontifical Chair, and our restore.
Jesus Christ, whose Vicar on earth, though from no tiers to our an. ietit independence in the exercise of
nierits of oar own, we glory in beteg, will give from. those spiritual sights which the hand of violence had
above such force to our words, that the weighty rea• wrested from us. Upon what grounds. therefore,
wont which we are about to lay before you, shall au could any one sosp•ct, that this sense Government
affect your minds, as to induce you to lay aside ali entertained a desiass to destroy that most liuly Reli.
anxiety relative to the expedient already stated as ape which, by its favour and protection, it had so
;nosed ref by us.' .iften guarded ? and if certain attempts are still made
It is necessary, therefore, Vemvrable Brothers. in yule island to theistjory of the Cetholic
that you should bring distinctly to your recollection these undoubtedly either are the acts of private
iudi-
she pint of the eSpedient proposed by us, which virtual!, Or they-gill altogether cease, as soon as, all
has caused you so meets fear and ensiety. When it laws enacted against Catholics being repealed, the
became incumbent on us to adopt some method by latter 3 tail he placed on the same footing as other
which, after the law granting Emancipation should subjects, and no objection he further made to the free
he passed, the Government might be satisfied' of th. profession of the Cstholic
loyalty of those to be chosen Bishops, of which Now, elthough i-were a thing to he apprehended,
those at the head of it entertained very groundless which to us appear altogether incredible, that the pro.
indeed, but very serious apprehensions—what did jests of Government were directed to the destruction
we propose ? Was it, that ureter the obligation of of the Calkolic Religion, yet the power which we
a Convention, or by any other mode, or its ant declared ourselves ladling. to grant could never be
other form, to be submitted to. perhaps, if not perverted into the means of producing such an effect.
ict ly eligible, the right of nomination, of pre- For the list in which the names of the Candidates are
sentotion, of postulation, should he pouted to Go. to he coistairsesl, will certainly not he made out by
vernment, so that those administering it might dic. the Government, but by the. care and attention of
init. to us the names of Clergymen to he by us sp. those, "being Catholics, who usually propose to this
pointed Bishops in that kingdom ? By no means; See persons fur promotion to the vacant Bishoprics of
for while we strenuously adhered to the wise pane. yner kingdom; w hich Catholics, excelled by none in
op Of our never.to.be.forgotten predecessor, Pillow their seal for religion, will insert in their list the
Benedict XIV. relative to the never granting to Re. names of such Ecclesiastics only, as they shall judge
mass Catholic Princes the privilege of nominating to best suited for suetainiug the weight of the Episcopal
,Bishoprics or Abbacies, declared by him us • letter inanity ; but Goaernment, according to the condi.
written to the Bishop of Breslow, on the 15th May, lion which is, Si we have mentioned, to make an
in the year 1748, we carded our precautions so far, esgentiar part of opr prnposrd concemien, shall. be
that we propesed nothing which could with truth be allestied to Point nut for erasure from the list not
said to convey to the Government a power as to the but some only of the names proposed, and be bound
etiaice of Bishps. We only declared that we would to 1,004 sofficienksumber,.out of which a free elec.
grant a certain power or exclusion; and in order tbat tion*r one may be masleby us. So that, although
the power so given might never he turned into a some he rejected by 'Grivernment, yet our selection
privilege of election, we circumscribed it within eve.- will still he occupied about sect only as, by the suf.
lain limits; and, es expressly stated in the letter of (rage of Catholics, shall have "been judged the most
.Cardinal Litta, already quoted, we announced, that worthy, and therefore inserted in the list of Candi.
what we meant to permit was to extend no farther dates: and for this reason it ran never happen (pro.
than this—" That those whose province it is, may sided the condition laid down by us be arlhe:td
present to the King's Ministers the list of the ;from which, if any deviation be made, the con
dates, in order that, if there he amongst them the itself becomes invalid) that the Government, by ex.
name of any person displeasing to, or suspected by, eluding many in succession, should, at last, compel
the Government, such name may be insatediately the Electors to the choice of one unworthy of the:
pointed out and erased; still, however, so that a !•ifice, and likely he he subservient to its plans for Cite
sufficient number may remain, from which his /log. destruction of the Catholic Religion.
netts may freely choose whom, in the Lord, he may This, also, Venerable Brothers, it is right dettl
judge mere fit for presiding over the Want Sees."— you should seriously.odeett too, that it was noellimat-
This, then, is whatare proposed to allow, in order time for us to refuse thisstnall interferencele the
that all room for doubt concerning the loyalty of the. election of Bishops to. the British Government, with•
Prelacy should he removed from the mipd yf Govern- out exciting, in a sedans degree, the displeasure of
ment.This sphere of interference will be, you mstst tier. that Go'vernment towards the whOle Church. It were
rely', very limited, being unnfineti to this, that it indeed tit be wished, and it is indeed what we of all
shall be empowered to erase froth'the 'Candi- others' most earnestly desire, that, in the election of
dates to be preseniM t* this Illstr ties (or ittoint- BishoilV tre.9nrby that full complete freedom, which
went. to vacant Bitshopries. (*bleb list wive ware& so .pecullarly, levates a pert of oar supremacy ; and
should he subasitte4 'natio Kitsg's.Rististereitote }hat that** lay priViehiasny abare'whatever in a
mat-
purpose) the name', of any •pertensts *hose parent ,ter of siveittek tbAtint.' Bet you, yourselves, well
may be viewed with suateiFioo howenr4 Nitta,
4.k0001 fah* fai 11,* iittat'preseot removed from this
•••
sn
silt id -betrusggiets.st kc.iefl Yoe &Nati et dead boa ,• • •. • 1±;e: •
st.:l t iyQN es:laap Jain; 'Poloobto sdi . , us t

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• • , FRIDAY, JULY 10; 1818. '

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" The Came for iohkk Ileterbin fell in the field, and Srovir died on Ike scaffold!" •• • • • • •

happy State of things.
or many of them at
`tamed ftorn the Ap,
shate of influence in
And hence have ari,
the nomination*, the
-and other expedimitt
tent of tt,e privileges
Catholic S .vereigns
your islands, before
[ion from the Homan
were chosen by the
King, as is recorded
i held on the Or h day of
the auspicious Ponlit
Besides, not Cathol
'also, who were see
claim a therein the
hoes to Bishoprics, situated in thrseizsetteaf
dominions which yet adhere to the Callione'.
Claim which this See feels it necessary to whoa.
' Such being the slate of this thomentraus. (withm
what hope could here be entertained that the British.
Government would have long submitted to at; owls:
tion from a share in appointing the Bishops of gnat
island, even such as it has been explained, while a
enntluet so different is obierved, not only to Catholic ,
Sovereigns—to tli.se evert whose dominions are of '
the smallest eatent—but also to Princes who do not
belongio our CoMmunion i Was it not to be feared
that, if we had declined adopting the meowe already
mentioned, Government would not only lay aside.
all intention orgrauting Emancipation to the Calho.
lies, but withdraw from them all favour and protect
lion, throughout the whole of its so widely eiteuded
dominions ?
Moreover, an additional motive sit jealoney mutt
arise in the mind of Government towards us and doe
Catholic cause from this circumstancei that the,: 1
Bishops subject to its dominion being rendered by ail
..
Emancipation, supposing it granted,' qualified to sit
in Parliament, new precautions might sp:.par neces.
sary to remove all possibility of doubt concerning
their loyalty. We grant, indeed', that no additional
pledge of that loyalty can appear necessary, to tot,_
.proved grit is by the testimony of the etperience of
so many ages, and the'llishops binding themselves to
fidelity and obedience towards the Government; by
the obligation of an oath, accordlyg to the second of •
theetheee forms which we have proposed. flat how
k it to be- expected that the Government will con-
sent to relinquish this additional security for the
loyalty of the Bishops, which, in the case of so many
othet 4oeereigns and Governments, is fully a ll,,wed ?
How Pis it be imaaitterl, that the British Gavern•.
ment will not conceive itself unfairly treated, by the
refusal of obis additional security; or that it will lint
derive from it a motive of doubting the loyalty of the
Catholics, which unprincipled men are constantly la.
bourieg to bring under suspicion ? Who Can believe
that the refusal of even sorb a return as this for the
mighty benefit of Envaricipatioti, must not excite deep
resentment in the minds of those Who are expected to
grant it?
For the prevention, therefore, of those evils, which
were to he apprehended on the part of so powerful d '
Government. no other means appeared to us efficient,
hut that of agreeing to those rules relative to the elec-
tion of Bishops, which are mentioned in the letter of
Cardinal Litia.
Now,o ith regard to the Power which we have ex-
pressed an intention of gratifying, we consider it not
only as making part of a fit and wise arrangement of
Ecclesiastic AGirs, which shall be at once not inju.
rious to Religion, and a means of stetting from it
many calamities otherwise to be feared, but also as a
likely motive towards the obtainment of Emancipetiono
which has been a principal inducement with us to con.
cede it ; desirable as that Emancipation is to the Ca.
tholies, and attended, as it must be, with a largo
share of spiritual advantages. Turn your thoughts,
Venerable Brothers, to this, and consider it with par.
ticolar attention, that we, in granting to Government
the indulgence so often spoken of, have been in•
tioenced by no political or temporal motives, hut in.
duced solely by a consideration of those benefits and
advantages which must flow to the Catholic Religion
from the repeal of the Penal Laws. For under the
operation of those laws, whose severity is to be con•
sidered as not falling short of any, even the most
grievous of the persecutions recorded in the annals of _
the Church— what afflictions, what oppressions, was
not the Catholic Religion subject to in your islands ?
For in Great Britain, as you need not be told, the Ca.
tholics are reduced to en inconsiderable number,
while the succession of the Catholic Bishops is in a
mintier destroyed, a few Vicars Apostolic alone re.
making ; hut in !relived, although the legitimate sac•
cession of the Hierarchy has been preserved inviolate
down to the present day; and although the Irish Ca.
thotics have been ever eminent for a most zealous at.
• Holy Religion, yet their number has

tachment to our Holy yi
been unquestionably diminished by the operation of
the Pecs! Laves, as a multitude of Irish Writers
abundantly testify.
That the miserable condition of the Catholics In
both Islands has been greatly relieved by the de.
mercy of George 111. and that the repeal in Perlin.
meet of mauy of the laws by which they were vie.
vously oppressed, we grant end acknowledge—
still, es you well know, many yet remain ante.
pealed, which press heavily on the Catholics of Ire-
land, and still more on those of England; and front
which the evils resulting to the Catholic Religion,
under their operation, must, to • certain degree at
least, continue to d iw. For which reason the Ca-
tholics of England, almost all, sod of Ireland, ■t
least a greet number, entertain a most ear,.est desire
of the total repeal of those laws; end h"n's a' Is
known to all, repeatedly petitioned for such repeal,
—saner - in the early ages of the

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Per
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—474'
411!
- 141
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. Pktcl
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t.
Fot the S.,vereigns of E..rope,
Lt least; have demanded and ob.
mstolical See., a greater or !me?
the noinination of Candidatet.—...
tho chaventiohr. the Wats;
e postulationt, the presentations,
is of this kind.; by which the et.
I granted in titifl tray to to many
lit limited and defined. Even in
t the ever-to be.larnented setiato.;
in'Cltureh took plat,. thel3 4t,
Pope upon the suplilicittion of the
ed in the Acts of the Chnektoryi
of July, (tithe year 1554. dolin;
lifirate of Pope Joliut the Third.
((lit Sittereigos slots!, hot Other*
(Iterated from our cotsmonions
appointment of g
ecletisisiiral per:.
siistatgd in ilmseparti.rad their
et &title,. to the Cath"..fielotels ; a
,e feels it necessary to 101;104 to.
late of this filamentous. quettiono.
tore be Pntorialnoti that Site Bliti(b. t
I have lons submitted to ah twig: i 1

lin the NM Manner set in the early wip. --