Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-11-25
LONDON, September I9.
FRENCH BISHOPS,

49,
they were Immediately TO receive Il 5rict
from Rome, with the rrccife tenor OF
which they were unacquainted, agreed to
alTemble on Saturday Taft, at the houie of
the Archbifhop of Narbonne It concert
4neafn.cs under the prefcnt circumstances.
in the interval, they actually received the
Brief, 70 that, On the day appointed, they
found themfelves conveniently ailemb!ed
{nr the dilcuaion Of the plan. They be-
gan their deliberations at noon, and did
not f~eparate till towards five o'clock
The meeting coniiaed OF three Archbi-
1hops and thirteen Bi!hops, the BilAop Of
Rhodes being in the country, and the BIZ
fhop of Moulins, who has not yet been
fnvefted with the Epifcopal Charaaer,
taking only a nominal part.
The Archbihop Of Narbonne, who pre-
fided, opened theproceedings by nnounc-
ing thar the fubjett upon which they were
to deliberate, was the propoGtion made to
them by Pope Plus VII. to yshgn tker
Seer into his hands, as the fole means Of
terminating the fchifm which has for ten
years haraled the. Gallican Church, and
for rc-eRabliihing the Catholic Religion
In France. The Sovereign Pontif, iii
doing juRice to their conduit in the ex-
ercife of their Holy offices, avows, that
he was f0rced to rake this proportion to
them from the cruel neceaity of the times.
In order to engage then to adopt it, he
reprefented to them the example of ST.
Gregory Nazienzes, who, in nearly fimi-
lar circumstances, refgned his archbihop-
ric of Cenltantinople in the year 3S3, and
that of the three hundred African Bilhops,
who offered to abdicate theirs in favour OF
the Dsnatjfs, if tina; lacrihce could recall
thofc fchifmatics within the pale of the
Church. A till frcnger reafon was the
letter written In 1894 to Pits VI. BY thir.
ty Bihops of the Confituent AGembly, in
which they offered him their ~reignaticn,
with foil powers to accept and diipofe OF
their Diocefes in flch asmlnncr as he fhould
think mott conducive to the prefervation of
the unity and the re-eRablifhmcnt of rcli-
gion. Thefe 80 men fpoke upon the pre-.
4umed content OF all their colleagues. The
latter, not having rem1nitratcd agsinN
Avere coniidered as having acquiefccd in it,
and many of them had poGsiye,y done 70
in private letters.s
The archbhnop of AK, who fpoke next
lin order after the prefdenr, placed the
quetiOn III a very luminous point OF view.
both as to its civil and political relations,
In a very eloquent and argumen.a,iye
ipecch.
The archbiHop Of Bordeaux lpoke to
the fame effect.
The bi(hop of Arras, minifcr Of Louis
XVIII. in England, communicated the
with of Monfeur, which was aga;nH their
resignation.
The bifhop Of Uzes read a nunber ci
documents relating to the fubjea and, ac-
ter leveral pre!ases had fpoken for and a.
gaint, the meeting was then adjourned to
Monday laR.
When aaembled on hat day, the diff
cuaion was renewed on both Gdes, and
each prelatc made aGSeech, explanatory OF
the grounds on which his opinion was
founded. Four were for a pure and finn
pie reignation, and eight againt il, and
four for taking a middle courie. Tlloie
Tor the acquiefcence were the ~archbi(hop of
AK, who Ill the ConRi,uent AacnbIy.
was ieleeted to be the organ of the clergy
the archbifhop Of Bcurdeaux, hereto
fore keeper of the feals, and former agent
for the ciefgy-,he bi0nop Of Laiears, a
prclate whole paforal talents and virtues,
as we'll as profound knowledge of ~ecclei-
%aftical. @fcience, gave great weight to hi.
oPinion-snd the bifhop Of Comignes.
At the head of its opponents was the
archbifhop of llarbonne, Imported by the
bifhops of Montpelier, Mayon, Nantes,
A%ngouleme, Ayranchcs, Lopbez, and
Uzes.