Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-11-24
THE POPE's BRIEF.

THE POPE's BRIEF.
Pins III. to bis Yenerabh Byctbren, The
Arcbbj@ops ard bi.5ots ofFrante, baO-
ing The communion Gnd faUor ef The H.
pafohc CHAR.
Venerable Fathers,
Health and the ApoGoic BencdiGicp
So many and - Signal are the frviccs
which, botia as general body, and as in
dividnaIs Of the Catholic Faith, you have
performed, that ON this account you have
ever merited from us and from our prede
ceifor Plus VI. nov happily to ret, the
higheit COMMUNICATIONS and the highef
praife Of your virtue.
But although what you.haye done for
the church, and for the advantage of the
Faithful, be very great and highly glori.
Gus to you, yet the fate Of the times forces
us to notify to you, that ysu have NOT yer
fulfilled that mcritorious career Of glory
for which the couiiels Of Dfvisg P;.9vy-
dsHee have redrved vo1r courage in ti,cfc
times. Greater iacri:ices, O Venerable
Fathers, Gill remain 10 be added TO thole
by whichy you nave diitingailhsd ycrrEelves
and you have till to add higher claims TO
;hoic which yon nov. have to the graft
rude of the church. Thq.preic-yGtion Of
The church, the e-efaGfhment OF the ca
,holic religion in France, demand new
example OF virtue ard OF greatocis OF foul
in you, whica may teach all nations, that
the holy zeal with which you burn for the
church has for il. Object its advantage,
and not your own. Your Eccleiaitlcal
Seats are voluntary to be reGgned, and the
fame matt be freely given up into ourhands.
II is requiring much of you, Venerable
Brethren; it's, however, equally neceGa-
ry that we fhould comply with it, in order
to re-efaolfh order in France in the af-
fairs OF the Church. We feel, indeed,
how much it mutt colt your hearts TO a.
bandon thoie hocks which are 70 dear to
you. to the fitety of which you have Civ
en- 10 much attention, and which even in
your abience, have been the object of your
mod tender folicitude. But the more BIT
ter the iacrifce, the more agreeable will
it be 70 God; the reward which YOU will
have to expea from it will be proportioned
TO your grief and to his enevolcncc.--
With the whole energy OF your foul, do
we call upon your virtue; we call upon
youby the blefed name OF JESUS, to com
p!ctes this facriice for the pre(erva,ion Of
unity.
A knowledgeofthe diRin2uihed piety,
and of the remarkable virtue which we
have ever remarked in you in the moa
trying circumstances of the Church, makes
US certain that you will immediately for
ward to US your voluntary Letters of Alb
dication. We cannot entertain doubt
that any OF the wife and virtuous PaRors
OF the French Church, can for a moment
hehtatc to comply withour paternal advice,
and to follow the luxurious example Of |
Grrgo,y N0zianzene, when he reGpned the
Bithopric ofConitantinople. And certain |
y, IN the itualion in which we i}and.
what reaion can W. have TO fufpe1 that a.
ny OF you would rcfG our counfcls and
our intreaties, il he recolletts what the |
church in general has rSfolvcd, and what |
ST. Ausualne has faid--Con1a Cyc/rsnl- |
I'M, Lib. 2, c. XII" We are not Bifhons
tor our own fixes, but for the fixes Of |
tlote 10 when sc ad niniAer the fscramen,s
OF the LORD; and, for theie, 40 necefIity !
lhaii require, we ere either to be or not 70 |
Ne, as It's not for ourfeives, bnt for them
hat we govern
For you know, Venerable Brethren. |
mat mary Of the moG dilErnguilhed pre-.
iates OF The church, that they might con.
torn to tbs priciple Of the church ard pre-
l5rye UNITY, have voluntarily abdicated |
their fea's and almof goo Catholic Bin |
ops a little before the cesebrsea e5Hziis,,