The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-10-08

citt of public worfhp, have been provided
and fuitabie edifiCes have been allotted as femi
naries for young ecclefiafics. 1t has been de.
creed that thefe frminaries fhal be eligible to
receive documentary beGuefts Of monies, or OF
founded property and the expences of thofe
attached to the Metropolitan churches fhal be
betrayed from the public treafury. The reve-
nues defined for the bif,ops and canons of the
Cathedral churches have been augmented. The
municipal administrations of the provinces have
| been charged with the providing for the repair,
and for furnihng the Ordinary churches. The
| fociety of the Millions Etrangeres originally
defined TO carry the true faith to the extremi-
ties OF the earth, has been reftored through the
lpaterna care of the Emperor, 70 as .obe able
10 recover the property j. once -pofIefcd. and
even to acquire new mifIionaries, who have been
fent TO the mott diftant climates for the prooo-
eating OF the true religion, are encouraged and
protected by the government of the Emperor.
we nave ourfelves given, with the moit heart
felt JOY, the apofolic benedition to certain die
tnguiihed priefts, who made part of the uilfion
TO China. Among fuch number of proyident
cares, we could not have forgotten our patriar-
cha' church of the Lateran, the mother and
Chief OF all the churches in the world This
church, by the munifcencc of the mott gene
rous OF Enperors, has been compensated for
the lois OF its property in France, which the fu-
ry of the times had wrcfted from her. Other
meafures of conhderabe importance have alto
been adopted. Ithas beer decreed, that the
bithcPs ihall cxercife their powers of Judging
with reipect to fpritual offences, and thote
which relate to ecc!eiaaical dfcipline, and TO
puniifl, as provided by the canonical law. That
the attempts made by the civil officers to f,ac-
I'e' IN a manner at once unjuf and opprefive,
the ecc'eliaitical jnrifdction, fhalI be dfconti-
nued; that the ohftacles which exifted to the
nCea nj II ~ n
cal itate thall be greatly dim1iflled I; and tbofe
which prevailed with refpret to the religious e.
dncation of youth TO the affording fpiritual
comfort to the flick, to the folder or to the in
nabitantsof the country, entirely done away.
Ihefe benefits, which we have derived from
our diicuffion with this great prince, guarantee,
as we have already obferved, the effect of the
other demands which we have made from him,
and which we have every reafon to expect from
his religion.
We cannot, however, pats over in fi!ence
tnole other fpritual benefits, which God, the
farther OF mercies, has de6gncd to grant MS in
france. You know with what zeal, with what
Pious ardor, the French people have, in our
perion, revered the fupreme pafor of the Ca
tholic church. That which you have been ao-
pnied OF, Far from furpafiing, even falls G,ort
OF the truth. 1t is beyond the powers of Ian
guage to express the love, the zeal, and the ex-
ternal veneration, which the people Of France
bear towards religion. The God of ,nercies
mas vouchtafed TO thower down 70 many blef-
hngs on our journey to France, that the biihops
have not hefitated often to allure us, that thofe
are beyond conception, as tending to the fpiri.
tua advantage of the people. We have not
dconInued that general facility of accefs to us,
that we may hear the complaints of the aecriev-
ed, and remedy, as far us lies, thoie ,irtIia
evils which fill exit; and that we NAV promote
the principle universally among the people. We
have viilted all the parfhes in Paris, and there,
as we Afterwards did at Lyons, we difribu,ed
among many thoufands of the faithful, eucfa-
riitical bread. We alto vilited the hofp tai,
where the flick received the fuccours IF chrillian
charity, or which were confecrated 10 the rel-
gIous inftruefion of youth. An innumerable
crowd of Catho!is followed US every where, as
well AZ our return, As on our going out, and ap-
Peared never tired of receiving our apofolic be-
nediSiions.
What fhall we fay of the luxurious French
clergy! The sentiments which they loudly ex-
prcifed in our favour, were of that defcrip.ion
mat we, know not how to exprefs how deenly
we have been affected by fuch avowals We
are alto incapable of defcribing that ardent zeal.
that vigilance, thoie indefatigable caree, with
which the bifllops ESPECIALLY governed the Hocks
entruted to their cares, thus doing honour to
that religion of which they are n Winters, and
infuring refpea even from its enemies. Having
been ouritlves witneEes, we have Judged it our
duty to decree theft jun praifes, in the face of
the universal church, to the meritorious clergy
of France.
Neither have we neglected, while a. Paris, to
fulfil thofe duties, which more properly belong
to our nfIniifry. We aflembled in conclave,
our reverend brethren, thoEe cardinals who ac.
companied us, as well as thofe who SGded at
Paris, and we prefented the hat TO card;nal de
Belloy, archbiihop of Paris, and to cardinal
Cam5aceres, archhifhop of Rouen, with thofe
rites and folemnities prefcribed by the spoGolic
contribution. We provided the vacant dio-eTes
with new biihops, and we ourfelyes have con-
iecrated fome of them in the extenfive church
OF st. Sulpice, amidn an nnumerable concourfe
of the faithful. A few days previous to our de-
| parture from Paris, we performed the ceremo-
ny OF baPtifng the prince Napoleon, nephew TO
the Emperor with the greatcft magnifcence, &
in prefence Of that fpIendid court, affemblea at
the Palace of st. Cloud. The Emperor himfeJf,
and his auguf mother, in the mot devout man
ner, prefented the imperial infant at the confe.
Grated font.
Such have been orr labours in France fuch
have been the works of the glorious Emperor of
the French--fuch have been the marks of ,he