The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-11-10
The PapaI Ru,l.

The Papal RuL.
APOSTOLIC LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS, PoPg Plus ~,
ESTABLISHING AN EPISCOPAL HIERARCHY IN ENG
CAD PERrEruAM REL MEMoRIAMv
The power OF governing the universal church,
entrusted by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Roman
Ponnff, In the person of ST. Peter, Prince OF the
Apostles, has maintained for centuries Ia the apos-
tolic see the admirable sOlicitude with which il
watches over the welfare of the Catholic religion
In all the earth, and provides with zeal for its pro-
gress Thus has been accomplished the design of
its divine founder, who, by establishing chief,
has In his profound wisdom ensured the safety OF
the church unto the utter.Iost time The effect of
this solicitude has been felt in most nations and
amongst these is the noble kingdom of England
History proves that since the first ages of the
church, the Christian religion was carried into
Great Britain, where i! ourished until towards the
middle of the fifth century After the invasion OF
the Angles and Sax0ns in that island, government,
as well as religion, fell into NEST deplOrable state
AT once our most holy predecessor, Gregory the
Great, sent the monk Augustine and his follow
ers; then he created great number of bshops
joined to them multitude of monks and priests,
brought the Anglo Saxons 10 religion and succeeded
by his influence in reestablishiDg and extending
the Catholic faith In all that country, which then
began to assume the name of England. BIt TO re-
call more recent facts, nothing seems more evi.
dent TO in the history of the Anglican schisr of
the sixteenth century than the solcltuie with
which the Roman pontfis, our predecessors, sue.
cored and supported, by all the means in their
power, the Catholic religion, then exposed in that
=.
Kingdom to the greatest dangers AMI reduced to
the last exuemtes. IL is with this object apart
from other means, that so many efforts have been
made by the Sovereign Pontifis, either by their
orders or with their appro baton, to keep in Eng
land men ready and devoted TO the support of ca
tholicism; and in order that young Catholics
endowed by nature might be enabled to come on
to the continent, there to receive an education and
be formed with in the study of ecclesiastical
science, especially in ORDER that, being in sacred
orders, they may on their return TO their country
be able TO support their countrymen by the minis.
try of their word and by the sacramento and tn Al
they may defend and propagate true faith
But the zeal of our predecessors will perhaps be
more clearly admitted as regards what they have
done TO give the Catholics Of England pastors
clothed in an episcopal char icter at time when
furious and implacablc te mpest had deprived them
Of the presence OF bishops and their pastoral care
First, the apostolic letter of Gregory XIV, com.
menclng with these words, Ecclesia Romano, !"
and dated the 23d March, 1923, shows that the
Sovereign Ponuf as soon as possible deputed
to the government of English and Scotch
Catholic bishops, William Bishop, consecrated
Bishop of Chalcis, with ample faculties and
powers. After the death Of Bishop. Urban VIII;
January a, 1928, addressed to Richard Smith, and
comforting on him the bishoprjc of Chacis, and all
the powers previously resting on Bishop. Ii
seemed, subsequently, at the commencement of
the reign Of James H. that more favorable days
were about to dawn upon the Catholic religion.
Innocent XII prohted at once by the circumstance,
and in 1ts5, he deputed John Leyburn, Bishop OF
Adrumede, as vicar apostolic for all the kingdom
of England. Subsequently, by another apostolic
letter, dated the goth of January, $685. and COM
mencing as follows" Super cathedram, he
Joined with Leyburn three other Wears apostolic,
bishops IN ydrttbtis, so that all England by the
care Of the apostolic nuncio in this country, Fer
dinand, Archbishop of Amosia, was divided by
that Pontif into four districts that of London the
west, the centre, end the north, which at first
were governed by apostolic Wears, furnished with
praper faculties and In the nlish
ment Of 30 grave charge, they received rules and
succour either by the decisions of Benot XIV, in
his Constitution of May 30, 1883. which COM
terium," or by those of other Ponhffs, our prede-
cessors and our congregation for the propagation
Of the faith This division of all England into
four apostolic vcsrages lasted till the time of
Gregory XVI, who, in his apostolic letter, "Mu-
ntris apostolici," dated July g. 1910, considering
the increase of the Catholic religion in England,
and making a new ecclesiastical division Of the
country, doubled the number OF vicarages, and
confded the spiritual government of England to
the Wears apostolic in London, OF the west, the
east, the cenue, of Lancaster, York, and the
north. The little we have just said, proves
clearly that our predecessors applied themselves
strongly TO use all the means their authority gave
them to console the Church OF England for its I'M
mense disgraces, and to work for its resurrection.
Having before its eyes, therefore, the good ex-
ample of our predecessors, and DESTROYS, by Imi-
tstipg them of fulfilling the duties Of the supreme
apostolate; pressed, besides, To follow the move
ments of our heart for that portion of the Lords
vineyard, we proposed TO ourselves, from the CON-
mencement Of our pontIfcate, TO pursue a work
that was so well begun, and TO apply ourselves in
the most serious manner TO favor every day the
development Of the church in this kingdom. For
this reason, considering as a whole the state Of
Catholicism in England, rejecting the con.
siderable number Of Catholics, which keep still
increasing remsrking that every day the obstacles
are falling off which stood in the way Of the ex-
tension Of the Catholic religion, we have thought
al .f h. rylS ..f
sis sticsl government should be resumed in Eng
land, such IL exists, freely exists, in other
nations, where no particular cause necessitates the
ministry OF vicars- apostolic. We have thought
that, by the progress of time and things IL was no
longer necessary 10 have the English Catholics
governed by Wears postolic but, on the contrary,
that the changes which had already been made
necefsitsted the ordinary form Of episcopal govern
ment
We have been confirmed in these thoughts by
the desires expressed to us by the Wears apostolic
IN England, "a well as by numbers of the clergy
and lsity distinguished by virtue and rank, and by
the wishes OF the great majority Of English Catho-
lies. In turing this design we have not failed TO
inpore the aid OF the Almighty and Most Gracious
God end that he would grant US grace in this
wsighty affair TO resolve upon that which should
be most suitable TO augment the prosperity of the
church We have further besough, the assistance
Of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Of
the saints, hose virtues have made England Illus
irious hat they would deign TO obtain by their in
tfcesson with God the happy success Of this enter
prise. We have since commended the whole busi-
meas TO the grave and serious consideration of our
cradle, brothers the cardinals of the holy Roman
church, forming congregation for propagatng the
faith. These sentiments having been found com
peiely conormeble To our own, we have resolved TO
sanction them, and carry them into execution IL is
for this reason, after bavingweighed the whole mat
ter meat scrupuiously, that OF our own proper mo-
ton, IN our ceusn knowledge, and in the Penitude
Of cur apostolic power, we have resolved and do
hereby decree the fe-cstahshment in the kingdom
az England, and according to the coainon laws Of
the church, OF hierarchy If bishops deriving their
tit.s from their own sees, which we constitute by
the present letter in the various apostolic districts
To commence with the district OF London, II will
fofm two sees- 10 wit, that Of Westminster, which
we h'rsby elevate 20 the metropolitan OF archieps-
COAL dignity and that Of Southwark, which we
as pn to IL sutiregan, together with those which
We proceed TO indicate The diocess OF Westmin-
SER will include that portion of the Aforesaid dis
trict which extends to the banks OF the Thames,
"a rcrnnre NJ pds the counties az MiddleeeN. Ea-