The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-24
The American Chapel Mt Rome.


II appears that the Protestant chapel, hitherto
enjoyed by the Americans at Rome, has just been
prohibited by the government The Roman cor
respondent of the London Daily Ne,os, writing on
this subject, on the Goth ultimo, says:
al find that the Papal Cabinet has decided to do
away with the bone of contention, and soothe the r
ritated jealousy Of other Protestant congregations,
by depriving the Americans of the right, expressly
granted to them by the Pope himself, of perform
ing divine worship in the national chapel, in the
Via del Ponte6c, street oftho pontiffs-a strange
sounding situation, by the way, for Presbyterian
Kirk. This permission, which was given in an inn
pulse of gratitude by Pho Mono to the American
Charge d Affaires, Mr. Cnss, in return for the inn
portant service which that functionary rendered to
the church by preventing the Propaganda College
from being turned into barracks for Garibaldi's le
gionaries by the Republican authorities during the
aeige of Rome, was acted upon, for the first time,
in the month Of October of last year, and service
was regularly performed in the chapel during the
whole of the winter.
"You may recollect, however, that in the month
of December reported the violent attack which
had been made upon the infant establishment,
when Mr.. Cass received communication from
Cardinal Antonclli to the effect that, in conse-
quence of the official complaint Of the Cardinal
Vicar the doctrinal decisions of the congregation
of Propaganda Eide, and the earnest petitions of
many English and American Roman Catholic resi-
dents, his holiness would be reluctantly obliged to
withdraw the permission which he had granted
with respect to the American Protestant chapel.
The matter subsequently, arranged in salts
factory way, through Mr.. Cass's influential and
judicial mode Of negotiating, and his eminence
finally manifested resolution to maintain, in the
OF his holiness, the privilege already granted
provided that the conduct of the congregation and
its minister should continue praiseworthy as
previously, condition fully realized by the piety
and good sense of the clergyman, the Rev. Mr..
Hastings, who very wisely considered the delicacy
of his situation, and avoided oil controversial dis
cussions in the pulpit
"Durng the summer of the present year, Rome
being almost entirely abandoned by foreigners
during the great heats, Mr.. Hastings repaired to
the baths Of Lucca and Cardinal Antonell profted
by his absence, and the temporary closure of the
chapel, to commence series of remon-
srances with Mr.. Cass, explaining TO him that the
existence Of this Protestant place of worship within
the walls Of Rome and just at the present period
OF stormy re gious discussion too had proved one
OF the most thorny occurrences against which the
government of his holiness called TO struggle
that the Propaganda the Cardinal Vicar the reli-
gious corporate bodies, and especially the Domi-
nican monks, gerents of the Holy Inqusition,
waging continual against it. as being
concession contrary to all precedent and hostile TO
the very existence of the Roman Catholic religion;
whilst the English, the Prussian and other hereti-
cal congregations, were equally eager in making
use of tho American privilege a stepping stone
to their own pretensons, and urging their
doubted right to n similar permission, which,
the holy city Of Rome with schismatcal conventi-
cles, and become matter of scandal TO the Catho-
lie world at large. lie would not, however,