New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-03-25
/" Faith and Freedora.v

Faith and Freedom
To ne Editor IF The Tribune:
Your Editorial upon the subject of /" Faith and
Freedom" following so soon upon your saluss.on
Of our Cardinal that is to be- and the discussion
by your European correspondent OF the feeble and
impertinent character Of Professionalism, 10 Ger
tainly fast driving for secular or political preu.
in the brief space of half week
Certainly, there is not much "faith and free.
dom in such liberal descsnt all on one side, e.
pecislly when you admit the question has two
sides, so as very extensively to agitate the pub
lie mind.
/ admit that the question is not one of entirely
a Religious character. Ii is deeply imbued with
Political importance. Hence it becomes the Gor
ernHent Of Great Britain to protect her aith aud
Freedom" There are few propositions which
l think you will not deny l. That the Pope is
temporal Prince, and one who, by virtue Of ghostly
power, has crowned and uncrowned the Princes
of Eugand time and sgsin >. That Romsh Gov.
ernments do not tolerate Protestant Faith and
Freedom" }. That, should Romsnism gain as
cendancy in Great Britain, similar intolerance
would there exist
am aware that the contingency in this last
proposition is what you may deny. But such
contingency may easily occur If the Protestsnts
of that realm should forget to protect their own
Faith and Freedom as 10 leave them TO the
tender mercies Of one who has often subjugated
both, and the mitigation of whose power az home
only prompts to new audacity abroad
Before the supremacy of the Bishop OF Rome.
England was free in her faith-her Govern msnt
and people. Long after that supremacy was &C
knowledged by others, Enga land denied il aud il
was by means less imposing than the appointment
of Cardinal that Eng land lost both her faith and
her freedom
Under Providence, it was the Government that
recovered them; and it will DO dark day for
England, and for the civil aud religious liberty Of
the world, when the Government OF England shall
fail properly 10 protect herself against the danger
that must result from the division Of her realm in.
to provinces controlled by the princes of foreign
throne. WINFIELD.
Remarks.
Our correspondent is totally mistaken is assn.
ming that we shall or may deny" anything he
says or may say Of the nature or tendencies OF
Catholicism, past, present or future. With that
question we have nothing whatever TO do-no-
thing. Our propositions were these-l. That
Professionalism must mean Freedom in matters Of
Faith it is suicidal self contradiction. >. That
this freedom is not freedom for Protestants only,
but for all men and all creeds whatever 3. That
to prohibit the residence and Offices in Great Br.
tain of such clerical functionares as are essential
to the administration and government Of the Ca
thoc Church according to its own theory aud
ritual, is to deny and subvert the principle offree.
dom in matters Of faith in that realm, so far as
its Catholic citizens are concerned 4. That such
prohibition would be virtual persecution, and as
such a treachery to Protestant principles and
scandal to the Protestant name-Such is our line
of argument; and if Winfield chooses to main
tain that Catholics are accustomed to eat Protes
tsnt children with avdityy do any other horrible
thing, it does not affect our position, one hair
And argued further that the paltry persecu-
tion of Catholics now urged in England is strosg-
ly calculated to build up Catholicism and break
down Protestantism there. (See the History Of
Ireland and of mankind in general)
But Winfield ia not content with being per.
secutor-he must show himself 'falsifer' as
we'll He talks of our notice Of Bishop Haghes's
promotion to the Cardinalate and of NJ Lecheva.
lier's letter on the Religious State of Europe as
Fast driving" toward Catholicism although no
knows perfectly well-has no right to be igno
rant while making such chsrges-that we have
printed far more of late which bears against than
in favor of Catholicism. Rev. Mr. Berg's last re-
ply to Bishop Hughes, sketches of Rev. Mr.
Lords lectures on the Heroes and Martyrs Of
Professionalism &c, have recently appeared ia our
columns, but neither these nor those cited by
Winfield indicate any desire on Gus part to
proselyte Protestants or Catholics. We publish
a newspaper, and report and print whatever We
think best calculated to form vivid, faithful pic.
ture of what is passing around US. No Catholic
ever understood US to be of bis faith no sincere
consistent Protestant understood our article
Faith and Freedom as evincing Catholic ten
denotes. But we are for Freedom, alike ia
Church snd State; and he who makes war upon
it, whether as Catholic or Protestant we regard
as an enemy to national justice and human well.
being. Ed.