Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-06-09
Rome on the Freedom of the Press.


msh Hierarchy, in regard to its policy against the
freedom of the Press and every other safeguard of
repubcansm, are ''old women's tales" would read
the scathing and utterly dauning article, on the
Austrian Coneordat which appeared in the Edin~
burgh Reuiew, for last April. They would there
see that POPE Plus * is at all points the same
impacable foe of civil and religious liberty that his
predecessors have been. What the COncordat has
done for Austria, is what Archbishop Hughes, Of
New York, is attempting, on a smaller scale for the
United States. Popery in this country is attempt
ing only what is practicable; increase its influence
and an expansion Of its aims would speedily become
apparent.
Before introducing an extract from the article
mentioned above, we would make the enquiry
why is ii that Bishop Hughes and Professor Brown
son are lecturing one at the North, and the other
at the South, just now, in favor Of Romanism? The
answer is, that Rome is advancing her line of at
tack upon Professionalism, under cover of the guns
of the Bogus Democratic party Of the country.
But read the following extract from the Edin-
burgh Review, and remember that tho transaction
referred belongs not to the past centuries, but
to the PRESENT TIME, TIE PRESENT POLICY OF RoME
and the REIGNING PoPE-Pius TX:
To carry a step father this divine right of the Ro
man Catholic Church TO embrace the totally of the
human mind the COncordat recognizes the author
ity of the Church in the censorship of books, and
the Emperor binds himself not to suffer that the
faith or institutions of the Church shall be sighted
either in words or writing. Two great Congrega-
tions exist in the Roman Cura for the vigilant dis
charge Of these duties-the first is the COngrega-
ton of the Holy Officer of the Inqusition contra
h@reticam pravitatem; the second is the COngrega-
ton of the Index especially charged with the cen
sorship and prohibition of books We find in the
Concordat bar to the Intervention Of the first Of
these bodies, and though the formidable name of
the Inquision is kept out of sight, it can hardly be
contended that the church has ever renounced the
duty and the right of extirpating heresy by all the
means in its power. On this point, however
only remark that there is no reservation Of any
listing rights of the non.Catholic sects, any dis
tuct provision that the rules of the church invest
ed with the authority ofthe law OF the empire, are
exclusively to be applied to the Catholic subjects
of the crown. In Hungary and Pennsylvania, where
the members ofthe Greek Church and the Protests
ant sects numerous, this circumstance may lead
to the most serious consequences; it is further in
fraction Of the fundamental laws of Hungary, and
of the conditions on which that crown transfer
red to the House of Austria.
But on the censorship of books the authority of
the Concordat is explicit:
Indeed, we are surprised that any doubt can
have been raised on this point The auth Orty Of
the church over books was defined with precision
10 the rules of the Council of Trent based on brief
of Pope Leo X and confirmed by a bull of Plus
". 1t is provided by these rules that the works
of herecs are condemned and prohibited; that, ''as
it is found by experience that if the Holy Scrip
lures are every where permitted in the vulgar
tongue, more detriment than utility arises, the use
of the Scriptures is to be regulated by the ordina.
~; that books Of controversy, books of lewdness,
books of astroogy, and certain books of reference,
such as dictionaries and cOncordances be prohibit
ed; that in Rome, and in all other places, the man
uscript of works for the press shall be submitted
to the Bishop or to the Inqusitor of that state
diocese for his sanction and imprimatur; that the
shops Of printers and booksellers frequently to
be visited by persons to be deputed by the Bishop
or Inquisitor, and that they shall have the power
of seizing prohibited books, or of nhicting other
punishments "arbitio episcoporum sut inquisito'
rum" on the buyers, as well as sellers, OF such
works. Indeed it is equally penal to lend.a prohib-
tied book or to retain it executor or heir under
penalty of accommodation and mortal sim Such
is the strict and indisputabe law of the church to
which this Condordat gives paramount authority,
and by which the apolOgists of the OOncordat tell
US that the church performs her sacred duty Of en-
bracing the totally Of the human mind. In France
the authority and jurisdiction of the Roman con.
gregation have never been admitted; for said OmeI
Talon, Advocate General of the Crown in l647,
ITO admit their DEGREES in this realm would be tC
admit the authority of the Inquisiton, since the
congregation takes the title Of the Generals e.
nniUerSdiis INQUIsITIo IN univeTsd Repub hca CHRIS
tuna adversus hGreticGui praUitGism. But.in Aus
tria no restraint is placed this jurisdiction, and
the state binds herself to assist in the execution
its DEGREES.
The extent and effect of this authority of the Con
gregation may be understood from the list Of their
prohibitions. That list contains the names-deaI
to letters, dear to freedom, dear to civilizaton-o
Machiavel Descartes, Erasmus, Montagne, the two
Stephens, Scapula, De Thou, Guccardini, Robert
con, Arnauld, Pascal, and the great Jansenists;
Grotius, Puffendorf Van Espen, and Filangieri
among the lawyers; Fleury, himself among the
churchmen; Halam, Giannone, Tsmburini, AlferII
own Life, Combe's nology, Destrutt de Tracy, Ca
banis and Constant. Muratori was saved By Bene-
dict XIV, his personal friend from being forbidden
This lisE has been perpetually and copousy extend
ed and feel not the slightest surprise that the
first use made by the Bishop Of BergamO, of the
power given him by the 9th article OF the Concor
dat, was to place under the ban of the church tbs
works of Schiller On the 23d December last, the
Archbishop OF Milan addressed a circular letter to
all the printers and booksellers in his diocese, ex
hOrting them TO obey these rules OF the Church
not to transgress the sacred rules of the Index;
and above all warning them that by virtue Of th'
Concordat, the clergy would in the event Of disc
bedience to these injunctions, call upon the Govern
ment to suspend the guilty persons from the exer-
else of their trade The introduction of the Index
is an entire novelty in Austria for il was excluded
BY the Imperial Constitution, OF l4th May, 1871.
was also an established maxim of Austrian law, be-
fore the present Concordat, that the decisions o
the Congregations have no authority out Of the Ro
man States, except in as far they were received
and promulgated by the Government