New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-12

of persons thus brought into Slavery. Tia
Council of Rheims, held in CPS. inHicts tia
punishment of suspension from his functions On
the bishop who shall have destroyed the sacred
vessels for any other motive than the redemp.
ton of captiyes.
IL may astonish some Of our Irish Catholic
fro-Slavery advocatos-or rather Pro-Slavery
Irish Catholics-to learn, that the redoubtabls
underground railroad" is prominently an
IRISH institution, that it was first organized
and put IN operation in the Green Isle. The
Irish clergy were such sincere and enthusiastic
Abolitionists," they thought Slavery 40 de.
teStabe that numbers Of them ventured 10 uro.
cure the freedom Of slaves by inducing then,
70 run away. They were the first to thus.
"tsmper with slaves," the first who enraqsd
{" in running off slaves Some of them con-
sdered the work of emancipation so holy and
generous, that they believed its excellence jus.
tilted seizing the bondmen and forcibly restOr.
ing them to liberty. This we learn from the
Canons Of a Council called that of st. Patrick.
held in Ireland about the year $50, which,
while showing how holy and meritorious it is
to free the slave, endeayors to bring within
the bounds Of eJpediency, the emancipatOy
zeal of the Irish clergy, by ordaiDing that the
eccIesiastics who desire to ransom captIye'
must do so with their own money.
The Sd Canon of the Council Of Lyons, held
about 566. accommodated those who at
tempted to take away the liberty of persOn,.
The 9TH Canon of the Council of Coblentz, held
in 922, declares that be who leads away
Christisn to sell him, is guilty OF homicide.
The Council of London, held in ll02, pro-
scribes the Infamous traffic" nsdrium nego.
tium"--then practiced in England by selling men
as brute beasts, " sieut bruta an'm0t'a.' Pope
ST. Gregory i. gave freedom to two slaves,
and. in the deed of manumissiOn, explains the
act by the remarkable words which l have al
ready quoted.
The Irish Church is again found taking the
lead in the abolition of Slavery The Council
of Armagh held in the year III, gave liberty
to all the English slaves then held in Ireland.
If the Church, by the force OF eircum-
stances was obliged in those days to recognize
a sort of property in slave, she never ceased
to look upon him as man. She refused !"
follow. in his case, the usual laws regulating
property. At the very first favorable oppor'
tupity, she took the eide Of the slave she
worked quietly, but increasingly and ehectuaily,
30 redeem him from bondage, by multiplying
the chances of his restoration to his natural
freedom. The Council held under st. Gregory
in the year 597, granted freedom to slaves
who desired TO embrace the mOnastic state.
Pope Paul III. in his ApOstolical letter to
the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, A. ID. 1851.
having promised that when Truth itself said,
4" Go teach all nations" He meant sal with
ont any choice. for all are capable Of receiving
the instruction of faith" DEGREES that Indians
and "the other nations which IN these times
have come to our knowledge" and AL Other
nations who may in future come to the knowt
edge of Christians, though they be out of the
faith of Christ, can freely and lawfully use,
pessess and enjoy their liberty and dominion la
that regard, and that they ought not to be re.
duced to Slavery, and that whatever may 9TH
erwise have been done is null and void"
In letters of Urban Will, dated 22d April,
1859, the most severe censures are pronounced
against those who reduce persons to Slavery.
buy, sell, give or exchange them, separate
them from their wives and children, strip them
of their property, take or send them INTO
strange places. or retain them in Slavery; or
aid. counsel, succOr, or ytGrOr those Tho do these
things uader any color or Pretense ehaterer; Oh
preach or teach that this 10 lawful, and, I'D
fine, cooperate herewith in any way what
ever.
All the great Catholic writers who have writ
ten on the subject point triumphantly TO Ihs
Abolition of Slavery in Europe as the glorious
work of the Catholic Church, and he who
should write there that she is not essentially
and incessantly AbOlitionist in her character.
her tendencies and her workings, would be
looked upon as either pitiably ignorant o.
bgotedly anti Catholic. She is the same IL
America as in Europe, however political on
ignorant prejudices may cause some oil he'
members to be deaf TO her teachings or false
TO her bene6cent policy. There is no difference,
in he, eyes, as we have seen, between slave
in American or slave in Europe-bet"een
/ saye with black skin and slave with
white one.
| In the letters addressed to the Bishop oil
Ruvo, who was about to depart for Guines'
by Plus H., under the date Of 9TH October.
l4S2, severe censures are pronounced agains'
those who reduced the NeOphytes TO Slavery.
1t is hardly necessary to refer to exertiOns Oh
~. VII "a. Tho total sbolition of the slave