New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-13
A CHRISTIAN PASTOR.

Orleans, France, has recently addressed
pastoral letter TO the clergy OF his diocese,
wherein be treats of the civil war now dis
tracing this country, and its melting cause.
The Times Psri.) gives the following summary
of the material portion of this letter:
While protesting that he will take part in the lameusble
quarrel which now divides TIE United States Mgr Dupsn
loup up the circumstances Of in striking terms be
thea recalls the regular 'qua6e and pdee measws pro-
posed aud sdoI,ed lby Con.'l to put end to Slavery
concluding 10 the foIlos ing precise terms:
81" /. tho hn, time within sixty yess that the central
aud that hiss gagd the entire nssion In Wig rous sno
against the evil The question Therefore without being
p,th Of pe has b, en- That sddonsl motive
r and an inpeous need to pray God tht lie mat
d,gn bn eaiYre tie poeyse '1Hto" p ~hieh "a's ''
a,denas r'.hedJor
Then rissg sbove the local qlest!on Mgr Dupaloup COM
bats hand hsud the principle Of slsvey and terDins by
quong th.t mous decl ion Of tho Council o. La Rochelle
drawn up In 1888 shortly AFTER the ensucson Of tho slaves
in the French Colonies The Catholic Church has always
depo,ef the Sdrs,s in rhieh multitude " ~en are
,a,aed 10 he great derenf Of hev sou' and hss
eoased Iabog remedy great stR Without indeed
examining o.ey Away. been the doctrine
thoc Church. spp.ud the ardent vows7 formed by
Mgr Dupsnoup that This Slavery should at length
cease on the entire tufrce OF the Christian world"
1be Btop confne hi. hopes to the liberation OF
neg America bu Ia poie language he eIcsim, in ter
nastipg
" Alss! sve, not the only people oppressed There
oouni.s even in Europe Jov there an heia.d mSre
Pi1st Sy'to where oppression exists under
different form without Deng lesser Evil fof mystf,
,hs lever resign myself to any ei ospo.e M
lonz With th. grace Of God uI entirely to con-
trbn'in: my .hse o. sha s"d oo, dGg cS,s ~,
would do If could ,rest. would raise my voice.
can ouly pray will at least address my prayer to Cod
We thank the Bishop right heartily for these
generous ard timely words, aud heartily wish
they could be brought home to every Catholic
in this country, since by none are they moro ur-
gently needed. That the Catholic Church in gen.
eral stasds opposed to Slavery is proved by the
Bull Of Pope Gregory XVI, and contradicted
by no authentic utlerance. We once believed
that a Pope countenanced the scheme Of Las
Casas, whereby negroes from Africa were
originally brought to America to replace the
Indians whom Slavery was rapidly destroying;
but that WAS O mistake. Las Casas earnestly
sought the Papal sanction for bis scheme, bu''
though be was listened to with respect and
attention due 10 bis character and bis beneyo.
lent intent. We have no evidence that bis plan
was sanctioned In fact. We believe that the en-
inent Pope Leo Y. saw that 1t was one OF those
incessant attempts to east out devils BY Beeize'
bub which always seem so plansible at the out
.et and al~ays prove So baleful in the event.
Ii is claimed for the Papacy that it has mildly
but steadfa,tly reprobated the crime OF reducing
human beings to chattes, and we do not SEQ
that the claim has been successfully disputed.
In America, however, its influence over its
yotaries has not been cxerted in accordance
with its principles touching Slavery, or it has
been exerted in vain. Spain and Portugal,
which are recognized at Rome 10 Most
Catholic" aud Most Faithful" have black
eued the farer half of this continent with ne.
gro bondage; and, though most of this vast
region has been shaken free by revolutionary
Spanish Cuba is the only portion of Chri'ten.
dom in which cargo after cargo Of bondmen
newly imported from Africa continue to be-
sold. In this country, We grieve to soy, the
Catholic Church is to-day the strongest bul.
wark Of Slavery. It's periodicals, whether pub
lsbed in the Free or in the Slave States are
with one eminent eIceptlon) Pro-Slavery-that
is to ray, they speah and act, and induce their
readers to vote precisely a. the Slave Power
would have them. Their clergy, We have good
reason TO infer, sympathize with their journals;
and to this hour We never read the pastoral Of
an American Catholic Bishop which poiutedly
condemned Slavery. And, as matter OF course,
the great body OF the Catholic laity are. in tie
Slave States active and bitter SecsssioDists,
who in the Free States they call themselves
Democrats, and by tha. sign oppose, impede,
embarrass, every effort every aspiration, 10 rid
our country Of the greatest criIue aud shame
of the Nineteenth Century.
"Ah but the Constitution, you know - in
terposes all apoogist, who has been trained to
talk of the Constitution when he means and is
at work for the Institution: "Wonld you
have good men unialthiul 10 the Constitution !"
Why, you jolly green indiyidusl-supposing
you not tO be conscious knaye--does tho
Constitution require any one TO treat negroes
nth un-Chrislian and inhuman indigDity and
insult right here in the Free States Does
the Constitution constrain any one to refuse
employment to or refuse t. work beside n
black man in workshop or field, or to let him
ride in a public cOmeyaDcel Does the Con-
stitution compel you to deny to negroes the
right to live iD some FREE States aud the right
to vote in many morei IL is the sPTa oi
Slavery, 50 rampaut and cruel right here in
New York, that Ne reprobate; and there is