The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-02-02
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN PREsI-
DENT DAVIS AND POPE Plus TX.

| The following correspondence between the Pres
ident of the Confederate States and his Holiness
Pope Plus the Ninth, was elected by the publish
ed letter of the latter, dated in October 1862, to
the Catholic Archbishops at New York and New
Orleans enjoining them to employ their prayers
and influence for the restoration of peace:
President Davis to the Pope.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE, !
Richmond, Sept %, 1868 J
Most Venerable Chief of the Holy See and Sover-
ereign Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church ::
The letters which your Holiness addressed to
the Venerable Chiefs of the Catholic clergy in
New Orleans and New York, have been brought
to my attention, and have read with emotion the
terms in which you are pleased to express the deep
sorrow with which you regard the slaughter, ruin
and devastation consequent on the war now waged
by the Government of the United States against
the State and people over which have been chosen
! to preside, and in which you direct them and the
clergy under their authority, to exhort the people
and the rulers to the exercise of mutual charity
and the love of peace. am deeply sensible of the
Christian charity and sympathy with which your
Holiness has twice appealed to the venerable cler
gy of your Church, urging them to use and apply
all study and exertion for the restoration of peace
and tranquility. ..
|, therefore, deem it my duty to offer to your
Holiness, in my name, and in that of the peo-
pie of the Confederate States, the expression of
our sincere and cordial appreciation of the Chris
tian charity and love by which your Holiness is
actuated, and to assure you that this people, at
whose hearthstones the enemy is now pressing
with threats of dire oppression and merciless car
mage, are now and ever have been earnestly de-
sirous that this wicked war shall cease; that we
have offered at the footstoo of Our Father who is
in Heaven prayers inspired by the same feelings
which animate your Holiness; that we desire no
evil to our enemies, nor do we covet any of their
possessions; but only struggling to the end that
they shall cease to devastate our land and in1ict
useless and cruel slaughter upon our people, and
that We be permitted to live at peace with all
kind, under our own laws and institutions, which
protect every man in the enjoyment, not only Of
his temporal rights but % the freedom of worship
ping God according to his own faith.
l, therefore, pray your Holiness to accept from
ME aud from the people of these Confederate States
the assurance of our sincere thanks for your effort
to aid the of peace, and OF our earnest wishes
that your life may be prolonged, and that God may
have you ip His holy keeping.
(Signed,) JEFFERSON DAVIS,
President of the Confederate States of America.
TIE Pope TO President Davis
To the Illustrious and Honorable Jefferson Davis,
President of the Confederate States Of America,
Richmond.
PIUs p. P. TX.
Illustrious and Honorable Sir, Greeting We
have lately received with all kindness as was meet
the gentlemen sent by your Excelency to present
to your letter dated on the 23d of last Septem-
Der. We have received certainly no small pleas
ure in learning both from these gentlemen and
from your letter the feelings of qualification and of
very warm appreciation with which you, Illustrious
| and Honorable Sir, moved, when you first
had knowledge of our letters written in October of
the preceding year to the Venerable Brethren
John, ArchbishoRojf New York, and John, Arch
bishop of New 0Fleans, in which we again and
again urged and exhorted those Venerable Breth-
rem that because of their exemplary pety and
episcopal zeal they should employ their most earn
est efforts in name, aso in order that the ia
tai civil war which had arisen in tire States should
END, and that the people Of America might again
enjoy mutual peace and concord and love each
other with mutual charity. And it has been very
gratifying to to recognize, Illustrious and Hon
orable Sir, that you and your people are animated
by the desire for peace and tranquility which
we had SO earnestly inculcated in our aforesaid let
tiers to the Venerable Brethren above named. Oh
that the other people also of the States and their
rulers, considering seriously how cruel and how
deplorable is this intestine war, would receive and
embrace the counsels Of peace and tranquility.
We, indeed, shall not cease with most fervent
prayer to beseech Sod, the Best and Highest and
to implore Him to pour out the spirit of christian
love and peace upon all the people of America and
to resc1e them from the great calamitieS with
which they afflicted. And we also pray the
same most merciful Lord that he will illumine
Your Exceency with the light of His divine
grace ard unite you with ourselves in perfect
charity.
Given at Rome, St. Peters, on the Sd of Decem-
Der, 1863 in the Eighteenth year of our Pontifcate
Plus p. p. TX.