Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-02-11
Ts. Rspei,is Let.er.


The recently issued remarkable letter of
the Pope, is the theme Of lengthy disqui-
siion in many of our exchanges, and is
strongly denounced by those journals
which regard with jealousy and alarm any
religious domination over governmental
affairs. The Sacramento Union, of Thurs
day, has calm article upon the subject,
of which the following is the conclusion :;
But it is the position in which the
American Catholics are placed BY this
document that chiefly concerns US. Here
totore Catholic writers have Wanted their
devotion to religious liberty, and claimed
that Lord Baltimore, the Catholic founder
OF Maryland, gave the first example OF
complete federation of creeds on the soil
OF the New World. They are informed oy
Plus *. that liberty of conscience and
worship is "iberty Of perdihon: de
quotes, only to condemn, the following
doctrine, which every true American re-
publican accepts, and containing prln-
ciple which is entrenched in our Constitu-
ton: " Liberty of conscience and OF wor-
ship is the right of every mana right
which ought to be proclaimed and estab,
lshed by law in every well-constituted
State; and tcitizens are entitled to make
known and declare, with liberty which
neither the ecclesiastical nor the civil au-
thority can limit, their convictions, OF
whatever kind, either by word or mouth,
or through the press, or by other means"
He also brands as heresy the following,
which is also American republican doc
trine: I'm the present day, it is no lon
ger necessary that the Catholic religion
shall be held as the only religion OF the
State, to the exclusion of all other modes
of worship" Its, therefore, the doctrine
of the Roman Church, according to Plus
*, that it is necessary to make the Cath
Ole religion the religion of the State "to the
exclusion of all other modes Of worship J!
Such declaration from the head of the
Church carry us back, to the gloomy days
of Philip IL, and call up the hideous ghost
of Torquemada. If it be urged that the
Church contemplates only the use of moral
and spiritual weapons, the answer is that
the Pope, in his list of errors, condemns
the doctrine that "the Church has not
the power of availing herself Of force, "
and thus, by implication, sanctions the
| employment of force to accomplish the
purposes of the Church. While thus set.
ting his face against religious freedom,
Plus on less clearly betrays his hostility
to civil liberty and its guarantees. He
brands the democratic doctrine that re.
spect should be paid to the will of the
people, or popular opinions vital prin.
ciple in this republic-opposes our system
of education by which the people are pre-.
pared for an intelligent performance of thu
duties of citizens, and proclaims the sub
ordination Of all civil institutions to thu
DEGREES of the Church. 1t becomes very
important matter to ascertain how many
American Catholics are ready to accep
the medieval temper, sentiments anc
declarations Of this encyclical letter. 1
Catholic Italy and large section o
Catholic France protest as they do, vii
Americans of liberal spirit and culture
like Archbishop Purcell, General Rose.
Grams and Orestes A. Brownson quietly
acquiesce: Plus TX. declares war agains
civil and religious liberty. IF that is tc
be the attitude and policy of the Roman
Catholic Church, with the consent o
American Catholics, the sooner the people
to whom free principles are of vital con
sequence understand it the better.