Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-11-21
NOVEMBER 81, 1866.
QDtlu Statet:snra3rr.
THE POP E,s ALLOCUTION.

Pope Plus the Ninth on the Roman
QuestiOh-The 56EnemieS" OF tho
church in italy and EIsewhere--
/ The HFrenzy" of Asking for Rome.
| The following is the full text of the
POpe's Allocution Just delivered to the Sa-
cred College:
| VENERABLE EBRETHREN:-4 More than once,
| o venerable brethren. exercising our apOs-
tolic Office, we have deplored, either in our
published letters or in divers all0cutions
delivered in your most august assembly,
the afIllCtion which has hung for long
time in Italy over the affairs Of our very
holy religion, and the very Craze insults offer
ed to us and to the Holy See by the sub
| Alpine government. Moreover, you must
comprehend with what grief we are seized,
now that we see that government, soih a
passion that is Increasing eos1V day. constantly
attacking the Catholic Church, its. whole
g. some laws, and all its sacred ministers ;
when we see, alas, venerable bishops, and
| the most virtuous clergy, both secular and
regular, and other most excellent Catholic
citizens, sent into exile by that government,
! without the least regard for religion, justice
or humanity, or thrown into prison or con-
| demned to forced residence, molested In the
most unworthy manner; dioceses deprived
of their pastors, to the great detriment OF
souls virgins devoted to God taken away
| from their converts and reduced to beg
gary; Gods temples violated; diocesan
| schools closed against the members of the
| clergy; the education of Catholic youths
| taken out Of the pale of Christian discip-
| line and confided 10 the professors of errors
| and iRiquities, and the patrimony of the
Church usurped and sold.
1 That same government, In contempt Of
ecclesiastical cens,TeS, and lgithOut paying he
least regard to our most just complaints and
those of our venerable brethren the bish-
OPS of Italy, has sanctioned similar laws,
i totally contrary to the Catholic Church, to
its doctrine and its rights, and condemned
by us; and it has not hesitated to promul-
gate law respecting civil marriages, as it
is called-a law quite contrary not only to
Catholic doctrine but likewise to the well
being of civil society. Such law tranlples
under foot the dignity and sacredness OF
marriage. 1t destroys it as an Institution
and encourages a concubinage that is per-
fectly scandalous. In fact, a marriage can
not take place among the faithful without
there being at the same time a sacrament.
1t belongs, therefore, exclusively to the
Church to decide on everything concerning
the sacrament of marriage.
Moreover, that overnment-injuring in
an evident manner the condition of those
who make public profession of religious
vows, which have always had and always
will have force in Gods Church, and not
recognizing the very great advantage Of
the regular Orders which, founded by men
of holiness and approved by the holy
Apostolic See, have i'll an especial manner
deserved the thanks of the Christian repub-
lie, civil and literary, by so many glorious
labors and so many pious and useful works
has not feared to sanction law suppress
sing throughout its entire territory all re-
ligious corporations of both sexes; it has
appropriated all their property, and a
great deal of other property belonging to
the Church, and has ordered it to be di-
vided. Before entering into possession of
the Venetian province it did not hesitate
toextend thereto the same laws, and it en-
Joined, contrary to all law and justice, the
total abroqdtton and dnnthildtiOn of the Con-
Ueilti0n achieh aCds come TO bettD en- as aud our
Gerry dear son in Jesus Christ, Francis Oseph,
Emperor Of Austria. ..., ..5 ... ...t..
Therefore, faithful to the very serious
duty of our apostolic ministry, we raise
anew in your most august assembly our
voice on behalf of religion, of the Church,
of its holy laws, the rights belonging to the
authority of this chair Of st. Peter; and
with all our strength we deplore and con-
demn all and each OF the things which,
contrary to the Church, its laws and its
rights, have been decreed, done and at
tempted by the sub-Alpine government,
and by all other subordinate authorities; {;
and by our apostolic authority we abrogate
and proclaim null and void, and without
force or effect, all the aforesaid DEGREES and
everything that appertains to them. ''
We likewise beg their authors, who glory
| in the name Of Christians, to bear in mind
and seriously to consider that they have
unfortunately incurred the censures and
| the spiritual pains inflicted by the apostolic
constitution and the DEGREES of the general
councils upon whosover should attack the
\ rights of the Church. g.. ,.,+ +....,..... ...,
You know, venerable brethren, that GER
tain astute men oppose us, and interpret In
their osot sense the blessing lchich zoe gaee TO
Italy when, assuredly without any merit of
our own, but, thanks to the impenetrable
judgment of God, we spontaneously pro-
nounced the words of pardon and peace out
of love for the people of the Pontiical
| State. r. man. In ...t..I .,.... ..,..
In truth, full of solicitude for the welfare
and happiness of the entire flock, asking by
our prayers from God the good of. Italy. we
besought Him with ferVOr and humility
| that He might deliver her from. the evils
which afflicted her, and that the most pre-
cious gift of the Catholic faith might be all
powerful in Italy, and that rectitude of
manners, justice, charity and all Christian
virtues might flourish there more and more.
Oneemore to-day we do not cease to send
| up our most fervent prayers toGod that in
| His goodness He would deign to remove
from the Catholic people of Italy, the many
and great ealamities of every kind which
are affecting and assailing them through
the fault of the governors of Italy, and in
consequence of a multiform persecution.
But, above all things, we beseech our most
merciful Lord to aid and fortify by His
heavenly help the people of Italy, in order
that they may remain firm and inmutable
In the Divine faith and in their religion,
and that they may be able with Christian
fortitude to support and endure so many
misfortuneS and evils.
Foolish, however, are those who, on the
| strength of this, do not cease to demand of
us, already despoiled, ,1and with the most
manifest injustice, of several provinces of
our pontificial territory, that we shouldre-
nounce our civil sovereignty and that of the
| Apostolic See. Surely every one must see
how unjust and prejudical to the Church
Is such q, demand. By singular arrange
ment of Divine Providence, as we have
said on a former occasion, it happened that
the Roman Empire having fallen, and
being divided into many kingdoms and di--
vers States, the Roman Pontif, in the midst
of such great variety of Kingdoms, and fl
the actual state Of human society, was in.
vested with his civil sovereigntyS In conse-r
quence of which, never being, subject to.
any lay power, he exercises in entire lib
erty supreme authority and his Jurisdiction
over the Church, which has been divinelyl