The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-10-17
Pere HYacinthe.

the letter of this celebrated preacher, al
nouncing his open violation of the vow {
obedience, his revolt against authority, i
fact-his own fall. Father Hyacinthe
not satisfied with his own fall he propose
to drag others down with him, and be til
Luther of second grand revolt. He says
But if fears, in which do not wish to share
come to be realized, if the august assembly ha
not more liberty in its deliberations than it ha
already in it's preparation, if, in a word, it
deprived of the essential characters of a
| Gcumenical Council, / will cry to God an
men to call another, truly united in the Hol
Spirit, not in the spirit of party, and repre-
sentiDg really the Universal Church, not tn
silence of some men, the oppression of others
Father Hyacinthe unfortunately mistake
himself for the Pope. If this Council
should not suit his ideas of what Council
ought to be and do, he will set it aside ant
call another, or at least he will "cry to Goo
and men" to do SO. But what if his men.
called councils should be no better thar
men called congresses and parliameuts
What if it's doings should disgust Father
Hyacinthe even more than those OF the one
as to which he is already SO doubtful, by
straying stillfGrther from his dictations
The Rev. Father you'd then be reduced to
his individual counsel, which is just where
the principle of pride and revolt has placed
him already.-
Father Hyacinthe having been the most
distinguished preacher in Paris for some
years, his fame having reached to remote
regions, and his fall being considered
worthy of special telegram and special
notices in all the newspapers of the-world,
it is but natural that one should feel little
curiosity to know what was the cause of
this sudden change of position on his part.
In the first place, though sudden, it is not
unexpected. Father Hyacinthe has for a
long time used freedom and boldness in
his discourse not altogether in conformity
with Catholic IDEAS of the frailty of private
judgment and she necessity of its submits
sion to infallible authority. He was much
inclined to adopt views quite different from
those generally entertained in the Church,
and to find merit in systems either totally
or looked upon with distrIst
by the Church.
We all recollect his laudation of coun-
,ries where, according to him, the Bible is
read, and his attributing to
hat fact the superiority of certain Protest
mt nations. England owed her supremacy
o Bible reading. Yet it is we'll known
hat very few persons in England belong
% those sects which make a point of Bible |
eading, and that even in those sects it is |
more promise than practice. Including |
ospels and epistles read by Catholics in
heir prayer-books, we have no doubt that
here is FIVE times as much of the Bible
cad by Catholics as by Protestants. AS
u the DrosDerikv of England, it so E.sb
assing away under Protestant rule, and,
Ike the Prodigal Son, when it is all gone
le will return to her fathers house.
Father Hyacinthe was equally happy in
iscovering that the cause of Prussia's vic
'ries in the late war with Austria was not
lie needlegun but the Bible reading pro-
ensity of the population. Yet one half of
.e Prussian people and army are Catholics,
lille the so-called Protestant portion of
lem are really nearly all infidels, and
onld despise themselves if they looked at
Bible
But Father Hyacinthe does not deign to :
'ecify the reasons for which he has thought ,
W lSalNS HIS COuNSuJs lie Simply Saws, {
his letter to his superior: ,
Gou require that l should speak language
preserve n silence which would no longer be ,
9 entire and loyal expression of my CON |
fence. L do not hesitate an instant With I
nguage perverted by a command, or INITIATED
Fetteencr, 1 shall not ascend the pulpit of !
'tre Dame. l
l separate myself at the same time from the :
invent III which have resided, and which, t
der the new circumstances that have hap y
ned to me, renders it for me "A prison of the
III. In acting thus am not-unfaithful to t
vows. have promised monastc obedience !.
limited by the honesty of conscience the -
entity of my person and my ministry have I'll
Imised under the benefit of that superior I,
V of justice and of royal liberty, which is :,
,ording TO the Apostle st. James, the proper u
V of the Christian. 4 Ii
Few men have HE courage to do delib- a
tie wrong without attempting to gloss it N
er with pretence of reason, and to pal S
te it with falsehood. Father Hyacinthe u,
lot one of the courageous kind. With ia
his boldness of speech, he dares not sa
ne before the world in his true character, iu
assign to his conduct it's real motives. co