The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-10
THE PAPAL PROTEST.


Plus TX, bg Disine Providence Pope, TO al
Pdtridrchs, Primdtes, Arclbish0ps, and
Bishops, and TO other Local OrdinaTtes
hdUing FdVOr and Communion lotM tie
Ap0St0itcGl See.
VENERABLE BRETHREN, HEALTH AND APos-
To1ICAL BENEDICTIoN: regard to all
the proceedings taken for many years past
by the Piedmontese Government, with inces-
SAINT plots aiming at the overthrow of the
Civil Principality granted by the singular
providence of God to the Apostolic
See, in order that the successors
of blessed Peter might enjoy full
liberty and security in the exercise of their
spiritual jurisdiction, it is impossible, v5ne-
rable brethren, but that our inmost heart
should be grieved at such a conspiracy against
the Church of God and this Holy See and at
this calamitous period, when the said Gov
ernment, following the eounsels of sects of
perdition, has for a long time meditated a
sacrilegious invasion of our beloved city and
of the remaining States, of which the do
minion was left to us from the former usurpa-
ton, and has now carried that design into
effect by force of arms against all law and
right; whilst we, PROSTATE before Almighty
God, adore his mysterious designs, and say
with the prophet:-'Ego pI0rdnS ct 0cuJus
meUS deduceaS dQuGS, qua t0nge fdctus est
a me cOnSoldtOr, cOn0ertenS amman mean,
tdcti Sunt fill mel perdtH Qu0ntano tnOGLutt
inimicuS. (Jerem., Thren. L., 16.
Venerable brethren, the history of this ne
farious war has been sufficiently explained
and published long ago to the whole Catholic
world. We have done it in our Ency clical
Allocutions and Briefs delivered or dated at
different times; namely, on the 1st of Novem-
Der, 1850, on the 22d January and 2Gth June,
1855, on the 18th and 2Sth June, and 26th
September, 1859, on the 10Th January, 1860,
and in the Letters Apostolical, 26th March,
1860. Also in Allocutions of 2Sth Septem-
ber, 1860, 18th March and Both September,
1861, Goth September, 18th October and 14th
November, 1867. In this series of docu-
ments are viewed and explained the very
grievous ini iuries inflicted by the Piedmon-
tese Government on the sovereign authority
of us and of this Apostolic See in the years
prior to the commencement of the occupa-
ton of the ecclesiastical dominion, laws
being enacted against natural, against di-
vine, and against ecclesiastical right; the
ministers of religion, the religious communi-
ties, and even the bishops themselves being
ubjected to unworthy vexations the faith
pledged 10 this Holy See in solemn treaties
being forfeited, and the sacred obligations of
those treaties being curtly repudiated at the
very time when the said government was
signifyipg its desire to conclude new treaties
with us. In those documents, venerable
brethren, it is evidenced, and posterity will
see, with what arts and by what cunning and
unworthy plots the said government has gone
the length of overbearing Justice and the
sacredness of the rights of this Apostolic See;
and at the same time it will be known what
exertions we have made to restrain, so far as
in us lay, such lawless conduct, that daily
grew worse and to defend the cause of the
Church. You are we'll aware how in the year
1859 the chief cities of the Emilia were
stirred up to rebellion by the Piedmontese
authorities who sent in writings, conspira-
tors, arms, and money; and how, not long
afterwards, assemblies of the people having
been convened, and suffrages having been
taken, pretended plebiscite was got up,
and by that
TRICKERY AND PRETENCE
our provinces situate in that region were
wrested from our paternal government, all
good men in vain protesting against the act.
You are also we'll acquainted with the fact
that, during the year following the said gov
ernment made prey of other provinces situate
in Picenum, in Umbria, and in the Patri-
mony, and turned them to its own profit,
alleging crafty pretexts, and%yith a large
army attacked by surprise ourtyoops and the
volunteer band of Catholic youths who, in
duced by the spirit of religion and piety
towards their common father, had hastened
from all parts of the world to our defense,
and routed them in a murderous battle, they
for their religion to the last
Neither is any man ignorant of the extraor-
dinary insolence and hypocrisy of this Gov
ernment which, in order to extenuate the
odium Of its sacrilegieus usurpation, has
not hesitated to give out that it had invaded
those provinces to restore in them the prin-
ciples of moral order, whilst in reality it
everywhere promoted the diffusion and culti-
walton of every false doctrine, and every
where relaxed the restraints of lust and i'm
piety; likewise inficting undeserved penal
ties on Catholic bishops and on ecclesias-
tics of every grade, whom it threw iato pri-
son and allowed to be harassed with public
insults, while at the same time it granted i'm
punity to those prosecutors, and even to the
assailants of the Supreme Pontifcal dignity
in the person of our humility. 1t is, more
over, true that we, in the due discharge of
our Office, have not only all along resisted
reiterated couRsels and demands offered to
us, to the effect that we should basely betray
our duty, throwing over, forsooth, aud
surrendering the rights and possessions
of the church, or entering into sinful CON-
promise with the usurpers. Also, it is true
that we have opposed to these wicked at
tempts and crimes SO perpetrated contrary to
all law, human and divine, protests before
God and man /; and that we have declared
their authors and abettors to be involved in
Ecclesiastical censures, and as far as the case
required we inflicted anew those censures
upon them. Lastly, it is well-known fact
that the aforesaid government has persisted,
nevertheless, in its contumacy and its plots,
and endeavored to stir up rebellion in oul
remaining provinces by sending in without
intermission its emissaries to stir up trouble