The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-18
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provinces by sending in without intermis-
sion its emissaries to stir up trouble, and
by articles Of every kind. But these at
tempts not succeeding, "a was expected, on
diers, and the love and affection of our
people, which was remarkably and un-
waveringly manifested towards us, at last
that fierce tempest broke out against us in
the year 1867, when, during the autumn,
banda Of desperate men, burning with
Sidies from the said Government, invaded |
our territories and this city, where many
persons belonging to the same bands had |
already found entrance and had concealed !
themselves; and from their violence and !
cruelty and arms all fierce and bloody ont |
RACES were to be feared by us and by our be- |
loved subjects, as was clearly evident un-
less the mercifnl God had frustrated their
attacks by the energy of our troops aud by
the effective aid of q force sent to US by the
renowned French nation.
In 80 many conflicts, in such success
sion Of perils, anxieties and sorrows, Di-
vine Providence conferred on us mean |
while the greatest consolation, Venerable
Brethren, from the noble piety ana zeal of
yourselves and of your faithful focks to-
wards us and towards this Apostolic See,
Of which piety and zeal you continually
gave signal proofs, by works Of Catholic
charity. And although the very grave dan
gers in which v . were involved left us scarce
: ~ any respite, YET WIN tHc HciP OK UOu We
never relaxed our efforts to secure the tenn
poral prosperity of our subjects; and the
state of public tranquility and security
under our rule, the condition of all the best
arts and sciences, and the loyalty and af-
lection of our populations towards us, were
matters of notoriety to all nations, from
whom strangers continually. came in
crowds to this city and especially on the
occasions of the numerous solemnities
which we celebrate, and the times of the
solemn festivals in their succession.
And now, when things were in this pos
ture, and our people enjoying peace and
quietness, the Piedmontese King and his
Government, seizing the opportunity when
two of the most powerful nations in Europe
were engaged in a great war, with one of
which the same Government had entered
into treaty to preserve inviolate the
present state of the Church's Dominion and
not to allow it to be invaded by the
Revolutionists, all at once determed to in
wade the remaining territories of our do
minion, and even our See itself, and reduce
them under their power. But why this
hostile invasion, and what pretexts were
alleged for it, Il il matter of notoriety
what kind of Representations were made 10
the letter of the King to us, dated the Sth
Of September last, and delivered to us by
his envoy commissioned fer the purpose.
In that letter, with lengthy and ihsincere
circuitousness of words and sentences, un-
der the assumed character of a loving son
and a Catholic, and under the pretext of
the preservation Of public order and of the
security of the Papacy itself and of our
person, the demand was made that we
would be pleased not to take as q hostile
oct the overthrow of our temporal power
aud would surrender that power of our own
accord in reliance on the futile promises
made by himself, which, as he said, would
reconcile the aspirations of the people of
Italy with the Sovereign rights and free
exercise of the spiritual authority of the
Roman Pontitf. We in truth could not but
greatly marvel at seeing in what manner
the violences intended to be used shortly
against US was attempted to be yelled and
disguised, nor could We help deploring
from our utmost soul the sad case of the
said King, who, impe1ied by evil counse1s,
inf1icts daily new wounds on the Church
and, having respect to man rather than to
God, does not reflect that there is in the
heavens King of Kings and Lord of Lords
who doth not regard the person of any man,
nor fear the greatness OF any man, for he
hath made both great and small and that
for the stronger there is but the stronger
punishment Wisdom. vi, 8, 81. But as to
the propositions made to US, we thought
that we ought not to entertain them, but
that we should obey the laws of duty and
conscience, and initiate the example of ouI
predecessors, and especially of Plus VII
of happy memory, the sentiments of whose
unconauered soul, uttered by him in &
cause completely similar to our own, We
take pleasure in quoting:
"Let us remember, with st. Ambrose
(De Basil, trad. n. ~, that Nabuth, holy
man, and the possessor of a vineyard oi
his own, was called upon by royal demand
that he should make over his vineyard tina,
the King might cut down the vines anC
plant common potherbs therein, and thai
he answered, God forbid that I shoulG
sell the Inheritance of my fathers Muci
more do we judge that it would be unlaw
full for US to surrender so ancient and sa
cred an inheritance, namely, the Temporal
Dominion of this Holy See, which, not
without the evident design of Divine
Providence, has been held in possession by
the Roman Pontiffs, our predecessors
through a long series of ages, or even tc
give o tacit assent that any man should
take possession of the chief city of the Ca
Catholic world, when the unsettlement and
abolition of the hottest form of government
which has been left by Jesus Christ to Hit
HOLY Church, and has been ordained by
the Sacred Canons authorized by the Spirit
of God, would introduce in it's place thai
Code, which is contrary and repugnant moi
only to the Sacred CaDons, but even to the
precepts of the Gospel, and would bring
in, as is usually the case, that new order o.
things which tends most manlfestly tt
mingie and confouDd all sects and super
stitions with the Catholic Church. Nabutl
defended his vines with his blood {St Am
brose, ibid.). Can we do otherwise, happer
what may to us, than defend those rights
and possessions of the Holy Roman Church.
az no ora in dutv hOnnd tO do nv the