The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-10


Strong Letter from Dr.. Mahh'hS'
tb,shop OF Westminster.
In the principal Catholic churches OF the
Northern cities, on Sunday last meetings were
bp,d and addresses delivered in sympathy with
tho pone and protesting against the recent spona-
t,on Of the Papal territory. The churches were
aensely crowded, and the proceedings were cRar'
scterized by great earnestness and unanimi'y'
Simila. exercises, 1t appears, TOOK place lu Eng
land on the same day, and the New YORK herald
nnb,snes the followinr vigorous letter from Dr.
Tannlue. Archbishop OF Westminster, which was
,ead IN. all the churches Of London on Sunday
,ast and which was sent TO that paper By the
cable:
HENRY EDWARD, BY THE GRACE OF GoD AND THE
FayoR OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE ARCHBISHOP OF
WESTMINSTER, 10 THE CLERGY, SECOLAE AND
REeuLAR. AND THB FAITHFUL OF THE DIOCESE,
HILLTH AND BBNEDIcTIoN:
near Ohtldrera IN Jesus Christ:
we hold it to be our duty toward the head
of the church, against whom the government IN
Florence haslately perpetraled an ace OF sacri-
Ierious violence toward the church at large,
WRich the same act has assailed in It's proVtden-
-tial safeguards and lis liberty. towards the
great principles OF natural justice sno ln.er
Rational law which at the same time lSve been
profoundly violated, In eur own name and yours
70 make this public protest
The siege and military occupation OF Rome by
the AMY Of King Victor Emanuel violates all the
ruhts on which the sovereignty OF States Is based,
and all the laws by which the 3acred possessions
OF the church are granted. y Is dangerous at
this moment az an example against order ana tne
stability OF al civil powers. Bnt more dangerous
stfl are the principles on which This act OF Vio-
lenoe Is being justified, not ouly In Italy but In
this country. 1t s alleged that the natural aspi-
ration of Italy justify the seizure OF Rome, that
the temporal power Of Inc Inc soveJegg pon, na has hss
the popular win has transferred the sovereignty
Of Rome TO King Victor Emanuel.
We protest against these principles, as being
subyersIve OF public morality, order and low. To
aspire for that which Is not our own Is the motive
OF all Injustice. and is in itself wrong. The doc
trine which teaches that the peoples may at any
time cast OF their rulers and change the form Of
government by pleofsoStes or simp;e acts at will
IL not TO be found either in the laws OF nature or
revelation. Nations, like individuals, are bound
by moral laws and subject to moral obligations.
They have the power aud right to do wrong. 1t
is true OF people az OF moral agent, IN potest
right to do many things for which they have the
power. They have no right to do that which they
cannot do justly. To rise against the lawful soy-
eregn without just cause is rebellion; TO depose
him, treason.
I'VE near lr daily said that the people have at
any time the power to revoke, with their own
hands,. the sovereignty OF those who rule over
them and transfer that sovereignty TO another;
but the people II 1t have such right at any time,
At no time has such right without nrst having
q Just and sufficient cause. 1t is notnecessary
here TO discuss what causes are just and sufficient
for the perpetration OF such an act OF extreme
necessity It is enough to affirm that In the case
Of the violent deposition Of the sovereign OF Rome
no cause exists. he holds right OF sovereignty
not derived lrom kings or peoples. His soyer.
eighty ia not at their disposal 1t is not In their
M fl n NJ q no
and OF the whole Christian world. But even II the
right OF sovereignty were Liable to forfeiture by
reason or abuse and wrong, It Is aosolu ely cer-
tain that no cause exists, or has ever been
alleged TO exist, for throwing OF the government
Of Pope Plus the Ninth. The only Cause which Is
alleged is the one which Is really OF pIovldentia
God so ordained it that he should be so. who.
without sin. can overthrow II. This act, there
fore, Is one both OF treason and reoellion-one
which both natural and revealed morality and re-
ligion condemned as capital crime.
But this rebellious act has still deeper charac-
ter Of guilt In two ways-sin, sacrilege. 1t Is
sacrileeous, first, because 1t Is viOleoce offered
10 the sacred person Of the most sacred person on
earth-the Head OF the Christian Church, the
Church OF Jesus Christ 1t s sacrilegious also be-
cause the breaking up OF Christian order would
be tho destruction OF providential disposition
by which the Christian world has been formed
and susi aimed both in Its natural order and potl-
cal system.
Thetemporal power Of the Holy See is sovcr-
eighty confirmed by possession and prescription
II more than thousand years. But It has a
higher character. The providence or God has so
disposed the Christian world that It's Head is In.
dependent Of any civil superior, and therefore he
Il In himself sovereign. All Christian sovereigns
recognize the Ohier Pastor Of the church as equal
with themselves In their civil sovereignty anu as
being superior to themselves In his spiritual pow.
err Such has been. aud still is the disposition OF
the Christian world by the will OF GUd, and for
the purpose that this disposition may not he Oh.
<5Dt,h fyI nTn 7nt,ft
ifestly proves by this fundamental order two
things which have been secured-One Is that there
must be / berty in thethurch for the discharge OF
the spiritual office; the other In the conformity OF
Christian States and conformity Of civll legs!a,
tion to morality and the precepts OF the revealed
law OF God. Therefore 1t Is natural to society, to
the world, which has been the clel galner by this
disposition or Divine Providence. While II was
necessary only to the liberty or the church 1t was
vital to the welfare OF States, In morals in reilg
Ion. In peace, In their stability.
It is not, then, in the power, because it Is not
In the right, Of any one nation 10 destroy that
which Is the joint inheritance OF them all. Neither
is 1t right that any one people, for the purpose OF
gratifying their political aspirations should de-
stroy the fundamental order OF the Christian
world, To do 30 Is to apostatize from Christian
the laws " Of civ civilization @ tor or ch' H. issansy st '
1t is held, indeed, by certain Of the modern
politicians that the people have right to choose
their religion; but win the right to choose comes
to reject Christianity. A nation may, indeed,
have the power to apOstatIze but it never has ths
right Of deposition Of the head Of the church
from that Christian sovereignty with which the
providence Of God invested him. This act is q
violation Of the Christian duties OF obedience and
loyalty to the government, or the principles OF
and unity, and Of the dictates or IA tn
ITSELF. They who say to the Vicar OF Christ, ave
will not that this man reign over US, !" reject not
the sacrament OF only, but the Master whose
Judgment In the case has been already spoken
in the words, ''fhey have not rejected thee. but
have rejected me, that should not reign over
them"
We have protested, therefore, even OH the sup
biscite pronounced the dissolution OF the Provi-
denual Christian sovereignty OF the Pontif.
Even 30 The act would be one Of rebellion sacli.
lege and apostacy. 1t would. therefore, be an
as' null In it-e I, and void OF oil moral effect: No
time no use or prescription could give It validity
or force.
But we further declare our beef-a belief
founded on evidence which is above suspicion
that rhe alleged pLeotSctte was illusory. II was
carried through Just q ter the tombardment OF
number OF Roman cilizens who voted vas more
than the number Of voters who had no right to
vote. The great result was expressed not as the
win OF the p ople, but az the momentary triumph
Of sedhion-seditlon elaborately prepared during
the past forty years. We have upon record, un-
der the hand OF the chief conspirator the alega-
tion that his aim during forty years has been the
unity OF italy, with Rome for the capital" and
tnat to this end two things we're necrssary-the
overthrow OF every throne In Italy and the ex-
tinction OF the Christian Church. The means for
the attainment OF this end, as declared by him
self, were Ubiquitous conspiracy, covering the
whole OF the States OF Italy, and 3 secret arming
and Simultaneous rising against all governments
especially against the government OF him whn
BY the providence OF God. az king and priest, holds
the highest place on earth.