The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-17

gious lectures Of An accommodated
priest. This requirement Of attendance
on the religious teaching Of priest who
has proved unfaithful to the Catholic faith,
10 . direct violation of the most sacred do
main OF our faith, and an open attack on
the liberty Of conscience OF the Catholic
students, and constitutes o persecution of
the most Ubiquitous and most dangerous
character. e
Profoundly saddeped at these deplorable
events, which can have no other result
than to spread fatal confusion amongst the
people, weaken their respect for the au-
thorities appointed by God, and shake the
confidence that hitherto they have 80
faithfully preserved in them; impelled by
feelings of duty, and penetrated by the
consciousness of the responsibility they lie
under for the welfare of the souls entrusted
to their charge, the undersigned Archbisll-
ops and Bishops come with the greatest re-
spect before your Msjesty's throne to enter
their solemn protest against all these en-
croaciments on the interior domain of
faith and Of the rights Of our holy Mother
the Church, and to ask of your Majesty
justice and redress.
Bot We are convinced that the present
conflict would have been avoided if cor
rect knowledge of the essential principles
of the Church's faith and life, just appre
citation of her whole moral and religious
OI80ubA0tACu 6uu OTKbpIC llIos 10 6I6O VI Cuc
immovable foundations Of her right, could
have made themselves heard in the DELHI
eratlons on the question in hand and as
we still cherish the hope that even now it
will not be difficult to put an end to the
conflict that has broken ont, we Lumbly
take the liberty of aDnexisg to this memo
rial a statement of the opinions and princi-
pies of Catholics on this subject.
We unite in prayer to God our Lord that
His all-powerful protection and blessing,
which has SO visibly to all men covered
the beloved head of your Majesty in the
war which is lately ended, may still ac-
company you in the great work of peace
foundation of the fear of God, of justice,
and of civilization, the edifce of q united
German Fatherland may be raised and
completed as magnifcently as the heroic
war conducted by your Majesty has glori-
ously commenced it and laid its foundations.
We are, etc.
Fulda, Sept.7, 1871.
The above protest is signed by the Arch
bishops of Cologne aud Posen, and Prince
Bishop of BresIau, the Bishops of Lin
burg, Paderborn, Fulda, Trevea, Osna-
bruck, Ermeland, Agathopolis, Munster,
Hildesheim, and Kuhn.
The Archbishop of Posen adds in o post
script that he joins in this protest. al
though none of the Catholics of his diocese
have been led away by the misunderstood
ings that have produced agitation in some
of the provinces of Germany.
TIE EMpERoR's REPLY.
The Emperor's reply is addressed to the
Archbishop of Cologne, and is as follows /:
My Lord Archbishop-Tn the manifesto
addressed to me by your EmineDce, in con-
j junction with several other Bishops, meas
ures taken by my Government in matters
Of higher education in conformity with the
a v a n a yva n tod \
illegal interference in matters of faith and
of the Church, and as an undisguised coer-
cion of conscience" and your Grace pro-
fesses yourself induced "formally to raise
a protest against all such interference in
matters of faith and internal law of the
the Catholic Church, and especially his
Holiness the Pope himself, have hitherto
uniformly acknowledged the Catholic
Church to enjoy a favored position in
Prussia such as it holds scarcely in any
other country, am surprised to find in q
manifesto of Pruesian Bishops echoes of q
language by which attempts have been made
in Parliament and in the Press to shake the
deserved confidence with which my Catho-
lie subjects have hitherto regarded my Gov
eminent. Your Grace knows that no change
has taken place in this legislation, which
has hitherto enjoyed the appreciation of the
Catholic episcopacy; nor have you named
duy Jaw III Jul uldullcSLU UuaC INV GOV-
eminent is supposed to have infringed.
If, however, occurrences have taken place
within the Catholic Church in consequence
of which its hitherto satisfactory relations
to the State are threatened in Prussia with
an interruption, l cahnot pretend to feel
myself called to give an opinion entering
on dogmatic questions on this fact; it will
rather be the task of my Government to
endeavor in the way of legislation to effect
legal solution of the recent conflicts be-
tween temporal and ecclesiastical authori-
ties, SO far as they cannot be avoided al
together. Until this has been accomplish
ed in constitutional manner,it is my duty
to maintain the existing laws in force, and
in conformity with them to protect every
Prussian in his rights. The task of reply
ing in detail to the reproaches against nv
Government addressed to me by your
Grace 1 leave to my Government. 1 had
hoped that the influential elements within
tie Catholic Church, which formerly show
ed themselves averse to the national move
ment under Prussian guidance, would after
the constitutional reformation of the Ger
man empire, have accorded their voluntary
support to the peaceable development of