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

1A0 IN
Address Of the AreAhisAsps and 1.sAsps Of Germany
to the Emperor william.
Meat Gracious EmpsrOr King and Iordi
The undersigned Archbisbops and Bish-
ops Of the Kingdom Of Prussia most re-
Majesty to appeal to your wisdom and JUS
| tice in the confidence Of obtaining cessa-
ton of the dissensiOns which at present
prevail, and which cast dark shadow over
| the peace and prosperity of our fatherland.
During the time that we, summoned by
the voice of the Church's Head, were united
with the Catholic Bishops of the world
over the tomb of St. Peter at Rome to de-
liberate on the remedies for the religious
and moral ills of the present age, aRd to
proclaim afresh before the science of the
day and the alterations of modern thought
the changeless principles of our holy reli
gion, there arose in Germany systemati-
cally hostile agitation against the delibera-
lions that were taking place. That agita-
ton at once generated in the religious
world an excitement which produced great
confusion in many minds, and which, up
to the present time, like all the results of
intellectual error, has been strong and
powerful only in invectiye and insult. in
demolition and destruction. One of the
most perfdious of the Vaccinations of the
represent our religious assembly az hostile
to the humanitary tendencies Of the State,
and, by exciting distrust of the Church, to
urge on the Government of the country to
measures hOstile to the Church.
The execution Of such project might
yet, even before we left Rome, we had be-
gun to feel alarm at the intrigues that were
practised on large scale, and the facilities
at the disposal Of our OppOnents. The
confidence which we felt in the hereditary
wisdom and justice of our august sover-
eign, who is habituated to be guided as to
the acts of his Government, not by the
venal and unstable dictates OF a superficial
culture, or of vague and eelf-contradic-
tory liberalism, but by clear intelligence
and the spirit of earnest morality and
even handed justice-that confidence, we
say, is deeply rooted in our hearts.
We also believe that history, that best Of
teachers, speaks loudly on our behalf.
1t shows US that the struggles which
| took place in the middle ages between
| Church and State did not originate from
the doctrine, which then was wide spread,
of the Pope's infallibility. History also
| proves that from the end of medieval in
situations, even down to our own day, this
doctrine, which has been held and taught
in almost every Catholic country, has in
none of them produced political complica-
tions. Besides, according to the very
1
and unambiguous rs it is-and as explain
ed by the legitimate organs of Church au-
thority, all allusion to the political domain
is completely shut out from the dogmatic
definition SO that nothing but fierce
passion for party strife could seek to put
pretations upon it, by the employment of
unfair differences and by the citation of all
sorts of other. DEGREES that are wilfnlly
misunderstood or dishonesty construed.
Nevertheless it seems that in these latter
times such accusations and appeals have
not completely failed Of their intended eff
feet, and that grave Misunderstanding and
suspicious have arisen, even in those quar-
tiers which, ordinarily, are superior to the
ephemeral outbreaks of heated party strife.
Such fears have in fact called forth re-
grettable decisions against the indispen-
Bonn and Breslau; it has also produced
the late rescripts of the Minister of Wor-
ship against the Bishop OF Ermeland in
reference to the question of the religious
teaching in the Catholic College of Braun
berg. Those rescripts not only ordain that
o priest who has been formally excluded
from the Church on account of heresy and
obstinate resistance to the DEGREES of an
Gcumenical Council, shall be the only L.
gal Professor to teach religion in an estab-
ment that is Catholic by the terms of it's
foundation, but also that all the Catholic
to attend his religious lectures against
their own wishes and against their parents
desire, or else be compelled to leave the
college.
Sire, by this last act-to confne our
selves to this one conspicuous instance-it
comes to pass, not only that an establish
ment belonging to your Majesty's Catholic
subjects is deprived of its Catholic charac-
ter, but also that there has been commit
ted fragrant aggression upon the special
domain of faith and of the Church, and an
open attack on liberty of conscience.
| The Minister by his ordinances has de-
termined without appeal what is hencefor-
ward to be deemed Catholic, and he pun
ishes the Catholics who will not adopt his
views, by excluding from the college the
instruction that they have a right to, and
which is exclusively founded aud support
ed by Catholic money and at the same
time as but a small proportion of the suf-
ferers by these proceedings are possessed
of the means to go elsewhere, the majority
are wholly deprived of the opportunity of
getting higher education at all. 1t may