The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-08-10
Tho Church in Venezuela.

Persecution is a wearisope theme. In
this nineteenth century, so liberal and en-
lightened, we have as much of State versas p
Church as in almost any epoch Of Chris o
out Of fashion; but the spirit Of persecution t
is ripe as misrepresentation, verbal and
actual.
President Blanco is initiating Prince t
Bismarck in his hostility to episcopal in
dependence and Mgr. Guebara. Arch.
bishop of Caracas, is his victim. Banished
from bis Diocese for refusing to endorse I
the political views of the President, he
was permitted to return on the following
conditions That, he would publicly &C !
knowledge that all the ills of the country
were owing to him and his friends that
he would repudiate all sympathy with his
clergy who had bravely taken his part
that he would accept beforehand all the
bis future inutility, for hampering the free
dom of his office, and the freedom Of every
| one of his priests.
Needless to say that he refused these
conditions, and that the same ship which
brought him back to his country recon
Archbishop of Caracas had appointed six
wears general to administer the Diocese |
| in his absence and Of these, five accepted I
| the charge, and each was banished in his
turn. Thus, the archdiocese was deprived
of every species of spiritual government
snd President Blapco re;ss2cs supreme for
the moment over Victims who can only
protest.
tage, that it brings into light those glorious
virtues which are half hid in times OF tran
guilty. The faithful priests who stood by
their Archbishop, and the Vicar-General
whom he had left in his place, were ar
rested, thrown into prison, and subsequent
" banished to the Antilles. In pursuing
this policy, Guzman Blanco was but fol-
<ro1 nf rnonnhAra Of his
: family; for in 1876 his father, then Minister
of the Interior, both exiled the Religious
and confiscated their goods and Mgr.
/ Pena, one of the predecessors Of Mgr: Cue
suits which this Minister caused him to
undergo, The son, Guzman Blanco, had
no sooner arrived at the Presidency than
he seized ecclesiastical revenues to convert
them to the uses of the State; and being
himself sceptic, if not hostile to the Chris
tian religion, he felt no qualms of con-
science in doing what his predecessor had
done with o temporary success. In bis
Q present campaign against religion he shows
g exactly that spirit which invariably ac-
8 companies, if not inspires, attacks on the
). Catholic Church. The churches are trans
. ligious are driven into the streets. The
v seminaries for priests are seized and de-
o spoiled and even the "School of the In
FAINT Jesus" founded by the present Arch
# bishop, Wnlcn gave sneiIeI @uu iueIi ~S"'ou
n to GOO poor children, is now being convert
;. ed to some unholy use. More than this, it
% is forbidden to the priests to establish any
n theological institutions; on the ground
}, that "the clergy must now be educated,
It like the rest of the Liberated people; In
). and persecution are the same in Venezuela
10 as they are in Berlin and one more illus
tration is added of the truth that the
n Church is the keeper of our liberties. Of
~ E<Nrt HNnr pIvHrpN
l. parallel significance and crime such as
the suppression Of all converts for women,
. and the institution of civil marriages. But
" in the meantime there are two consultations
st for those who look on at these events !; that
81 the Archbishop is inhexible in his princi-
If piles, and the people are true to their
Ia Archbishop. The State may order it's Ie
Deum to be triumphantly sung in the ca
thedral but the Chapter and the people
N are absent, and mere exile cannot force &C
70 ouiescence. Te Deun,s are the usual de-
y claration of hostility between the State
20 and the Church and to command good
d priests to praise God, because the State is
~ desperately wicked, has always been con
:. sidered the ultimate victory OF ian an accom-
g plished free State and free Church"
ID President Blanco has been now three
le years in Office and is o dictator in the
ID strictest sense. No show of liberty 10 LETT
in Venezuela either in Church or State.
The Archbishop has been absent two years;
|
IS impossible that he should communieate by
d. letter with his clergy. II he does write
" and the letter lie received, any priest who
{. should publish the letter, or who should
N announce his obedience to 1t, Wonld be in
- stantly thrown into prison. Thus it is
o. difficult to imagine more complete per-
10 secution than that to which the Diocese OF
70 Caracas and it's excellent pastor are sub
It jected. The triumphs of Bismarck will
=. not suffer a Blanco to sleep. To raise the
- State by crushing the Church is the ira
tional policy of both. One consequence
IN ia that the exiled patriots-for there are no
a. such patriots as true Catholics-carry their
- aith and their heroism wherever they go,
y and do a world wide good. The New
no World was admitted to the Church chiefly
1e through the impulse of Professionalism for
n what one country wildly throws away an
rs other is sure to gather mp. Example is
an what the world expects to see when II
10 compares itself with the Church and per
70 secution both purities the good and marvel,
h. hal ha i'm.