The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-06-15
Pastoral Letter Of the Bishops Of North Germ any,
Assembled at the Tomb Of st. Boniface, Addressed
TO the Clergy and all the Faithful of their
nioceaas

| Dearly Beloved in the Lord:
You know in what q situation the Church o
Christ is at present placed throughout the
| whole world, aud especially in our German
Very shortly there is about to be promul
gated a series of laws, which are upon essen
tial points in opposition to the Churchs con-
stitution and liberty ordained by God.
From the moment that these laws were pre-
sented to the Ldadtag, we deemed it to be a
sacred duty of our pastoral Office to raise our
voice loudly against them by making our pro-
test, which we addressed both to his Majesty
the King and to the two Houses of Parliament.
But you yourselves, dearly beloved brethren,
our colleagues, and people of our dioceses,
cutiou, there must necessarily result the separ-
alton OF the Bishops from t5e visible head of
the Catholic Church; and likewise the separ-
elton of the clergy and people from their law
full Bishops; the separation of the Church in
our Fatherland from the great Church of the
Man God and Redeemer which embraces til g
whole earth. and the complete dissolution Of
quence of these clear and just considerations,
you FASTENED to manifest to your Bishops the
serious apprehensions they had produced in
tions by word of mouth and by writing, and in
every possible way.
Seeing the gravity of the imminent dangers
with which the Church and her pastors are
threatened, both now and in the near future,
you have not failed to add to these manifesto
tions the sacred assurance that, come what
may, you will remain steadfastly united to ST.
Peter, the pastor and common teacher of all
Christians, and to your lawful Bishops, and
that, even as you have shared in our anXietes,
SO you will also in our conflicts and suffer-
ings. These apontaneous demonstrations-asaf-
fecting as they are subiimc-of your faith and
your faithful attachment to the Church, have
reached us from all directions and they are to us
IN the midst of present tribulations, and in view
the most lively joy aud of the most heartfelt
consultations. Having met together for serioas
consultation at the Tomb of St. Boniface, we
send to all OF you, with emotion of heart, the
collective expression of our gratitude for those
Thousand testimonies of your fidelity. We
shall preserve them as so many well-beloved
memorials at q solemn epoch to be for ever
in the Church's history. Never will
we lose their recollection, for it is guarantee
of your unalterable fidelity; and we copiure
you ALL by the love of Jesus Christ, to perse- !
we're in these sentiments under all occurrences,
and to join action to the word spoken Gods |
grace will never fail you. He W no has begun |
q good work in you will perfect it even to the |
day of Jesus Christ.
the force of law even should that come to |
pass, the grace of God helping Us, we shall de- |
fend with trmness and unanimity the princi-
pies declared by us in our memorial, princi-
pies that are not personal to ourselves, but
" hich are those of Christianity and of eternal
justce; we shall discharge our pastoral duty
so as that at the hour of our DEATH we may
not be told to depart as hirelings from the
judgment seat of the Divine Pastor who sent
u.s. and who gave His own life for those that
belong to Him.
Remembering the words of the Apostle, that
the Holy Ghost appointed Bishops to rple the
Church OF God, which He redeemed with His
own blood, and that it is therefore our unalter-
able duty to obey that command of the Holy
Ghost, we cannot permit, in reference to the
government and administration of the churches
entrusted to US, anything that may be opposed
to the precepts of the Catholic faith and to
the divine law'of the Church.
BuG do fall -1,l,o
ers and faithful of our dioceses abide stead
fast and remember that there is no lawful
bishop except he who has been sent as such by
the Holy Father and the Apostolic See, which
ls the fountain of unity and of all ecclesiasti-
cal Jurisdiction; none except he who continues
IN the communion of this same Apostolic See.
except those who shalt have been invested and
charged by the Bishops, and who continue in
communion with them. Every other must be
an intruder.
According to the economy which God has
established in His Church for all time there
cannot he given TO any man, through the ordi-
nance OF any secular authority Whatsoever,
an ecclesiastical matter to the secular mower
and remain at the same time in the communion
Of the Church. On the contrary, such an act
IS pnnls,h abb. by accommodation, which is
incurred ipso tdcto by such an appeal.
Following the traditional usage of the
Church, We remit the decision to be passed in
Al doubtful cases concerning the Church into
Aoueo Va INC 1oly 4 aLner, whom Jesus
Christ has appointed Supreme Pastor of His
church; and, God helping us, we shall always
'emain in his communion and under his obedi
.nee. But also we shall continue to ful6l our
iuty with fidelity and conscience towarda the
ocular authorities, towards the civil govern
nent and towards the Fatherland never for
:etting that the state of things which God de
ireo to sec prevailing between the two powers
established according to His will, is not to be
me OF conflict and separation, but of peace
md concord.
For the defence of the imprescriptible liberty
u the Church and of the blessings of Christi
nifty we recommend to you, in addition to q
lrm attachment to the Church, the outspokeu
ference in patience and submission; and above
III, as we have often said before, PRAYER YEA
mayer the most humble, and most instant The
most persevering and most full of copfidence. !
prayer addressed to our God aud Saviour, who
,ione Is our hope and our succor For. aimee
he day when Constantine the Great was con-
,erted to Christianity, and put an end to the
hree centuries persecution of the Church hv | q
he Pagan State, there has hardly been a time
Then the Church has been seen by ali peonIe
o be so destitute of human aid and so threat
ned by grave perils, as in this age of ours. c
n thus speaking, we keep in view not only the | a
resent trials, but also those which the future l