Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-06
Religious AGairs I'm Canada.

Editor EUeaing Star The associat d press
dispatch from New York, published in The
STAR of this afternoon, stating that the Arch
bishop of Quebec, at the head of the - liberal
Catholics" and the archbishop" of Montreal
at the head of the Ultramontanes, are waging a
bitter war against each other, is exaggerated
and erroneous in more particulars than one
The letter which forms the basis of the dispatc b
Is evidently written by one unfamiliar with
Catholic Canadian Affairs, since lie speaks of
an So Archbishop" of Montreal, while the title
of the chief pastor Of e. at diocese is simply thai
of bishop. But this amounts to nothing. The
facts are these:-Up to late p sriod the church
of the Sulpicians, known to Americans as Notre
Dame Cathedral, was the only parochial church
in Montreal. As consequence, all baptisms
and marriages and funerals had to be attended
to there. Montreal is much larger city
than Washington, and as the parochial
church was at the extreme end of the city, il
produced considerable hardship to the people
especially those in the center and at the other
end of the city. The bishop undertook to rem
edy this grievance, and accordingly notified the
Sulpicians that he would, at given date, con-
parocLial churches. From this determination
OF the bishop the Sulpicians respectfully, and
In the legal way, appe aled TO the archbishop to
Quebec examined the question, and with the
archbishop and certain of the journals, took
sides with the Sulpicians. The Bishop of Mon
ueal was in the right, nevertheless, for the
question has been settled, and his interpreta-
ton of the canon law is now recognized and
enforced. The pol mics engendered by the
COntIONtIsy tNiuently gave Cne newspaper men
taste for such controversies, for the Catholic
journals OF Montreal and some Of Quebec began
to criticize the doctrines of the University La
val. The Nouredu Monde of Montreal went SO
far as to charge the University with s'liberal-
Ism, term OF opprobrium in the province of
Quebec. The controversy resulted in Montreal
discovering that she ought to have university
OF her own, and the Jesuits then applied for a
charter Transforming their college into a uni
yersity The University Laval and its support
ers naturally opposed this movement, and the
necessary in Montreal; but the bishop of Mon
treal thought otherwise. The whole matter was
submitted to the proper Congregation at Rome,
and Archbishop Tachoreau went there to plead
bis side OF his case, while Bishop Bourget sent
the Bishop of Trois Rivieres to represent his
"Rome has spoken, and the controversy is at
an an end nd: The Congregation recommends that
present, and that the journals desist from call
ing each other opprObr0us names. Rome has
spoken, and the controversy is at an end" said
all the journals when the decision of the Con-
gregation was received.
The controversy was conducted between the
bishops in the most fraternal manner In the
Catholic church controversy is not necessarily
"bitter war" 1t is certain that this one was
properly conducted. Instead of becoming more
violent, the controversy is closed. The Jesuits
are, in the dispatch, misrepresented as usual
They have not attempted to subvert the author
ity of the Archbishop; they have not been rep
rimanded, and they never will be expelled until
after Canada shall have been annexed and our
liberties shall have been subverted.
The Archbishop would not feel complimented
at being called a ''lberal Catholic" A liberal
Catholic is no Catholic at all, and no one under
stands that better than MOnseigneur Tache-
reau. NJ