New-York tribune., 1874-11-23


arises whether the authority which has annuled Ins @
profession Of faith made by the Catholics wouu no,
be competent to change their conceptions oil ponuca
question tha. may DO fairly asked; az and ibs
language OF their Bishops. One OF them has pus
10 the following terms "H)w shall we persuade .no
and good faith H. having declared that infabli,y was
not an article Of our faith while We were M o
Wanied withdraw from our public declaration ani az
firm the contrary T. the case II, Drtmd Jdc'f, s..s
rc of our liberties and our toIerao was founded
on the declarations given by the Eogsn hnu @ ,.as
msnts interesting aud significant as they are are un
known TO the Constitution. what Is KNOWN, hnu W.
methine more solemn and Substantial than series OF
improved asserons-namely the oath III WIFI I tuo
That was the security which Parliament rtqurea tna.
the pledge by which We were .c,.yotnr. gotpr'
and sna' ws, US no was nOrs sisn for RspTb
cans sufficient for Catholic, aboi Sd tar s Tsn.
ment Irish Church: II there no longer special
bond for the LOYALTY OF CIhos tns lact Is que % @ tnS
having surrendered the only real ConstituiOnal scc
ity scarcely reason to Lament the deproca
directly connected with The action of Parliament, und
was virtually superseded by the OATH
did not begin with the Vlusan Council. At M ths
time when the Catholic oath was repealed. the
municate those who denied his authority 90 de-
pose princes that he possesses now: Ths writers writer,
OF faith; modern Pontif had affirmed tnat IL cannos
DO abandoned without tan OF hereSy ana taat tnos1
who questioned and restricted his authority In enpOra
matters were worse than those who rejected IL IN
spirituas and accordingly men suffered death Tor tns
cause Us others did for blaspheny ana atheism Iho
recent decrees have neither Increased tho penalty nor
made It more easy to inhiet. .,,,
That Ia tho true answer to your appeal IOur nulct-
would be moro Just n II was more % complete.
you pursue the inqIry inTner yTa W." aasand ah r
higher and ancient authority than meeting
bishops halfa century ago Aud then think yon VIII
NIT fhatV V0u
called on account for every particle o! systc WHEN
has never come before them In integrity. or for
opinions whose among divlnes hey wouid DO
exceedingly reluct tlnt TO Dellete. , ,o.a
who lived IN Catholic times, and who Is famous In his
tory the author OF the first Crusade DECIDED IhaI IL IS
%ardsr to k S Ss aS Se
the Code. which took place In the sixteenth century anu
was allowed to stand It appears in every reprint OF
the Corpus Jurs 1t has been for 700 years ana CON
having dead letter. IL obtained new Application
days Of the Inqust0 and one OF the ater ropes
good q deed that 1t atones. aud more than
atones, for the murder OF Catholic Again tue great
nroposition that ale kept with herer
ical Princes-cum qt Dec Hdsm seroat des ser
randa sat- 1nis principle was ad0ptcd oy ccie-
prated Council. aud confirmed by st. Thomas Aqrnas
the oracle OF the schools Toe syllabus whicn y1u co
has assuredly not acquired greater authority III INC
Church than the Canon Law and the Literan Derrees
than Innocent the Third and St. Thomis. Yet these
Things were well known when th3 Oatn was repealed
as tney are Bnt IL felt that, whatever might
Le the of CanOns and the spirit of tue
cal laws the Catholic people Of TINS cou6try might D;
lonOrably trusted. .
But win pass from the letter to the spirit which is
moving men the present day IL belongs peculiarly
TO tho character OF genuine Utramoltano not ony TO
guide his life oy the example OF canonzed saints hut 70
Popes. Now Plus ", the Ony Pope who has been pro-
claimed SAINT for many centuries having deprived
Elizabeth, commissioned an assassin 10 take ner NE;
aud s successor on learning tha' the Protestans
were being massacrod In France, pronounced the
action glorious aud holy but comparatively barren OF
results; and iplorcd the king iuing tSo months, by
h Nuncio aud bis Legate to oiry tue work on to tue
isned hard to believe that these things can excite
sort of admiration or that displays itself In
ton. III they do not. then 1t cannot be truy said
that Catholics forfeit their moral freedom or place their
duty at the mercy OF another.
There il waste OF power by friction in we'll
eonSifucteo Of t and harmon mo Wnc You
Little fellowship or confidence is possible between
man who recognizes the common principles or morality
ns we ld them tho overwhelming mass OK the writers
Of Curch and one who. on learning that the murder
OF Protestant Sovereign mas been ncucated Dy SAINT,
ar the slaughter OF Protestant subjects approved bya
Pope sets uimsolf to tnd Interpretation for the
lions between men divided by such gulf as this
from unity of body composed OF such
materials But where there Is not union OF an active
aggressive kind, there may be unity In defenSe and 1t
possible, making provision against the one, to pro-
mote and TO cOutrm the other.
There has been, and believe there is sul, some
aegeraon In the idea men form of tho agreement in
Thought and deed which authority can accomplish. AS
far DEGREES. censures and persecution coUd commit
Coperncan system. Nevertheless the history OF astron
Omy shows whole catena or distinguished Jesuts aud
century Spaniard who thought hmseil bound to
adopt PtOemaic theory laughed at by the Roman
The submission of Fole oD whc! Pfotestants
aud Catholics have often celebrated, Is another In
stance TO my point. wncu his book condemned
F6nelon publicly accepted the judgment as the voice of
God. He declared that he adhere TO the decree absO
utely aud without shadow OF reserve, and there
no bounds his submission. In private he wrote that
his opinions perfectly orthodox AMI ronilned I'M
changed that his opponents were In tho wr0ng aud that
Rome getting religion into peril.
IL Is not the unpropt0us times only, but very ma
ture of
alenccs OF theories that have grown up within It,
Henry H. tn ugh two Popes had given him dominion
over Thcy fought against william Ill., although
Pope had given him efficient support In his expcdi
ton Even James H. when he could not get inter for
Petre, reminded Innocent that people could be very
good Catholics, aud yet 90 Without Rome. Philip III:
was cxcOmmuncated and deprived but ho dispatched
his army against Rome with the full concurrence of tle
SpaDisn dvlnes.
That opinions likely to iDjurs position loyal
subjects OF Protestant sovereign citizens OF free
State, members or community divided III religion,
ourished at VARIOUS tmes and In various degrees
that they CLAIM high sanction; that they often
uttered III the evaporation OF controversy and
most strongly urged at time when there s possibility
putting III IN iutO practcethis all men must cOncede
But affirm that. in the lercest conflict OF the ReOrm-
tiOn when the rulers OF ths Church had almost lost
heart In the struggle for existence and exhausted every
vi their authority both political and spiritual
the bulk OF the English Catholics retained the spirit of
better time. Yon do not, am glad to say, deny that
this continues be true. But you think that ought
the Pops cannot by virtue OF powers asserted by the
late Council make claim which ne was wa perfect, able
that he would be resisted he did The first 10 super
duous The second Is not capable OF receiving written.
demonstration. Therefore, neither OF the alternatives
you propose the Catholics Of this country opens to us
way OF escaping from the reprOach We have incurred
Whether there is more truth In your misgivngs or In my
confidence the will show, hope, at no distant
tune. remain sincerely yours, ACTON.
THE LoNGSHOREMEN STILL DETERMINED.