The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-05-10
LETTER FROM ROME.
THE POPE.

translation of the address read in French
by the Landgrave Furstenberg, on the &C.
casion of the audience granted by the Holy
Father to the strangers in Rome during
Holy Week:
Most Holy Father: Permit the repre-
sentatiyes of various countries belonging
to the great Catholic family to lay at your
feet the homage of their unalterable at
tachment and profound esteem and affec-
ton towards your sacred person. We
admire your patience in enduring the
privations continually inflicted on your
Holiness; we share your grief for the per-
secutions of tho Church in many lands; we
deplore, in injunction with your Holt
ness, the Ubiquitous suppression of so many
venerable institutions. Were nothing in
question save material losses and personal
sufferings, we believe that you, after
Christ's example, would be ready to submit
and say: The Son Of Man hath not tchere
TO lap his head. But these blows have
reached so far as to strike at the free exer
else of your spiritual power. The church
is menaced even in the kingdom which is
not of this world; and, to combat these
perils, the Divine Master has endued you
with courage super human. BY the mar
vellous duration of your Pontifcate, Pro-
violence has ordained that the tenderest of
hearts and the most sweetly- eloquent of
lips should pronounce severe condemnation
against certain popular doctrines of the
day, which are seducing in appearance, but
in reality attack the basis of Christian
society. Such are the revived doctrines of
pagan antiquity, touching the omnipotence
of the State which men would place in the
stead of God; the tyranny of the State
over the Church in matters purely spiritual;
the sovereignty of the people; the absolute
rights of nationalties goddess instruction,
and the education of generation destined
to erect temples to Materialism. In oppo-
sition to perils SO gra:e, before which
silent, your holiness has not feared to raise
your voice in the name of the immutable
principles of Divine authority. Aud
therefore many have exclaimed like the
disciples in Scripture: This language is too
hard and uho can bear it And some have,
in consequence, taken offence and with
drawn themselves from you.
| Notwithstanding, when you, most
Holy Father, following the example of
Christ asked our Bishops - VIII you
also go array? p the prelates unanimously
replied: Lord, to rhom shall zee go Thou
hast the cords Of eternal H1e.' And this
response of the princes of the Church has
found an echo within the hearts of the
faithful throughout the entire world.
Jesus Christ gave to us the greatest of all
His gifts, when he placed at the basis of
the Church 90 visible Unity in the person
of His Vicar. 1t was a guarantee necessary
| for the union of all the faithful, separated
their respective countries. Yes, Most Holy
Father, it is the entire Catholic world
! which demands the independence of your
| supreme authority, and we will continually
unite our prayers and our efforts to render
ourselves worthy of the Benediction which
we come this day to implore from you. Ho-
lincss."
The Pope, who had listened with atten
ton to the reading of this address, made
the following rep.y, il Italian, and in a
clear voice
To mo it is comfort to find
myself surrounded by noble an as
semhlage as this. Aud my comfort be-
comes greater, when reflect that you ale
but the echo of numberless voices which in
various parts of Europe utter the same cry
deploring the evils which afilict Holy
Church, the Immaculate Spouse of Jesus
Christ. But you and must take comfort
from the ceremonies placed before our
eyes by the Church herself in these days,
and specially from the cOmmcmoration of
tho Passion, that sublime and extraord-
nary mystery of the Divine Redeemer's
love. At this time we may with profit
recall to mind how many persons who had
beheld with indifference the mighty works
done by Christ during his Mission upon
earth, were moved to conversion when
they saw the great work of Redemption
conducted to its termination, and the spirit
of the Only Begotten commended into the
hands of tue Eternal Father. At that
awful moment the sun became obscurcd
and darkness covered the face of the earth. !
1t was then that good men became con-
tTmed in their resolutions to follow Jesus
of Nazareth, and bad men became hardened
in their sin. Then, too, the weak and the
deceived, who yielding to the persuasive !
falsehoods of Scribes and Pharisees, had
wavcred in faith, became awake to their |
error, and were, by divine grace, enabled |
to recognize in darkness and sorrow, the !!
truths which they had failed to realize in
the clear light of the sun. And then were
they forced to cxclam: Truly this was
the Son of Cod aud were emboldened to |
become open followers of the Nazarene.
My beloved children Now also is
the earth covered by darkness of unbelief,
and in some parts of that unbelief is Joined
a Satanic darkness, which arises from
hatred towards God and against His minis
ters. But let that deep darkness ami
mate the good with courage, when thew see