The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-05
wIsCKLLANxoUs Y0RxIaM -NKws.
ITO March I4th.J
THE AUSTRIAN ECCLESIASTICAL LAWS.

| In Austria the state of affairs is very
serious. The first Ecclesiastical Bill intro
| duced by Herr Won Stremayr, Minister of
Justice, passed its second reading on
Monday by 224 votes against "a. The
Minister is reported to have said that
OF religion for the purpose of intrigues
fraught with danger to the State, or allow
the servants of God to become the mis-
sionaries Of an organized opposition to the
laws OF the country. It was not intended"
he declared, "to wage war against the
Church, but to bring about order in her
relations with the Government, 80 that she
may freely exercise her holy mission and
not encroach on the inviolable rights of the
State ~ while the Prime Minister, Prince
Won Auersperg, declared that so far from
the new law remaining dead letter, it was
tho intention of the Government vigorously
to enforce it. We all know by this time
what this talk about opposition to the laws
OF the country means it 10 not pretended
that there are any intrigues or any opposi-
| ton to the laws now, and Herr Weber, one
OF the supporters of the Bill, was good
enough to tell Us what the danger is against
which this oppressive legislation is irected.
have go enlarged, he said, the limits of &C.
clesiastical Jurisdiction that there is sure to
be be conflict between it and the State
some day or other. The State, therefore,
must be protected" and protecting the
State means putting conscience in chains,
lest there should be at some future time q
| conflict between it and the exigencies of
| the civil power. Count Won Hohenwart,
the former Prime Minister, truly pointed
| out that it was impolitic and mad gratui-
tously to provoke religious strife in an EN-
| pire already afflicted by quarrels between
different nationalities, and declared further
| that the proposed law was in formal con-
| tradiction to the 18th Article of the funda-
| mental statute. AS long as that Constitu-
! ton existed, the Reichsrath, he said, had
| NO right to pass such q law, and the tribu-
| nails would DO appealed to against them.
Herr Greuter, the Tyroiese deputy, spoke
ont still more plainly, and quoted the
Augsburg Allgemeine Zeisang to prove that
the new laws were q concession to Prussia,
which wanted an ally in her crusade
against the Catholic Church. But all these
protestations were useless, and the result
OF the debate was the division recorded
above. Cardinal schwartzenberg, Arch
bishop of Prague, will lead the opposition
to the laws in the Upper House, and Macs
has been celebrated in the Cathedral of
Prague, in the presence of his Eminence
and all the nobility, for the Church
threatened by the laws on religion"
From Vienna we hear, by the special
correspondence of Ls Monde, what the
nature of the new Confessional laws is, and
by their terms, which we now translate,
their object is easily understood. A num-
Der of orr Catholic eotenporaries, some
especially hailing from New York, with in
sufficient information, have put down the |
proceedings against the Church in Austria,
as Government persecution" analogous |
with that Of Prussia against che Church, |
where Emperor, Ministers, and Parliament |
are all swooping like wolves on the fold !
It is not SO. In our observations last week |
we showed, before any other Catholic |
Innrnal In Tho TInitnA rate
the case stood of the threatened war in
Austria upon Catholicity. We indicated
clearly the spirit which they who can rule
the Government of Austria, as well as the
people, would exhibit towards any attack
on the Church, and fuller information from
Austria is a testimony that there will be no
persecution after the Bismarkian style.
The Emperor will finally refuse his sane
ton to the attempt to enslave the Church.
The laws are few, and are conceived with
rare skill. They read az if they were
Matched at Berlin.
Article 1.-Catholics rejecting the dogma
OF infalibiiity shall be considered as form
enjoy the protection of the State.
Article 2.-Those who enjoy ecclesiasti-
cal usufruct aud benefces, and who do not
recognize the infallibility of the Pope, shall
preserve the full and entire possession of
their places and benefces,
1AlsiClo o'-CuCu SuES0 as aT6 freely
elected by the old Catholic communes,
shall be recognized as legitimate Cures,
and the constitution of the Old Catholic
communes and syndics shall be submitted
to the Appropriation of the State.
Article Ain communes where a third
or less of the inhabitants shall declare
their desire to belong to the Old Catholic
ism, they shall have the right to celebrate
their divine services in the communal
churches. individuals Of the age of four
teen gears shall be comprised in the census
mentioned.
Bohemia has sent a strong protest
against this proceeding to the Emperor,
and the Catholics are aroused in vigor.
The Reichsrath will have lively time of
1t whilst it lasts, but in the Chamber of
Peers it will be livelier than anywhere
else. The Cardinals will be there in full
force, the Archdukes will muster, and the
Catholic mobiles will give their power,
their influence, and eloquence against it.
The popular agitation, too, is widespread
and earnest. In Carneola, the government
seriously considered that it ought to pro-
hibit the collection of signatures against