New-York tribune., 1874-04-27
PERSECUTION IN RUSSIA.
A RELIGIOUS BODY FORCED INTO THE
RUSSIAN CHURCH.

SIAN GOVERNMENT DISREGARDED THE ILbEhIf
OF CONSCIENCE
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBusEl
ST.. PETERSBURG, March 12.-It is very gratifying
to observe the growing sensityeness to pubic opn-
ion in Russia. OF late the Government has fire.
quenty found it necessary to publish official state
ments defending acertan line of action which it has
taken, or explaining certain things which Western
Europe might wrongly interpret Thus when the
treaty was made with Khiya, it was considered
necessary to have official explanation OF the
reason why such treaty was made, as otherwise lt
might have been supposed that the Government had
not fulfilled the obligations which it had incurred
toward England. Lately there have been some
religious disturbances in Poland, and now the Gov
ernment has issued a long explanation of these
troubles in the Government Messenger, with the aim
of showing that the Government officials could not
be blamed for the tumults, and at the same time oil
appealing to the religious and patriotic feeling of
the country to support their action.
A great majority of the population of Lthuania,
Yolynia, and Podoa are of Russian race, and for
merly belonged to the orthodox Russo-Greek
Church; there were also settled in the Kingdom of
Poland itself others belonging to the same confes-
sion. During the latter part of the sixteenth CEN
tury, when these provinces were all under Polish
rule, measures were taken by which all OF
these Churches were united to the Roman See, slight
changes in doctrine and creed being introduced, but
the forms of the Church remained as they were.
The population attached to the rites and Gus
toms of the Russo-G Greek Church that the Roman
Court made the basis of the union the lnylolaDle
maintenance of the liturgy and different religious
services without alteration except such slight
things as adding land from the Son" in the article
of the creed with regard to the procession of the
Holy Ghost. The Bulls Of the Roman Pontif were
very explicit on the subject; thus the Bull OF
Clement VIII, Mdgnus oominus, JAM 10, 1895, ex-
pressy authorizes the Russian bishops and clergy
" to observe all the rites and customs which they
practice in conformity with the canon of the holy
Greek fathers and with the holy liturgy in their SER
MONS as well the other parts of the Divine ser
vice, so long they not In contradiction with
the Catholic faith, and do not exclude the union
with the Roman Church" This Bull was explained
and confirmed by the mandate of the same Pope of
Feb T. 1896. Complaints having arisen that changes
were being introduced Pope Paul ", in his brief
De non mutaado .u promulgated in 1915, while con-
rDing n everything all the rites of the Church. de-
clared that it never had entered could enter into
the thoughts or intentions of the Roman Church to
tolerate any change whatever of these rtes. In li3
and 1744 Pope Benedict XIV issued further Bulls,
threatening severe pains against ecclesiastcs who
made any changes, and another Bull to the same
effect was issued in 1855. There are similar Bulls by
Pope Gregory XVI. in 1G41, and Pope Plus IX. in
1856. Still in spite of all these Bulls as Is very nat
ural. the Catholic influences spread in the United
Church; the nobility of the provinces found it
necessary for their worldly welfare to become Cath
olics and the higher clergy following suit came as
near Catholicism the spirit of their people would
allow Some Catholic monastic orders were INTRO
duced into tho United Church, and various changes
81. fnaa III
ing was universally in Polish and in most OF the uni
versties the sermons were also preached in Polish
| the altar screens and holy doors taken down
| the Russian chanting was abolished, ana organs
were introduced Numerous altars were placed In
various parts of the churches, pictures unknown to
the orthodox Church were suspended on the walls
Polish and Catholic htanes and prayers were intro
duced and it became almost impossible to distin-
guisb the United from the Catholic Churches. Then,
through the alliance of the Church with the lesser
nobility the United Churches were allowed to go to
ruin and none were rebuilt and the parishioners
were gradually introduced to the regular Catholic
| Churches. This process was all very natural and
| was so gradual that tho parishioners themselves
| hardly noticed the difference, and from beng nus
| slams became more Polish in feeling.
When Lithuania was restored to Russia IN the
time of Catharine H. it was Of course very unpleas
| ant to the huSSlanS 10 nLu such so"'o Va
and as far as was possible the Russian churches were
rebuilt and missionaries sent over the country,
but no open violence was done to the United Church
II WAS not until the time Of the Emperor Nicholas,
and especially during the years that Count Protassof
was Procuror of the Holy Synod that the attention
of the Government was called to the subject of the
United Church. Some of the higher clergy were well
disposed toward the old orthodox Church, and one or
| two of the younger men lent themselves as wiling
instruments to the designs of Count Proassof' The
Russian thought that they might be able to repeat
the same tactics that had been 30 successful when
| emploved by the Poles, but were unwilling to give
| themselves the same time for producing similar
effect and succeeded in few years in bringing the
whole of these sectarians in Lithuanla back TO
| the Russian Church. This, of course, was not ac-
compished without much oppression and many
| tumults. The proceedings in Lithuania were I'm
perfectly known outside of Russia but still sufficient
was known to affiX stigma on this portion OF
Nicholas's reign in the ideas of Western Europe
Two or three years ago history of the conversion
| of Lithuania was published by the Russian Father
Thoroshkin, where it is possible to read from the
authentic Russian documents published by their
apologist things far worse than has previously been
| imagined
| The Russian Uniates then living in the Kingdom
of Poland some 10000, next drew the attention OF
| Government, and in 1871 measures were taken TO
restore them also to the bosom OF the orthodox
| Church. Poland was, however, at that time not
sufficiently united to Russia to make this possible
as the opposition of the inhabitants was 100 great
| and the movement was given up.
After the Polish insurrecton of 1868 the process OF
Polanizing having been continued the Russian
patriots and reigonists were still more anxious
about the welfare of their brethren in Poland The
restoration of the churches in the orthodox system
was at once begun and in 1868 Bishop kurziemshi,
lust appointed to Chelm, gave strict orders to his