The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-12-22
FoR rae CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
THE PARDON OF THE BISHOPS OF PARA
AND PERNAMBUC0.

The Imprensa Evangelical published in
Rio de Janeiro, in its issue of the I'd of Oc-
tober, has the following article on this sub
ject
"On the 18th of last month the following
decree was published: Taking into consid
GRAFTON the proposal which has been made to
me by my counsel of ministers, and having
also heard the counsel Of ale upon it, de-
eide in the execution Of this authority con-
ferred on me by Art. 10l sec. Oh of the
Constitution to decree the following: The
Bishops, Governors and other Ecclesiastics
If the dioceses of 0linda, and of Para, who
were implicated in the conflict excited in
consequence of the interdictS placed on some
Of the brOtheroods Of the said dioceses, are
pardoned, and the processes instituted against
them for this cause are silenced forever "
Diego Velho Cavalcauti de Albuquerque,
Minister and Secretary of States of Causes
Of Justice will cause this decree to be exc
,uted. Palace of Rio de Jsneiro. l7th of
September, 1875. 54th year of Iudepen-
dence and of the Empire.
With the request of his Majesty the En-
peror,
DiO Velho Cdvalcanti de Albuquerque.
We do not FOR the present intend to enter
into lengthy considerations upon this act of
the Government, which appears to us ore
more step taken sld in the vain hope
Of finding some possible solution for the re-
ligiouS question, one more attempt to find an
outlet from the "Vereda Sem Saleida" in
which the government, impeled by the Court
of Rome, has involved itself in search of a
solution for the episcopal conflict. From
religious point of view the release of the
rebel Bishops and their officials seem to US
of little Importance. They we're simply actors
performing upon the Brazilian stage the par
assigned them in the secular tragedy, BY
which the Papacy seek to crush humanity
We never thought the men employed by th'
Government in this strife, very judiciOus
and this seems to US the least so of all. VIZ
are by no means opposed to the bishops anc
their agents being set at liberty. Ever
though they we're justly sentenced, their i'm
prisonment gave them the appearance o
martyrs. They really governed their do
ceses as absolutely as if they had been il
their episcopal palaces. They impeded tn
orders of the government; the brotherhood
continued under the interdict. The govern
ment gained no advantage by their imprison
ment, and by processes against them, excep
the vindication of the principle of the au
thority of the constitution and of the laws o
the country, which the Inflated union will
Rome nulliGed in great measure ode facto.
Aud now this principle of the authority o
the civil and political institutions where they
are contrary to the will of Rome, is also par
doned.
Pardon is granted to condemned crimi
mails, when they plead themselves repented
Amnesty is the exemption guaranteed to re
bells, the seditious or deserters, who recogniz
ing themselves conquered, or in circumstance
in which they can resist no longer, lay dow
their arms, and return to the fulfllment o
their lawful duties. Whoever accepts par
don confesaes himself guilty; whoever avail
himself of an amnesty recognizes himself q
conquered, and pledges himself in future t.
respect and obey the pardouing power. l
does not appear to US that the conditions 0
pardon or amnesty are fulfilled in the cas-
of the Bishops and Ecclesastics contem
plated in the decree of the 18th of Septem
Der. It seems rather new species of am
nesty, in which the conquered pardons tn
conqueror, in which truce is given to tn
enemy, in order that he may go to ask leaV
of his sovereign to yield to his opponent, O
to arrange more efficacious plan of resist
ance, whichever seemed best to him.
would be ridiculous to admit that the Bish
ops have yielded or accepted the condition.
which the amnesty presupposes. 1t would
be incompatible as well with the character
of the men, as with the policy of Rome
which they have sworn to obey implicitly il
everything. 1.-THE pardoned Bishops return
to their dioceses, and raise the iuterdicts they
will demoralzs themselves, and their cause
1t will be confession of having erred BY
order of their infallibe master. If they re
turn to continue the work already begun
of implacable war against the nations, thu
result certainly will not be what they intenC
or desire.
The act Of amnesty is confession on tbt
part of the Government, either that the pro
cess, and Imprisonment of the pardoned was
a political error, Judicial injustice, an lille
gal persecution, or that the government finds
itself impotent before the power of Rome
In whatever case it is as formal disauthor
ization of the pre0as;ng cabinet, which order
ed the institution Of the process, and which
always insisted that there were in enforced
legislation sufficient means for solution Of
the difficulty. The amnesty has not con.
signed the principal question to oblivion
The Minister of Justice confesses in the
House of Deputies that this solution was moi
definite, but he thought it would smoothe the
difficulties of the diplomatic negotiation with
the Holy See. 1t is then sacrifice to pro
pitiate iufallibility, concession to a for,
eigu potentate, imploriDg him to harmonic
the domestic affairs of the country. The re,