The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-06-06

that by the Vatican DEGREES tie Pope 10
sole Bishop Of the uorld, the sole Ordinary
of every diocese that the Episcopate 10
now reduced to q servile depeDdence on
his personal will and that with such an
Observation-Disclosures only in name-no
Government can treat
By these misrepresentation, which you
do NOT need that We should refute, the I'm
perial Chancellor has endeavored to excite
alarms ard suspicious, and to point the
luminosity Of Governments against the liber-
ty of the next COpelave, which may God long
delay.
We enter into NO refutation ofthese self
evident msinterpretatiOns OF the Cathonc
religion not only because you do not neea
any refutation, but because the Bishops OF
Germany, assembled at Fulda in the month
of January in this year, have go completely
exposed and destroy ed them that no wofd
of ours can be needed.
The collective answer addressed by them
to the Imperial Chancellor 10 30 conclusive
aud 81 uuauswerabie, that his Holiness
PiusIX. has been pleased TO address to the
Archbishop of Cologne, and TO the Bishops
of GERMANY. a letter in which their lumin
Qua teaching aud their noble protest are
comm ended and confirmed by his supreme
authority. The value and Importance OF
these two documents is therefore Sc great,
| that the Bishops of other countries are al
| this time uniting together to declare their
We cannot delay to do the same by direct
ing these two letters to be read to the faith
full of our Sioceses.
This recent attem pit to transfer the per-
secutions of Germany to the domain OF
faith, and to assail the liberty Of the Church
in it's Head and centre, equally a1ec.s
every Catholic Bishop and flock thEoughoue
the world. But in some Countries the
Bishops may be less free to speak than We
are. We hold it, therefore, to be our duty
to speak in their behalf and in our own.
The liberty Of the Head of the Church Is
the liberty of the Church itself. The heer
ty of the election of its Head is vital to it's
liberty in every place, and in every function
of its spiritual authority. Against this at
tempt to coerce the freedom of the Holy
See. and to enslave the Church OF God,
every Catholic in the world is bound In
COINCIDENCE to protest before the just Judg-
ment of every Christian people. 1t ls our
duty to bear our part in denounclng TINS
wanton aud insidiOus attack upon our faith ;
and obey by adhering, with this public
declaration, to the noble resistance Of the
Bishops of Germany, to show that where
| one member suffers all members suffer with
! is. We trust that in every country where
! liberty of conscience and Of speech is yet
| left to men, there may be q prompt and
authortative republication of the wise and
/ fearless words of the Bishops of Germany,
tthat they may be thereby assured that, il
| in this conflict, the glory of the vanguard
| is given to them, the whole Catholic Epis-
copate, priesthood, aud people, are united
behind them for their support.
For these reason, therefore, we have
| given order, Rev. and dear Brethren, thai
| copies of the Letter of the German Bishops
| to the Imperial Chancellor, and of the Let
ter of bis Holiness Plus TX. to the German
Bishops, shall be placed in your hands
that after publishing this, our address t.
the faithful, You may read them also to
your people, so that all may have foil
knowledge of their eontents.
May He by whom Kings reign and Law
givers decree Justice PROV. viii. l5|, tuFL
the hearts Of all who bear authority to til.
protection of faith and of conscience ane
may tire peace of God be with you.
Given at Westminster. in Low Week
1875, and ordered to be read, together will
the two following Letters, in all Churche
and Chapels of our Dioceses, on the fire
Sunday after its receipt by the Clergy.
HENRY EDWARD, Cardinal Archbishop
of Westminster.
THOMAS JOSEPH, O.S.B., Bishop ofNew
port and Minerva.
WILLIAM BERNARD, O.S.B., Bishop @
Birmingham.
JAMES, Bishop of Shrewsbury.
, WILLIAM Bishop of Plymouth.
WILLIAM, Bishop of Clifton.
FRANCIS, Bishop of Northampton.
ROBERT, Bishop of Beverly.
a t JAMES, Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle
JAMES, Bishop of Southwark.
HERBERT, Bishop of Stafford.
BERNARD, Bishop of Liverpool.
e EDWARD, Bishop Of Nottingham.
e The Paris Correspondent the Baltimo