The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-09-10
BEAYLFIC4TION OF CHRISTOPHER co.
LU.MBUS.

| LChD 20.
r The following is translation of the le
t ter which we stated some time ago, ha
I been addressed by his eminence Cardins
, Donnet, Archbishop of Bordeaux, to tn
Sovereign Pontif on the subject of tn
Beatidcation of Christopher Columbus :
Most Holy Father-When 1 petitioued you
Holiness, sohle years since, to be pleased to in
J troduce, by way of exception, the cause of tn
Qualification of the great servant of God
Christopher Columbus, l ejoiced at the thou Oh
that the Church would reap fresh glory frop
an event as remarkable as it would be- unex
pected. toresaw the world laid under com PM
sion to acknowledge once more the divine gran
deur OF the Papaoy, wherein alone, from the a z,
or alexander vi. to that of your Holiness, tn
iilustrIous discoverer of tho Integrity of tb,
globe found sympathetic assistance and mu
| nlhcent patronage. In effect the Holy See has
never ceased TO be the benevolent protector o
| Columbus, even when the great ones of the
world deserted him, and left him overw b helmed
with athIotiou and a prisoner, and abandoned
| him to The hatred and persecution that have
| outlasted four centuries.
II the day of compensation has come at last
| IL VIII De once more owing to the Vicar OF
Christ that the noble initiation is taken and
one of the most noble events in the history of
Christianity accomplished. Your Holiness will
once more show to the whole world that, il
Catholicism can elevate the simplest soul
ana make heroes iike the Cure of AIRS, Bene-
dict Labre, and the humble shepherdess of Pi
6rac, 1t can also inspire the divine mission of
Joan OF Arc and Christopher Columbus.
One thing, Holy Father, is worthy of remark
and of itself 50 fficient to show the Justice of
the cause which bring before you'll mean
the unjust neglect and silence that have
covered the memory of that admirable man.
who gave new world to Jesus Christ, and
who, for the love of Jesus Christ, for the
spread of the Catholic faith, the conu nest of the
molly piaoes aud the iDtainAnce of the Holy
See, undertook by himself. single handed, the
colossal enterprise that must command the ad-
mir8tion of posterity.
1t is true that at the beginning of the present
century certain writer's, indifferent, or rather
hostile, to Christianity, took up the history of
the lllustrious Genoese, bnt they did so With
the predetermination TO travesty all his ac y
and achievements, and to nisrs present n,.
motives, in order to prove, if they could tr.t
providence had no part in the Discovery OF
America, and that this extraordinary fact J.,
merely the result of what thew term t,ro .r, -.
and enlig ghtenment.
But Satan, who interviewed by his agpnts
was unable TO counterfeit the designs Of Pow. |
dence and the sacred rights of tru5t. God |
raised up, lloIy Father. for the jusrIt ;4fioE of
His seryaut, one of the most illustrious writer's |
Of. France, the Count RJselly de Lorgues, who
devnted his life to tue defence of Catholicism
Urged on by secret Inspiration from on
high, and encouraged by the gracious sympa-
thy of your Holiness, he gave us a new history
ot ChrlsJopber Columbus, in which he refuted
stl the caiumnies hesped up by previons his
torlans, and proved to demonstration that the
discovery of the New World, was pre- emf
lently the work of God, and held I'D to our ad-
nirat:on Christopher Columbus as q providen-
lAl man, messenger OF heaven, prepared by
special mission.
Thus Europe and America have been moved
" these revelations of history, which invest
he celebrated navigator with q super-natural
plendour. The facrs and documents on which ,
he impartial historian has based his account
re 80 numerous and SO conclusive that they {
ave carried conviction to the mind even Of
Triters separate indeed from Catholic unity i
ut guided by tho love of truth alone. This i
oDvlctioD, Holy Father, has become in short /
me me 80 strong that large number of the o
athers of the Vatican Council have volun- .
hrlly affixed their signatures to the petition :
IT the Introduction of the cause. The solemn
precision OF their desires would have been .
resented to the Council itself had mt II, ! I
rave events which have agitated E1rope. =
lPerVenedI to cause the snspension of the :
.OorB OF that august assembly.
But no political overthrow, Holy Father, can /
rrest the designs of God when He wills their r
Fresh and earnest delibera-
ons have been added to those at first entered n
ito, and their results have been published in '
rance and Italy, and have in nvested with new q
'leDdor the sanctity of Christopher Column =
as, and have revived the hopes of all good y
athoiics On its part, the irreligious Press, :
hich everywhere undertakes to frht against =,
10 Church of Christ, has reiterated the old !;
dummies against the servant of God, and re-
'nbled its efforts. .
Under these circumstances do the true chill y
en- of the Church advance their petition that n
g cause be brought before the Holy See /, Il
my turn, most Holy Father, as Metropolitan | ~
part of the Antilles, and Member of the Sa- n
ed Congrega ion of Rites, hereby renew my e
duest for the Introduction of this canse bv M
~ of exception. To you, Holy Father, is re. d
rved the glory Of reinstating, by the honors al
the altars, him VITO knew no other aun bition h
an that of propsgating the faith of Christ. ~
other greatness than the greatness and n
'Wer of the Apostolic See, as he proved to de- W
onStration by his last words, which are the is
no of his whole life. On the day before his ed
ath Christopher Columbus confirmed the re- ~
luton made on attaining his majority, when ~
Plnee0 htmp0ls undeg tta iEyO9atip8 g tno Y