, 1877-12-23

| kAlDE Oh lis mind.
FATHER CURCI.
Why Tie Mas Obliged to Leave the SocIct,
fJesufts-Iais Views On the Relation BE
tween tho Holy Sec aud tho Itatin II Gov
crnnent--A Letter fron, tho General of til,
Company of Jcsuits.
Co,1esnondsnce Of the cAnrraman
GENEVA, Dec. 1.-The great interest whict
has been awakened in Europe by the events
connected with tic withdrawal OF Father Cure
from the Jusuits warrants a more detailed
| statement Of them than I have yet seen in tht
American papers.
Father Curci is a Neapolitan by BIRTH aud
has belonged to the Company of Jesus for fifty
| one years. lie is, therefore, well advanced IN
life. lie is distinguished Tor his ability, learn
| ing, industry, and cloQucncc, being both an
| able writer aud an attractive and powerful
| preacher. He was one of the founders of the
tivita Cdftolica, the great organ Of the Jesuits,
! and went with it to Rome on its removal there
after the restoration of Plus IL. No one who
| recalls the twenty years from that date to the
| Vatican Council can forget the service which
| that paper did to the Ultramontane cause On
the arrival Of the Italians, in lS70, The Jesuits
removed their headquarters 10 .Ficsola, near
! Florence, and took With them the Ciriita, and
| Father Curc, its editor. He BECAME dis
tingushcd iu Florence for his sermons anu
| lectures, and his Advent and Lent discourses
were largely attended,
But in spite Of the prohlbitory rules Of the
Company the father was bold enough to express,
in 4 preface to LECTURES on the Gospels as
well rs in private conversations, some views on
the present situation OF thu Roman Church,
which were sufficient to call forth warning
from his General that he must obey the Jesuit
rules and publish uothng without his approval.
Hc was obedient. Bat he conceived some views
on the relation between the Holy See and the
Italian Government which he telt compelled to
express. he could not utter them in public, but
III 1879 he addressed confidential memoir to
the Pope, Of which he retained copy. And
this was the substance OF what he advised:
He contendcd .Ihat in the actual state of things
the restoration Of the temporal power is mani
fest impossibllisy. The Kingdom Of italy is an
established fact. The'only result OF the present
relations between the Church and State has
bern to drive the Italian Government into an
alliance with Germany, and to ALLEVIATE multi
tuGcs from tho former who afe devoted to the
unity and independence OF italy. To win them
buck. concord mus; be established between the
two Powers. It is Ioettcr to do it now, bccause
>thc,x present King is more friendly to the
Chnfch than his successor will be. That the
Pope, by surrendering an illusory and harrass-
ing position, could thus become virtual King OF
IInly, aud that he, with the Bishops ana clergy
.controling; the minds OF the people, using the
ing to the Constitution, would be able to
secure the deputies, the aristocracy being
secured, seemed quite feasible TO the writer.
Thus the GoTernmcct would become thoroughly
Catholic, aud would win to it I'LL the other
Catholic countries. Nay, even England might.
be expected to join In such 4 'suo1y Alliancc''
a covert compliment, perhaps, to certain
notorious influences now prevailing in the Brit
ish Colonial Office
Plus IN, after reading this Utopian pro-
granlmc, caused 4 copy Of the memoir to be
made and sent to the Gcncra1 Of the Jesuits,
Beclsx. with the Endorsement. "Tissue OF i'm
pcrtinences and fo'les!" Inter the storm
that was raised against him, CurI was forced to
apologize and to promise that he would say
nothing more in public OH the subject, The ir-
rcconcilables, not satisfied with this l1umilia-
ton, secured the withdrawal OF his license to
preach.
While, however, he was making his peace with |
the Popa a copy Of his memoir was made from |
the manuscript at the Vatican, and published |
in the Nerista Europca. The letter, it appears. |
was pur1oincu from the Pope's table, copied |
a valet OF noble rank. It excited no general |
attention and called forth no reply. But |
this gave his enemies the opportunity Of |
charging him with having authorized the pub
but nevertheless he was required to withdraw.
his memoir under the penalty OF expulsion.
lie offered private explanation and submis- !
sion, but they demanded public retTaction
within q certain time. Tie suffered this to ex-
pirc without accepting the alternative Of rccan-
tation, and tlluugh be was not formally ex-
PEELED, he was forced to retire from this order.
NJ. v. Il.
We give below 4 translation of Padre Bcckx's
letter to Padre Curci:
Chrst. r. c. (l'ar ChIistD: have received the
letter Of your Reverence, in which you inform !
me- of your desire to receive from me your dis
mission from the Jesuit company. It is always
al. -. rrrF- ~1r~$rx $$x4 l
sacred bond which joins d member to our conf
3auy, but in the present case such an act brings
% tnv heart an atiction which I cannot express
II words. |
Your Reverence has, for some time past, enter
aimed certain opinions which you were pleased
% call political, but which in reality touch the
most sacred interests Of the Church and the
node Of governing it in the presen. c;rcum-
tances; aud to sustain these your opinions
'ou have uured most rashly to constitute your
elf Judge OF those whom the Lord has made |
lie rulers Of His Church. Against the will OF |
our superiors, you have seen tit to sustain, and
Shat is still worse, to lnslnuate to Others, and
0 set forth, both by word OF mouth and in
rritinr, ideas that were graveIy offensive TO |
he vicar Of Jesus Christ and Il scandal to the
aithful. After having time and again admon-
shed you, both by word and letter, but alE1rs I
!, vain, and lately seeing these your principles ]
nd max1ns published and discussed in the
uh!c prints Of ali parties, and recognizing the {
uty OF giving satisfaction to the Holy Father,
+ taking away, or at least diminishing, the {
.andal given to the faithful, and Of manifest
,g publicly that our company, which processes, s
ccording to the principles OIL which it Is lolll1-
d, the greatesL yenerutlun and the fullest ote- /
ic,ce toward tine Holy See, docs not sanction, {
ut on the other hand rcproycs and rejects all {
aosc opinions set forth by oEe Of her members,
have believed it my DUTY TO command your q
ryereuce to 1ctract and condemn them publicly. t
ut your reverence, instead of optying, rs you II
,lr1i1niy vowed to God ard to the superior Of il
our order that You would, ask me the rather to t
smiss you from the company. S
Considering tnat your Reverence has lived In 2
lc company for ffty-onc years; that in it you 5