The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-02-03
himself at Kahme, and warned that If be

Ulu uS WOutu INCUR
To these muet be added four who Joined
the Old Catholic body; viz, SuszcZynski
Schroter. Pyszka, Kufliski, all of WHOM
would, of course, have been deprived G.
their livings by the legitimate auth critics
of the Church but for the action of the May
Laws. Canonical sentences have, indeed
! been pronounced against them, but they
have remained without visible effect
These men continue to be treated by the
civil authorities as the legitimate pastors
| of their respective cures they receive their
income just az before; no priest can be
appointed in their place the poor parish
toner's are left without spiritual care; and
| prosecutions have been carried out against
every one suspected of having any thing to
do with publishing the cauonicai sentences
| Issued against them. Let us only recall
| the fact, that the unfortunate Suszczynski
| 80 forgot or trampled upon all his duties
as priest that he not only openly declared
his adhesion to the Old Catholics, bat also
publicly went through the ceremony of
marriage in Berlin. The pretence that so
glaring an offender against the doctrines
and discipline of the Church should still
be treated a legitimate pastor, after
canOnical sentence had been pronounced
against him, aud the prosecution of all who
had any hand in making this sentence
known, are forcible Illustrations of the
spirit which animates the Prussian gov
ernment in its behavior towards the Church
and of the honesty of its protestations.
At the beginning of 1874 there were 26S
priests in the diocese of Gnesen, and $50 in
that of Posen, making a total of SlS. or
these IS have since died, 10 of whom dur
ing Last year; 9l have been removed from
under the action of the May
Laws; and 23 have placed themselves in a
schismaticai position making in all a loss
of 1873 priests, or nearly one fourth of the
whole clerical strength of the diocese.
These losses cannot be made good. No
new priests can be ordained, no vacancies
can be filled up, that is, so as to be recog-
nized by the government. Were any young
priest to dare to cay Nasa, were any legiti-
mately appointed parish priest or vicar to
hear Il confession, even of a dying person,
he would be forthwith prosecuted for the
crime of having "illegally usurped clerical
functions" If, therefore, the losses in the
ranks of the clerical body in tse anited
dioceses of Gnesen and Posen continue to
follow the rate hitherto maintained, the
clergy would be completely extinguished
within the next fourteen or fifteen years.
With respect to the material losses which |
the church has suffered during the same |
period, the Kuryur Posnanski declares
itself not in position to estimate them |
accurately. Under the law of April, 1875, |
the incomes of all Catholic |
Bishops and clergymen who will not sign |
q declaration of unqualified submission to
the laws of the State, the loss during the
two and half years to the end of 1877,
amounted to 663, 900 marks OF about E33,
$50, During the same period over 200, 600
marks (flO. OOO) have been paid to the Roy
Al Commissaries administering the tempo
'ailties of the dioceses, as fines imposed by
hem at their own personal discretion and
Without any reference to a court of Justice.
priests or parochiat church committees.
The reviewer also declares hia inability to
give list of the sentences passed by courts
If law upon clergymen for offenses against
he May Laws, and of the amount of costs
Iwarded against them. But as not week
,asses without some prosecutions of this
lass, it is not difficult to form a rough
general estimate of the state of things.
The bloody persecution of Decius was
irected in the most straightforward man
er to destroy the existence of the Church
n earth. The method was simple: to cut
lown with the sword all who profesesd
and go exterminate the Chris
ian name. IL was determination and Vigor
,ersonitied, but it failed. Then came
nlian, a century later, with milder ways,
'ut similar purpose. History, however,
las impartislly decided that this difference
# method did not alter the essential char
'cter of JalaD's proceedings they, too,
# Decius and his projects. Neither can
We discern any difference in principle be-
ween the persecution of the Emperor
Julian and the war at present waged
Igainst the Catholic Church in Prussia.
70 set up the "majesty of the law"-and
his the purely civil and arbitrary law of
he State-upon pedestal, like Nebuchad-
lezzar's statue, and bow down before it, as
the worshippers believed in its divinity
o seize all Catholic Bishops and priests
Who will not join in this idoIatry of the
State, to "depose" them and Danish them,
o take effective steps for preventing their
anks from being recruited to seize upon
he schools, to exclude the clergy from
hem, claim absolute authority to regulate
he whole course of education, and so pos
ess himself of the minds and souls of the
Using geDeration-such was, in substance,
Iulian's anti Christian policy such is the
orassian anti-Catholic campaign. Jolian's
,areer was soon cut short. But even dur
ng his brief course he was able to do much
and it is clear from the notices
which have come down to us that the Chris
lans of that time looked forward to it's
continuance with almost greater terror
han they would have felt towards perse-
;ution marked by greater visible cruelty |