River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-06-24
BISHOP DEFIES THE POPE.
Leo NILS UnsuccessfuI Attempt to
Suppress an uncOmportab1e PreIate.
D. Ill

Our Brussels correspondent sends
some further particulars respecting the
defiance of the pope by the bishops Of
Journal. He says: "7he Journal lie
B,qtrelIes, the leading Catholic organ in
Belgium, admits that the letters address
ed by the bishop of Journal to num-
Der Of liberal Journals are authentic.
The bishop.who was appointed to his see
in 1874, was short time ago deprived by
thespapal see Ofthe administration Of his
diocese. The reason alleged for this step
was that he was considered of unsound
mind, but as he has not been declared
so according to Belgian law he remains
for all legal purposes, free Belgian
citizen. He was moreover not, deposcd
but his diocese was placed under the
administration of the bishop of Eumenia
IA pd1tibus infdelium, and he remains
legally entitled to the salary paid by the
Belgian government to the bishops. 1t is
indeed extraordinary that the bishop of
Journal, who till recently, was the lead
er of the Belgium episcopate IN their
violent measures against the new edu-
cation law, especially the excomniuni-
cation of all those who took part in any
way in the execution of the law, should
now be declared mad by clerical author
ity. The probable explanation of the
fact Is that he has become inconyeuicnt
rs the pope and the Belgian goyern:en emit
al Catholics, seeing since the elections Of
1873 the progress of liberalism and now
even of radicalism, wish to save what
they can by tardy concessions. The
Bishop of Journal, by his recent letters,
has declared himself III open revolt
against the papal authority and the
dogma of papal infahbility. The bishop
brings, moreover the gravest accusations
of falsehoods and fraud against the car
dinal-archbishop Of Malines, the lapal
nuncio at Brussels, the bishop Of
Eumenia, now the administrator Of bis
diocese, and other chiefs Of the Roman
Catholic Church. As to the reason why
he addresses his letters to liberal journals
and his intention to take legal proceed
ings, he writes as follows: NO CAthO-
lie journal would dare 10 say the truth
against the wish of Leo XIII for fear
Of being broken by this modern repre-
sentative of God ON earth. Since when
does the Catholic religion Oblige Us to
place the pope above everything, above
the truth, above natural right? The
political Catholics of Belgium seemed
disposed to place the pope above the
gospel and above our Lord Jesus Christ
himself A pope amusing himself by
declaring a bishop to be mailman, n
furious mailman, affected by the mania
Of persecution! A pope organizing a
secret conspiracy calling to-
oether on the LIST of March. 1879 the
cannons of the Journal and making
them take an oath not to reveal any
thing for a purpose now well known and
as vile as criminal A pope abusing the
direction of souls for a criminal pur-
pose; pope melting to treason the
president of seminary, who has been
seen and heard to incite during the
night the seminarists of Journal to open
rebellion against their bishop; pope
causing bishop TO be put suddenly and
brutally out ofthe door of his own house
with fragrant violalation of domicile!
All this will be proved" That the bish-
op is a man of violent disposition has
been known for years but that he Is out
of his mind is perfectly incredible 1t
remains now TO be seen what further
steps he will take. In the meantime
there is much CONSERVATION in Catholic
circles at the scandal of a bishop in
open rebellion against the pope, and
the possibility ola schism in the church
in Belgium.