The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-06-15

always the Jealous promoter of religious
liberty Was she zealously promoting
religious liberty when she burned Wyclii
for translating the Scriptures, and Huss
for decrying indulgences? Was she pro-
noting religious liberty when she kin
died the fires of Smithfeld, invented the
fortunes of the Spanish Inquisition, hunt
ed the Waldenses of the Piedmont from
cliff to cliff, and gloated over the horrid
bu: cherries of the Huguenots on st. Bar
tholomew's Day? Archbishop Gibbons
endeavors to relieve the Pope and Court
of Rome of the odium of having sane
toned and exulted over the murder OF
Coligny and the massacre of thousands Of
unarmed and inoffensive Huguenots, men,
women, and children, on that awful day.
He says Gath of our Fathers, p. 250)
Pope Gregory XIII, to whom also an en-
voy was sent, acting on this garbled in
formation ordered te cleuna to be sung,
and commemorative medal to be struck
oft In Thanksgiving to God, not for the
massacre, of which he was utterly igno-
rant, but for the preservation of the
French king from an untimely and vio-
lent death, and of the French nation from
the horrors of civil war"
Alas for the Archbishop, never were
the facts of history more clearly and over
whelmingly in the face of statement, than
are the facts in this case, as may readily
be seen by consulting Baird's Rise of the
Huguenots, vol. 2, PIP. $50 fl, where the
evidence as drawn from original sources
is fully presented. That it was the
slaughter of the Huguenots and not the
safety of the king over which the Pope
and his court exalted with such trans
ports of JOY is evident from the following
facts: 1) The king was in no danger
| ~ There had been great GOODNESS be-
tween him and the Pope because of
Charles leaning toward federation (3)
Over the entrance to the church in which
the Pope had ordered High Mass to be
said in honor of the event was affixed in
large letters a proclamation of thanks
by zeal for the Lord God of hosts, had
like a shifting angel divinely sent, sud-
denly destroyed by single slaughter
almost all the heretics and enemies of his
kingdom" (4) A medal was struck by
order of the Pope, having on one side,
the head of the Pope, and the words
Greg. XIII, Pont. Max An. 1; and on
the other an angel with cross and sword
pursuing the heretics, and the super
scription "Ugonotto1una tStrages 1872"
Slaughter of the Huguenots 1872" (5)
By order of the Pope, the famous Vasari
painted in the Sala Regia, several pic
lures representing scenes in the massacre
These paintings still remain and may be
seen. Upon one is the terse inscription,
4 Pontifr Colamii saecena probat." 1.-The
Pope approves the slaughter of Coligny."
The hardest task / know is that which
the Archbishop and his disciples have
undertaken, that of proving that the Ro-
man Catholic Church has always been
the jealous promoter CT civil and reli-
gious liberty. l would as soon under
take to prove that the Cars of Russia
have always been.
The very oath of office which every
Bishop is required to take at his conse-
Grafton is as follows (see Pontif. Rom. De
Cons. elect. in Episc., 50:
al, N. from this hour will be faithful to
my Lord the Pope and his successors
the counsel they intrust to me 1 will
never discover to any man. to the injury
of the Pope. [ will assist them to retain
and defend the popedom, and the royal
ties of st. Peter against all men. I will
carefully conserve, defend, and promote
the rights, honors, privileges, and author
ity of the Pope. L will not be in any
council, pact, or treaty in which anything
prejudicial to the person, rights or power
of the Pope is contrived. And if 1 shall
know any such things will hinder them
with all my power, and will speedily
make them known to the Pope. To the
utmost of my power I will observe the
Pope's commands and will make others
observe them. All heretics and all rebels
to my Lord the Pope I will prosecute
and impugn." q
This is the Bishops oath-doubtless
the same that was taken by Bishop jam
sens in the midst of that imposing pa
geant that was held in Richmond a few
weeks ago.
Very ominous all those words of the
Shepherd of the WILEY. "If the Catho-
lies ever gain an immense numerical ma
iority in this country, religious freedom
is at an end" Forewarned is fore
armed" Let the history of Austria,
Italy, Spain, Mexico, teach us to prize
our liberties, and to know that they can
only be retained by keeping this in the
future, as it has been in the past, Pro-
testant country