New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-23
IHREATENED BY Il BISHOP.

MEMBERS OF A GREENPoINT ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH TO BE EXCoMMUNIoArED IF THEY
TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST BISHOP Ioucu-
LIN.
Inc interest In the efforts of the members of ST
Anthonys Roman Catholic Church, in the Green
point part of Brooklyn to find out how the finances
OF the church have been managed eliminated SIM
day morning. A threat was then made bv Bishop
Loughiln' VINO announced through the pastor that
TIC would eAcommuncate the members of the Law
committee OF the church if they held meetings to
oriis .'e nishop into the civil courts This Law
committee was recently appointed at n
special meeting of the members of +bo
church. The church ediice is owned by the
rehglons society of st. Anthony, of which
tne bishop, vlcar-general, pastor and two laynen
ale !rhstees. A heavy mortgage vas put upon il in
beTs and since it was built an extensive series nf
coectons of money have been carried on 70 nav for
enougb n, rs alleged by some of the members that
enuugnh ,noney mas been raised to clear off the debt
several tunes. Recently Bishop Loughlin wished 70
ppbn u an mmdi1onai MORTGAGE of 5000 on the
nneiu, ana application was made the Bishop for n
mar statement He refused to make this and
10 act III The matter. He declined to Interfere os
me qmesIion at issue was one of statute law.
ne dhe members of the church then took legal
auVlce ana IL was ascertained that the trustees of
the corporation were required to make n financial
st5Gent M me supreme Court every three years
proceed
ings to compel this were begun 9"' p-''0'O
sunday morning Father Murphy, the pastor. said
to deny that he countenanced the moveuent in thu
parish AS had been published and TO state that he
the Iaw Coo Wilt eHcommunicate the members of
tnG Law committee If they instituted proceedings
10 prlng thc bishop into court, and would withdraw
the priest and close the church.
This announcement caused muob axo;touo,+
~ INC large congregation and was the general
tnetae OF discussion after service. The genera
sel'lncnt was that the threat of the Bishop would
not utter te members of the church
thelr legal rights AS Bishop Loughlin is a very de.
,erl itned man and unlikely to recede from any
position he may take, it is thought probable tLat y
rupture in the church will occur
William Dalton, of the Law Committee of the
church. SAID yesterday that he did believe that
the Bishop could excomnunIcate the members "a
they mad violated no dogma of the church. The
members mem, had right to know where the money
went, anu were not to he scared. If the committee
was excommunicated the same action would have
to be taken against the entire parish. There was n
ucterinlnatlon to carry ont the legal measures in
spite OF the Bishops jhreat.
Another member of the committee reiterated the
same views in subs ance and added that while tho
threat might make two or three of the COMMITTEES
drop ont, their places would be filled and tho work
go right on. He did not think the Bishop would
close the church and deprive several thousand COM
municants OF religious privileges. If this should be
done done ne dld not care to remain in a communion
where such arbitrary action was possible
cnurch sald Ihis threat of accommodation on
dne part f OF the Bishop is nonsense The time has
gone ny Tor lllshnen in this free country TO believe
thai II they are communicated they cannot go
To heaven, or to think that only good Catholics
go there. They think that good Protestants have
Just ms good chance. Irishmen hold these old
fashioned notions of bigotry in their native land.
hut not here. fou should have seen the people
when the bishops threat read. Their faces a II
showed that they we're not frightened by the bug
bear, but were determined 10 fight it through
The threat did not and will not scare any one"
me committee Will go on with its work and
will call public meeting soon as its counsel has
determined the legal course The fol owing are its
members: james McFaranc, John Fallon, Alex
ander Holmes NJ. L. Allen James McA Mister James
LXnagh, William Dalton, DR.. Gallagher, James
Okane, Daniel Walsh Thomas Curry. A. McManus
owen McCorrin John Martin and Lawrence Brce-
nan. The matter is OF interest TO all Roman Catho-
ne churches, in addition to the threat of the
Bishop the question whether the people or the rus
tees own the churches involved in the legal phase