The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-12
PLENARY COUNCIL.
THE OFFICIAL PASTORAL LETTER
Addressed to the Catholics of the Country.
Some OF tho Rccomn, cndatiuns Con.
talnsd In It-.imerlcnn Installations
md their Relation to Catholics.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-the pastora
letter OF the Archbishop and Bishops Q
the United States. composing the thir'
Plenary C0dncil at Baltimore, to tn
Clergy and laity Of their charge, is mad
public through the Catholic Mirror. It /
lengthy document, but the following ab
stract gives the main points OF tho leadini
matter which engaged the attention of th,
Council. Reference Is made to the grea,
increase OF Catholic institutions in
tho past eighteen years, espec'
tally in tho West. The assembling
by Pope Plus IN, OF the General Council
Of the Vatican, is alluded to as one OF the
most important events Of the age, and dc.
tailed accounts OF its work arc given. The
Catholics Of Prussia are commended for
their good work in availirg themselves Of
every legal means to check the advances OF
depotism and save their own freedom and
OF their country.
The letter then discusses the laws OF the
church and this country,in the following
terms "We think we can claim to be-
acquainted both with the laws, institu-
tions and spirit of the Catholic Church,
and with the laws, Institutions and spirit
of our country, and We emphatically de-
clare there is no antagonism with them.
A Catholic finds himself Mt home in the
United States, for the influence OF his
church has constantly been exercised in
behalf Of individual rights and popular
liberties, and every right-minded Ameri-
can now here finds himself more at home
in the Catholic Church, for nowhere else
can he breathe that atmosphere of divine
truth, which alone can make us free"
We repudiate with equal earnestness
the assertion that We need to Law aside anv
Of our devotedness to our church to be
true Americans; the insinuation that we
need to lay aside any of our love for our
countrys principles and institutions to be
faithful Catholics. To argue that the
Catholic Church is hostile to our great Re-
public because she teaches that there is
no power but from God. because, there
fore, back OF the events which led TO the
formation OF the republic, she gees the
providence OF God leading to that issue,
and back Of our country's laws the au-
thOrlty OF God rs their sanction, is eyi-
IDENTIFY so illogical and contradictory an as
sertIon that We are astonished to hear it ad-
vanced by persons OF ordinary intelligence.
We believe our country's heroes were in
Instruments OF the God of Nations in es-
tablishing this home OF freedom; to both
the Almighty and to His instruments
in the work we look with grateful rever-
encc. anu to maintain the inheritance OF
freedom which they have left us, should
(which God iorbid-be imperilled, our
Catholic citizens will be found to stand
forward as one man ready to pledge anew
''their lives, their fortunes and their
sacred honor" No less illogical would be
the notion that there il aught in the free
spirit OF our American institutions incom.
pat!ble with perfect docility to the church
ofChrist.
A considerable portion of the letter is
devotedto the discussion of the education
OF the clergy and their pastoral rights
with respect to church property and
church debts. The letter says the proper
ties are held in trust for the church for
the benefit of the people. It often be-
comes necessary to contract church debts.
Where the multiplication OF the Catholic
population has been rapid, rapid work
had to be done in erecting churches and
school, and if under such circumstances
pastors had to wait till all the funds we're
in hand before beginning work q gen.
Grafton would be left without the neces-
sary spiritual aids and might be lost to
the church and to God. It is our earnest
wish that existing debts should be liqui-
date | as soon as possible, in order
that the money now. consumed in paying
the interest might be employed in great
improvements still to be made, anu es-
pncially%in helping on the glorious work
of Christian education.
We desire that the history OF the
United States should be carefully taught
in our Catholic schools, and We have
directed that it be especially dwell upon
in the education of young ecclesiastical
students in our preparatory scn,inaries.
So also We desire that it form n iayorite
part OF the home library and home read
ing. We must keep firm and solid the
liberties OF our country by keepin. fresh
the noble memories OF the past and thus
send forth from our Catholic homes into
the arena OF public life, not partisans, but
patriots.
The desecration of the Lords day is
most severely condemned.