The Irish standard., 1888-06-23
PRIESTS OF The STATE.
How the Duke of Norfolk Succeeds in
Disseminating His Anti
Irish Ideas.
INJURING lRELAND'S CAUSE.
State Priests Do Not Speak the True
Sentiments of the Catholic
Church.
ING IRELAND'S CAUSE.
[True Witnessl.

! True Witnessl.
| Two papers have come to hand by the
same mail, both containing references
that are not without interest at the
present monentc-United Ireland and
the London Universe. The first speaks
of s'The intolerant and rancerous
triumphs with which English Catho.
lies are brandishing the Inquisition re-
script" the second deals with the
Estate priests" of Prussia. Both these
papers, we need not remind ourreaders,
are established: recognized Catholic
Journals, the one at the capital OF Ire
land, the other at the capital Of Eng
land I, u and both exhibit in painful
light the melancholy, humi}iating con-
duct of partisan and Government paid
priests.
United Ireland relates that t'in one
diocese in London The Bishop. who was
once chaplain to the Duke Of Norfolk,
had sermons preached upon the re-
script at last Mass at several of the
churches. At Clapham the preacher
was Father BridgetJ. Irish iniqu1ty,
as illustrated in the Plan of Campaign,
furnished him with a theme which evi-
IDENTIFY set iii eruption all the slunber-
lug volcanoes of his soul. lie the same
amount Of fire and zeal were devoted to
the apostleship Of holy charity, Father
Bridgett should prove ali Irresistible
missionary. He Was more papistical
than the Pope. He did not think the
Inquisition had gone far enough. For
my part. he screamed, Z would exco1n-
municate anyone who, after this Re-
script, dared to take part In chs Plan of
Campaign or iooycottiDg. And III his
exaltatlon he seemed TO sec with holy
satisfaction the soul of his wicked
brother already within the flaming jaws
Of hell=-banished. cursed, anathema-
tized, the culprit-victim Of the Church. g
awful boycotting decree. Above hrs
head. was dgure of the Churchs
Founder hanging on the tree upon
which He died for love of all His breth.
ren. Behind aim was the tabernacle,
where the Miracle of Love and Mercy
had just been consunmated. Happily
the lnquisition, is as yet, more mercifu
than Father Bridgett. Can one fathom
the malevolent irsoienca of this--this
ex-chaplain OF the Duke OF Norfolk
setting his English priests to preach
such sermons in English churches to
English congregations ? One has only
to know The typical English Catholic
to understand Bloody Mary and believe
in Foxes Book of Martyrs. In reality
these people are not Roman Catholics
at all. They are Norfolk Catholics if
you like, or English Catholics, or
Bloody Mary Catholics. just as an
Irish Orangenlan may be said to be a
Nationalist turned wrong side out, so
All English Catholic may be said to
be Puritan turned wrong side out.
The Puritan was respectful and logi-
cal. He believed in predestination. He
believed he was the Lords elect, and
that he had a right TO hew in pieces all
the Lords enemies. The typical rabid
English Catholics believe in their hearts
that all who are not Of them will he
damned, and, what is worse, they wish
them damned. But they have not the
courage to say so. They call them
selves by the name of the religion which
is all tolerance and all mercy. If they
had their way tomorrow they would
give over Catholic ireland to fire and
sword as hereto country, and they
would set up the stakes again in Smith
field. 1t is these people, led On by the
Duke OF Norfolk's ex-chaplain, who are
now exploiting the PapaL Rescript
against the Plan of Campaign, as If it
were another Bull of Adrian, handing
them oyer Ireland for conquest and
version"
Conduct and language such as is here
reported of English Tory priests is bit
terly suggestive of the influence with
which the Irish patriots have to contend
with at Rome. But an excuse may be
offered for priests who preach in the
style Of Father Bridgett on the score Of
their being English. When we have to
listen, however, to Irish priests who as
sumo like attitude towards those of
their countrymen who are fighting for
justice, we feel they have forfeited that
respect for their utterances which
Irishmed have always paid to the words
of their pastors. In the long and terri
BILE struggle in which the Irish people
have been engaged nothing has been