Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-13
APLEA FOR THE POPE.
Archbishop COrrigan Issues a Pas
toral Letter COndemning
HUMBERTS TREATMENT OF LEO.
The Vatican Will Yet be the Seat of Tenn
pOral Power.
HOW HISTORY HAS REPEATED ITSELF
ESPECIAL TELEeRAM TO THE DISPATCH;

NEW YORK, October 12.-Archbishop
Corrigan has issued a pastoral letter an
nouncing the annual collection OF Peter
pence, which is to take place on the last
Sunday of this month, in which he deals at
length with the question of temporal sover-
eighty, 1t will be read in the Catholic
churches this morning. In it he says:
Without dwelling on the wrongs perpetrated
in the violent occupation of Rome In Septem-
ber 1870 the memory of which is still fresh in
our minds. let us turn our thoughts to one or
two facts of recent occurrence In the pontlh-
cate of Pope Leo Kill Elected to his high Of
fee in a most critical period of the Church's
history, he has succeeded, unarmed and de-
fenseless in winning from the civilized world a
new recognition of the inherent strength of the
Dapacy, and has again brought out in strong
relief the immense moral power which belongs,
as of right to the successor Of ST. Peter. His
great gifts of mind and heart, his vast e-udi-
ton, his long experience of men and affairs, his
consummate tact and prudence ought to make
him pre-eminently successful in extending the
OLIVE BRANCH OF PEACE.
After acting as the arbiter between Spain
and Germany In the affair of the Caroline
Islands, the Holy Father, on the approach OF
his sacerQotal jubilee, intmated in his allocu-
ton of May % 1857, his desire of establishing
satisfactory relations with Italy, the land of
his birth and of his special prediction. Still
more clearly in his letter of June Is, 1857, TO
the Secretary of State he expressed the same
desire in moderate and conciliatory language.
Acting on this suggestion. the faithful of Italy,
on their part took up the matter with alacrlty.
In accordance with law and with custom, 1t
was proposed that those who had the right to
suffrage and whose names consequently would
carry great weight, should address monster
petition to the Government There was no
question i'll this petition of the restora-
ton of temporal sovereignty; nothing, there
b2f
ties Of those in power, out SIMPLY Ine
expression of the earnest wish that more
satisfactory state OF aftalrs might De oeYlseo
and the Pontif enjoy necessary freedom.
When the petition had already received the
signatures of 500U 900 names, the strong arm OF
authority intervened to forbid any further
action. and not only prevented any additional
expression of opinion but visited officials who
had taken part in the movement with deprlVa-
tiOn of office. Such course of proceeding goes
far to show the policy of the actual Govern
ment and to prove how little it is disposed to
keep the promises so plausibly made to the
Catholic Courts of Europe Immediately after
the forcible occupation of Rome. The aim OF
the Government is plainly to reduce the Sow
ereign Pontiff to the condition of a private
citizen, so that the possibility of his restora-
tion to his lawful rights may be more and more
difficult.
PROSECUTING THE CLERGY.
In further illustration of this point. attention
may be called to the royal sanction of the new
penal code which was promulgated on June 81
of this year, and which goes into effect on the
first of January, 1890. This new body OF law
legislates with marked discrimination against
the clergy, especially by making it impossible
for them to advocate the rights of the Sow
ereign Pontif without danger Of pecuniary
fines and imprisonment
After quoting the sections of the code re-
ferred to, and comments upon them by more
Catholic writers, the Archbishop continues:
Hence, on and after the first of January
next any Bishop or pastor of souls in Italy who
dares to address his flock on the rights of the
holy Father. Is subject to hne and imprison-
ment. Comment is superfuous. BY royal
sanction, might becomes right. Justice,
honesty, sincerity sink to the level of words
without meaning.
If the Holy Father be relegated to the condi-
ton of an Italian subject the next logical pro-
cedure would be to still further restrict his |
personal liberty whenever he raises his voice in
protest against the outrages which have been |
heaped upon him; and as for the strongest rea- |
sons the Roman Pontiff cannot cease to pro- |
test, his life would simply be lifelong imprison-
ment. While 1t is hardly probable that the |
Government of Italy will venture to proceed to |
this extremity, in the face of public opinion, |
yet there can be no reasonable doubt from facts |
constantly occurring in Rome that it is its set
tied determination to deprive the Supreme
Pontif slowly but surely of all vestige Of real
THE CHURCH IS SUPREME.
According to the public press, the Prime |
Minister of Italy has declared his intention of |
the Holy Father to the condition of |
simple bishop of Rome, so that having no juris- |
diction over the Church at large there may be |
no grounds for his claim to temporal sover- |
eighty. All Christian antiquity proclalms the |
worldwide spiritual jurisdiction of Peter and |
of Peters successor. Every Catholic is bound to
admit this primacy of the Apostolic See as an |
article of faith. Now. while the Almighty, in |
His infinite wisdom, may devise many ways of |
securing the perfect liberty of the ponti despite
all human opposition; still, as far as human pru-
lence can determine. and as things actually |
exist, temporal sovereignty is the most natural |
means, and indeed, humanity speaking, a neces-
sary means of securing the good government
IF the church.
Demonstrating this proposition, the Arch
bishop quotes extensively from a pamphlet
entitled 1.-THE Truth About the Roman
Question" recently published by the Vati-
IAN press. The concluding quotation, and
he Archbishop's comment upon it, are as
ollows:
One hundred and seventy-one times the popes
we're despoiled of their dominions by their enc
MES: and as often by an example unheard of in
he history of every other dynasty have they
leen re-established on their thrones under cir
,umstances and in times the most varied and
ilssimilar. This is fact both unique and mo-
I neI1ous because ~ reveals an order OF special
I Catholics hope to see it reproduced, even in
'ur own day, for the 172d time?
A HISTORICAL PHENOMENON.
This phenomenal fact leads to most i'm.
,ortant conclusions. 1t is the exemplification
# constant law of divine Intervention in
1ehah of the Church. If anything similar oc-
urred in the Department of science it would
'e regarded as the operation of a natural law
nd treated accordingly. Now, the reasons
hat brought about the restoration of the
ontihs in the past continue to exist in all their
orce and fullness. In the present case l9 wears.
indeed, have lapsed since the usurpation of
rome, but these 19 years have not vet brought
o the kingdom of Italy official Recognition
rom single court of Europe, and the Roman
uestion, that has been so often pronounced
dead and buried makes its voice of indignant
rouest resound at this hour from land to land |
rom continent TO continent ito show that it
till lives"
And even If to human kin the Roman oues-
ion should seem to have lost its vitality, the
pirit OF GOD can breathe as He will over dry
ones and make them instinct with life and
race and surprising beauty. renewing their
trength like the eagles. Of this we must rest
ssured. If our Lord wishes that His church. |
'hich ie to last "all days even to the consumma-
ion of the world" be protected by other means
han by temporal power, He will manifest His
ounsel in good season:but meanwhile, and until
uty to hasten the freedom of the Holy See by
ur prayers and good works and by every lepit- |
nate channel Of defense.
The Archbishop's letter concludes with a
1ng extract from the letter of the Pope
pom university of the Pontifcal States and
ne unity of Italy.