Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-01
rsrEc1HL TELEGRAM TO THE D1srArcH.i


Catholic churches of this archdiocese this
morning will be read a pastoral letter from
Archbishop Corrigan and the Papal allocu-
tion of June 80, already published. The
letter reinforces the admonition of the allo-
cution, which was based on the erection of
the statue of Giordaro Bruno in Rome. The
letter begins:
Michael Augustine, by the grace of God and
favor of the Apostolic See, Archbishop of New
York, to the clergy of the diocese anG the
faithful of his charge, health and benediction
in the Lord:
DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN: Nineteen
years ago Victor Emmanuel, ''the gentleman
King" sent an agent TO Pope Plus TX to invite
him to surrender the patrimony of St Peter
and the temporal powers which secured his
independence as the head of the Universal
Church. Without waiting for the letter OF the
Sovereign Pontitf in reply to this insOlent re-
quest to reach him, Victor Emmanuel
INVADED THE PAPAL TERRITORY
and took forcible possession of Rome. To
preserve show of decency, and to quiet in
some measure the outraged feelings of Catho-
lies throughout the world, a royal decree was
issued declaring that 'the Sovereign Pontiff
preserves his dignity. inviolability and all the
prerogatives of sovereign" Next it added:
"a special law will sanction the conditions
proper to guarantee, even by territorial fran
chises, the Independence of the Sovereign
Pontif and the free exercise of the spiritual
authority of the Holy See."
A further farce, called the Law of Guarantees
was subsequently enacted-a measure passed
by the so-called Italian Parliament, not per-
manently, however, binding the country at
large, as, for instance, the Constitution of the
United States is binding on American citizens
but provision revocable at any moment on
the mere vote of the majority of deputies
Judged in the light of subsequent events these
promises of the King and his Parliament,
paltry as they were compared with the high
handed injustice already committed, were made
to be broken.
In fact ever since the occupation of Rome.
slowly and stealthily, but yet surely and
and closer around the successor of st. Peter.
The semblance of sovereignty enjoyed by the
august prisoner of the Vatican has been en-
croached upon, time and again, in various ways
until at length the actural Government would
openly affirm, if it dared, that the Holy Father
SIMPLY A SUBJECT
of the King of Italy. More than this, the
avowal is now made, and apparently with high
official sanction, that not only the temporal but
also the spiritual power of the Pontiff must
cease TO exist. The Holy Father has more than
once called attention to these Vaccinations of
his enemies, and most pointedly allocu-
tion pronounced in a special consistory held on
the SOth of June, copy of which is herewith
appended:
But besides these grave and authoritative
declarations we have the confession of the
conspirators themselves. On occasion of the
unveiling of the statue of Giordano Bruno on
Pentecost Sunday, Signor Bovio, deputy in
Parliament and the orator of the day, affirmed
To-day Rome inaugurates the religion of
thought, the beginning OF another era" The
press of Rome is even more outspoken: ''Un
September %, 1870. the temporal dominion was
overthrow, but to-day it is the spiritual do
minion itself whose obsequies are celebrated.
1t is the very soul of the church at whose death
we are assisting.
In the same sense the latest apologist of
Glordano Bruno, in a pamphlet published in
Rome, July 8 in reply to the AFORESAID allocu-
tion of the Holy Father, adds: During the
Middle Ages the Papacy, even in a political
sense, was conceivable. Now that the State is
union of free eitzens-of free men, who gov
ern and are governed-the supremacy of the
Pontif is impossible under every respect"
On account then of
THE EVIDENT AIM
of the revolution to antagonize the Christian
religion by attacking and if possible destroy
ing the See of Peter, il will be useful to no.
tice the honors lavished on the spirit of re-
belIion, in the person of Giordano Bruno and
to examine the principle on which his ad-
mirers base his claims to distinction. The pro-
1ect of erecting a statue in Rome to the men,
ory of Bruno. and on the very place of his ex-
ecution, originated in Turin, shortly after the
breach Of Porta Pia in 1870.
The idea was taken up by the hot-headed
youth attending the various universities noted
ration of Signor Bovio, whose name has been |
already mentioned, 1.-THE University Commit
tee was formed to carry on the work which |
has now eliminated in the unveiling of the |
statue. To make the opposition to Christian |
ity more pronounced the most noted atheists |
and free-thinkers of the world were named |
members of an honorary International COM
nittee.
Among the representatives so chosen was Vic |
tor Hugo. who says: "Giordano Bruno is a |
noble victim of thought: l salute his memory
Will anntiOO - nd Ernest
"The thought of erecting an expiatory monu-
ment to Giordano Bruno on the very spot of |
his execution seems to me the personifcation |
OF justice. We owe a double homage to these |
heroes OF truth who at the price of their lives |
have won the liberties we now enjoy. The first |
duty Is TO honor their memory; the second co |
pursue with redoubled ardor their scientific |
researches, to which we can now devote our. |
selves in peace, thanks to their tears thanks to
their blood" The
SoPHISMs OF THESE EULoGIES
are apparent 1t is needless to relate the life |
of Bruno. As the Holy Father says there was |
nothing in 1t worthy of the honor recently be- |
slowed on his memory. His most ardent ad.
mlrers have never claimed that he was a |
patriot. HIS teaching even according 70 his
warmest apologists. were merely a binding of
materialism and pantheism. His life was most
immoral His claim to distinction was hatred
of Christ our LORD, hatred of the religion which
he founded, and of His representatives on
earth.
LUG ucllDCldeC dbleilDL 10 cast Slur |
Christianity and its chief exnonent the
monument to Bruno was thought of TO he
erected a threat at once and a urophy in the !
very center and heart of Catholicity Hence |
in like manner. the selection of the Iday of ali
Ciays in the year tor the unveiling of the statne
the Feast of Pentecost, on which the Christian |
world commentaries the outpouring of the |
Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the beoin |
ming of their glorious mission. Brunois NOM.
ment is thus the deification OF unbelief.
The Archbishop then discusses free
thought On this subject he SAYS:
The church maintains that as truth can nevar
contradict truth, true scientific research can
never conflict with divine revelation But free
Thought as advocated by the admirers of
Rruno denies the right of higher and divine
authority to command the minds assent and |
control its specuIations and constitutes human
nature the sole supreme Judge of all truth |
human and divine. 1t asserts the
ABSOLUTE INDEPENDENCE
of the mind of man from all responsibility
even TO the supreme Lord and Master of ali
discards His revealed word and rejects His
authority. In a word it is the deiication of
human reason The doctrine is false in pnilos-
ophy, false in theology, false in ethics.
First, 1t is philosophically unsound because
II dth sometimes SO presents itself to the mind
as TO claim necessary assent leay-
ing no room for doubt or rejec-
ton. Take certain axioms In mathema- |
tics. for instance, that straight line is the !