Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-23
A LETTER TO THE POPE.
From the Catholic Hierarchy Of the
United States.

r rum tne Natuonc hierarchy OF the
United States.
From the Baltimore Sun.
The following is the full text Of the letter re-
Gently forwarded to the holy father by his emil
hence, Cardinal Gibbons, in the name of the
Catholic hierarchy Of the United States, ex-
pressing the warm sympathy Of Catholics with
the head Of the church, and protesting against
the spirit of persecution manifested by the
anti-religious government Of Italy toward the
holy see:
Moa Holy Fdd.--That active sympathy
with a suffering parent which nature prompts
in the hearts Of faithful children the present
crisis in your affairs seems most urgently to
demand OF us, your devoted sons. Ii is well
known to what a wretched state you are re-
duced py the malice Of your enemies; with
what countless sorrows and anxieties YOU are
every day afflicted. 1t cannot then be a mat
ter OF surprise that we. your sons and bishops.
should be deeply moved at the spectacle of
your distress. We are united to you as the
members Of the human body TO the head, and
when the head suffers the whole frame has
necessarily sensible share in its pain. Where
fore, though we accomplish nothing more, we
may at least in some measure alleviate your
trials by energetic protests and by our feryent
prayer to God, the avenger of outraged right
and justice.
When, eighteen years ago, we learned that
your capital city of Rome had been seized by
the lawless troops of treacherous monarch,
we, our priests and our people we're horror
struck at the unparalleled enormity of the
crime. We could not bring ourselves TO credit
that even unbelievers would have perpetrated
such an outrage. Imagine. then, our shame
and modification when told that no heather or
hereto, but a prince boasting the name of
Catholic lad deliberately planned a deed so
atrocious aud had carried it out in the blood OF
your devoted subjects
Upon that occasion we were not unmindful of
our duty to your holiness, but owing to the I'M
fortunate state of Europe at that time We could
do but little to mark our indignant sense of
the wrongs done you, still we did what We
could, and by our letters and public demon
stration of sympathy we loudly denounced the
shameful injustice before the entire world. But
your foes most holy father, not content with
violence. have degraded your people to the
slavery OF foreign yoke. and subjected them
TO laws end institutions conceived in a spirit
OF hatred to religion. Day after day adds to
the rage and hate wherewith they menace God
and our Lord Jesus Christ, His holy religion
and all who profess it. To such pass is their
madness come that they act as though they
would audaciously pull down the Almighty
Himself from his throne, and once more
hand over the sovereignty of the world
to satan, who. according to blessed Paul
the Apostle, held it aforetime in bon
dage. Like the Jews, they have taken
Christ captive. forasmuch as thew
have loaded His vicar with dishonor. They
have despitefully used him with mockery and
insult, the cup of gall. the scourge and the
that you may walk more closely still in your
Masters footsteps, new Pilates and modern
Herods, men devoid of justice, piety and re-
ligion, who, whilst they see you robbed of
your liberty and betrayed to your enemies.
make not the slightest murmur of protest or
6lclnnrnYal IN hair nxrr,
cowardice, would have the world believe that
the wrongs of the holy see flow from what they
call misfortune and the unhappy temper of
the times.
But the climax of insolence. wickedness and
reachery is reached in the laws lately passed,
whereby it is made a crime, punishable with
hne and imprisonment, for any one openly to
speak or write word In your holiness behalf.
Truly hard lot to make man the victim of
the cruelist injustice, and then to make it a
felony for him to bewail his miserable fate! 1t
Is no longer possible to mistake the end of all
these things. That nefarious law not merely
lnvades the natural rights of your faithful de-
lenders 1t attacks your own most sacred per-
son. Beyond all doubt this the will and
purpose of those goddess men in that iniquitous
enactment. 1t was plainly their intention to
deprive the holy see of all power in future over
the Church catholic, not in Italy alone, but all
over the world.
This. could they bring it about. would be to
oNSTtuTu tne 10TH OF government established
by Christ for His Church. to make void His
promises, and destroy, in the end. the church
herself. For, plainly, there can be no free
dom for the Church if her supreme ruler is
himself not free. and of what use are the
members torn violently from their head?
In defense of our own and our chief pastors
liberty we profess ourselves ready to undergo
any and every danger. That liberty Is part Of
the precious heritage which our God brought
down with Him from heaven to the earth and
left to us, His SONS. Let no one, therefore.
marvel that We should hold it beyond ali price
dearer TO us than even our lives.
Be Of good cheer, then. Leo. great pontiff
Bear well in mind what the Royal Psalmist
hath foretold for your comfort and that of all
the just-that God will in His own time arise
your enemies. He will awake as from sleelN
and will cover them with everlasting shame
He will arise and will have mercy on Sion
which the wicked have made their spoil. Mean
while, We, your sons, relying on these sacred
oracles, and on the promises Of our Saviour
Christ, will from our inmost soul most feryently
pray that the time SO long looked for NAV
swiftly come in which you may with entire
freedom rule over the whole Church, having
changed even the wolves now ranging about
the fold into the lambs of the flock.
PROSTATE at the feet Of your holiness, we
humbly beg for ourselves and our people the
apostolic blessing.
Signed by the Cardinal Archbishop of Balti-
more. in the names of the prelates Of the
country and his own.