The Irish standard., 1890-08-02
.BRAZIL.S CATHOLICS.
They Form a, New Party Names of the
gS5 z5i#. . Leaders.

They Form a, New Party Names of the
@5ss &. s.s. Leaders. II
ia One Of the most tangible, rs it is per
& haps the most important of the results
of the new order of things in Brazil is
the formation Of Catholic earty, OF
which the mail recently arrived brings
details. Over 300 leading Catholics,
among whom were the Wears of the
parish churches of the Capital, literary
men, officers Of both army and navy,
and mem bers of ali the other social
classes, assembled in the Green Room
Of the Lyceum of Rio de Janeiro, under
the presidency of the Bishop Of Rio.
His lordship opened the proceedings
by q brief address, in which he ex-
planned the ends and objects Of Catho-
lie party, and thereupon proposed as
President of the Central Committee of
the new party Mgr. Antonio de Macedo
Costa, the illustrious Bishop of Para.
The election having been ratified, the
following Committee was then nonina-
ted, on the proposal of Canon Duarte
Silva, namely, Marshal Almeida Bar
reto. Mgr Brito, V. g., Rear Admiral
Manhaes Barreto, DR.. Jose Ferreira No
bre, Felix Ferreira, Bethencourt da
Silva, Mgr. Pires Amorim, Baron dc
Andarshy, DR.. Felicio dos Santos, and
Father CASTILLO Branco, DID,. These
names of the first founders and leaders
Of the Brazilian Centre" are Of his
torical interest and deserve to be re-
corded DR.. Nobre then announced that
the preceding day he had taken steps
so bring to the notice of tho actual
head Of the State, Marshal Deodoro da
Fonseca, the organization Of the new
Catholic party, and that reply had
been received to the effect that "the
Head of the State considered the crea-
ton Of this party desirable measure,
and wished it a prosperous future"
A telegram from Porto Allegro was
also read, announcing the establish
mont Of the Catholic party in that i'm
portant centre Finally, after several
speeches, the following telegram was
despatched to the Holy Father: 'Leone
XIII, Roma. &C attolico fondato oggi,
mia presidenza, supplica benedizione
Vostra San tita.-Vescovo, Rio Janeiro.
It will be generally admitted that no.
whore is there better scope'and more
need for resuscitation of Catholic
life and activity than in South Amer
ice, and especially in Brazil. The form
alton of Catholic party there must
therefore be looked upon as a happy
augury of the future welfare of the
Church in that great and splendid
country. IF the new political order
shall end in producing a revival Of
Christian life, it will deserve the
hearty sympathy of Catholics all over
the world
The distinguished prelate who il
chosen as the first President of the new
Centre" Bishop Macedo Costa, Of
Para, is the one who, in 1874, underwent
with the Bishop of Olinda, the long
and celebrated trial at the hands of the
Imperial Government, which send in
sentence of four years imprison nent
with hard labor-a sentence later Ton
nitigated-on which occasion he wrote
his admirable book, Diristo- CON ira *Q
,Diricto Claw versus Justfce). 81
The two Bishops were then champions
of the liberty of the Church as againss
the usurpations of the civil power, and
no more suitable leader for the new
party could be found than the Anselm
who has both written and suffered SO
staunchly for the cause