The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-31
CATHOLICS In AMERICA.
Archbishop Ireland's Vigorous Utteran,
on the Recent Lucerne Conference

Archbishop Ireland's Vigorous Utterance
on the Recent Lucerne Conference.
ST. PAUL, May 30-The recent memorial
Of the Catholic emigration societies to the
pope requesting following national lines in
work among immigrants in America has
attracted great attention. A Pioneer Press
reporter called upon Archbishop Ireland
and asked for a statement regarding the
matter. After endorsing the truth
of the Associated press dispatches
from Rome, the archbishop said:
so far as Mr.. Cabensley, bearer of the Lu
cerne petitions and DEGREES to the vatican,
ana H.s frients and co-laborers ars con
cerned. they nave we'll defined object in
view. They mean to work for il with might
and main. 1t is to harness the church in
America into the service of recently arrived
immigrants from Germany, other Catholic
parent!y looked upon as quite sec
ondary. Their demands are based
on the superstition that the bishops
and priests of America are Irish and
neglect Germans. We have to note here
the actual or assumed ignorance of Cahens-
Catholics in America. In asserting they
are neglected he does most positive 1njus-
tice to the bishops of the country, whose
constant efforts have been and are
to provide for all Catholics of
foreign tongues priests of their own
nationality. There is singular malice, too,
in his attempt to represent the Catholic
church in America as Irish. AS matter of
fact, bishops born in Ireland are few in
the American hierarchy, and those few
have spent nearly all their lives in America
and are thoroughly identified with the
bishops of America are heart and
soul Americans. They have no more
idea of making the church Irish than they
have of allowing it to be made German.
The mass of our Catholics to-day were born
in America, and whether their fathers were
Irish or German they are Americans, and
they resent with indignation any effort to
class them into Irish or German or foreign
ers of any stripe.
"What is the most strange feature in this
whole Lucerne movement is the impudencs
of the men in undertaking to meddls under
any pretext in Catholic affairs of America. |
We have Catholics from all countries of
Europe Yet they all work together with
signal unauimity and are all united in pa
Catholics. " The promoters Of ''D Gens
man foreignism in America are certain |
Journalists, whose trade is gone if the Ger
man language loses its hold. and certain
priests, who, coming to America in ad-
vanced years, never learn much. This is
simply. unpardonable and all American
Catholics will treasure up the affront for
future action. We acknowledge the pope
of Rome AS our chieftain in spiritual mat
ters and we are glad to receive
Germany or Switzerland or Ireland
must mind their own business and
be still as to ours. Nor is this the most ir-
ritating fact in this movement. The iuspi-
ration of the work in Europe comes, the
dispatches tells, from clique in America,
Al. IL, 1, a
this matter. we would have known that this
is the truth. For the last five or six years
there has been - determined effort on the
part of certain foreign born Catholics
III America, priests and laymen to
obtain control of Catholic matters in
Americn. Poles in the west. French Cana
iians i'll the east, Germans west and east,
have been at work iii this direction. The
Germans sent, in 1885, n representative to
Rome to obtain pro-German legislation.
They have Bince formed societies, notably
The Deutsch- -Amerikanischer Priester Vr-
sin, for this same purpose. l am quite
sure am right, when bring home to this
gerein the who.e prompting of the Lucerns
"This foreign movement III America is,
It must bs we'll understood, confined to
small number. The great
mass or German speaking Catholics lay
nen and priests, are totally opposed to all ,
-iaie "IA ahtIlEuSs w ietuit toittSH Hs~ |
and are most heattily in sym
,athy with everything that is American.
There is not the slightest possibility
hat any result will como from this Luoerns
except it be this result. to lead
o the utter extinction of all foreign ami I
nus among us. The hshops of America
re fully able TO ward off all foreign inva-
ions and to maintain the church Oh thor
,ugh Amerienn lines"
After speaking of foreign domination in
vil affairs as IN excuse for this petition,
he archbishop concludes; when we are
more American in civil and political mat
ers, there will be fewer petitions from
sreins in America and conferences in Lu-
erne for foreignizing our Catholics of
lmerlea."
Sir johns Condition.
OTTAWA. MAY IL AT Qua a. NJ Sir Inhn