Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-06-22

seriously weighed the meaning and bear ing of these propositions, and had asked for certain declarations and corrections in them, all this the Archbishop of Lepanto cheerfully compiled with; which, being done, the distinguished assemblage closed it's sessions with declaration of gratitude and of satisfaction with the way in which he had fulfilled the commission intrusted to him by us All this we find in the min utes of the meeting, which you have taken care to send us.
 But the propositions of our delegate having been inopportunely made public, minds were at once excited and controver- sies started afresh, which, through false interpretations, and through malignant imputations, scattered abroad in the news papers, grew more widespread and more serious. Then certain prelates of your country, whether displeased with the in- terpretations put upon some of these propo- sitions, or fearing the harm to souls which it seemed to them might thence result, con- fided to us the reason of their anxiety. And we, knowing that the salvation of souls is the supreme law to be ever assiduously borne in mind by us, wishing moreover to give you another proof of our solicitous affection, requested that each of you should, in a private letter, fully open his mind to us on the subject, which was diligently complied with by each one of you.
 From the examination of these letters it became manifest to us that some of you found in the propositions no reason for ap- prehension, while to others 1t seemed that the propositions partially abrogatsd the disciplinary law concerning schools enacted by the Council of Baltimore, and they feared that the diversity of interpretations put upon them would engender sad dissen- sions which would prove detrimental to the Catholic schools.
 ! After carefully weighing the matter we are intimately convinced that such inter- pretations are totally alien from the mean ing of our delegate as they are assuredly far from the mind of this Apostolic See. For the principal propositions offered by him were drawn from the decrees of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, and especially declare that Catholic schools are to be most sedulously promoted and that it is to be left to the judgment and con- science of the ordinary to decide, accord ing to the circumstances, when 1t is lawful and when unlawful to attend the public schools.
 For while presenting his propositions to the distinguished meeting in New York he expressly declared Gas is evident from the minutes) his admiration for the zeal man ifested by the bishops of North Americ in the most wise decrees enacted by tht
 
 promotion of the Catholic instruction O: the young. He added, moreover. tha these decrees, in as far as they contain { general rule of action, are faithfully to b. observed, and that although the publi, schools are not to be entirely condemn e6 (since cases may occur, as the Council it self had foreseen, in which it is lawful tt attend them), still every endeavor should be made to multiply Catholic schools an' to bring them to perfect equipment.
 But, in order that in a matter of S, grave importance there may remain nc further room for doubt or for dissensiol of opinions, as we nave already declare' in our letter of May 23 of last year, to ou venerable brethren, the Archbishop and bishops of the province of New York, st we again, as far as need be, declare thai the decrees which the Baltimore councils, agreeably to the directions of the Holy See, have enacted concerning parochial schools, and whatever else has been pres cribed by the Roman Pontiffs, whether directly or through the sacred congrega- tions, concerning the same matter, are to be steadfastly observed.
 LEO XIII, PoPE.