The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-06-23
STATUS OF CATHOLICS IN IRE
LAND.

CWritten for The Intermountair Catholic)
Some letters have appeared in pub
lie press recently in which very di-
vergent views have been expressed up
on the subject of religious disabilities
in Ireland. Perhaps 1 might be permit
| ted to shed a little light upon the dis
cussion. 1t is undoubtedly true that
during the last quarter of a century
most of the important government Off
ces have been thrown open to Catho-
! lies, but as yet no Catholic can hold
the post of lord lieutenant of Ireland.
While the penal laws against Catho-
lies have been repealed, the government
authorities practically exclude MEM
bers of that faith from any fair pro-
portion of recognition in the distribu
ton of official favors. Nearly all the
higher offices are in the hands of Prot
estants, notwithstanding the fact that
Ireland is three-fourths Catholic. The
Archbishops and Bishops of the Roman
faith are permitted to exercise their
sacred functions merely by sufferance
of the government Within the last
few years the Catholic majority in Ire
land has been refused a university, |
while the small Protestant majority has |
entire control of the university and the |
higher education of the country. Only |
sixteen out of fifty-six of the queens |
counsel are Catholics, and only three
of the eighteen judges of the higher
courts of judicature.
AS an evidence of the conditions pre-
vailing in Ireland at the present time
1 cite the case of a young Irishman,
a ward of court, who recently expressed
a wish to enter the Jesuit order as a
novice. The lord chancellor was about
to make a minute confirming his wish
when his attention was drawn to a
clause in the Catholic Emancipation act
of 1920, rendering the status of Jesuit
and other religious orders illegal. 1t
appears from this unrepealed provision
that any one becoming a Jesuit in the
United Kingdom or any Jesuit coming
to the United Kingdom from abroad
is liable to Punishment, and on his re-
turn to the kingdom is liable to penal
servitude for life. Under the law, the
court refused to sanction the young
man entering the Jesuit novitiate. Dur
ing the last session of parliament the
Catholic members of the house of COM
mons endeavored to secure the repeal
If these Ubiquitous statutes, but the
and tolerant government of
England blocked the way.
The local government board, which
practically governs Ireland, is
low composed of four Protest
lnts, under the presidency of :
Mr.. Balfour, the English representa- ,
i've of Leeds. Notwithstanding the
act that Queen Victoria has millions {
# Catholic subjects, her majesty and I
Ter successors. are obliged to take an J
ath denouncing the Catholic faith and
declaring that it's fundamental tenets
re false and idolatrous. Great Britain, i
therefore,, should be the last power in 2
he world to protest against religious t
disabilities in another country t
Let me say one word about the South O
African war. I think that in future n
ines this most discreditable chapter of b
British history will not be without it's
ulliOiOuS sue. IN the IlrSI place we
nd the government, which during the
ist fifty years has always constantly
pposed the extension of the franchise
} the people of the United Kingdom,
ending out 25O,OOO men, very few of is
HON have the franchise themselves. a
ominally to obtain the franchise for n
handful of people in South Africa n
-ho do not want it. There is indeed. u
intensely ludicrous in MOTTO is
lg the grown-up boobies bowling for II
he franchise for foreigners in the n
ransvaal when they cannot obtain it rf
" themselves at home. Out of a popu- nj
-tion of over 100000 in the British tt
lands. the number of enfranchised is hi
bout 6,5OO,O0O-that is to say, there are
'me 100000 of capable citizens who u
re British outlanders. III
T. ST. JOHN GAFFNEY. u
New York, June Is, 1900. ie
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