The Irish standard., 1905-08-26
PRIEST ANSWERS
The ST. Bartholomew Massacre
and the Question Of
Persecution Handled Intelli-
gently and Fearlessly.

Rev. Walter J. Stanley, of Danbury,
Conn.,, in letter to the editor of the
New York Sun, thus answers another
correspondent:
Sir: IN. E., of Montrose, Pa, in a
letter to the Sun of Sunday, July 80,
advanced propositions which are at
variance with the testimony of history.
The refutation of all the inaccuracies
of this letter would take up too much
valuable space. but two statements
which are glaringly false should not
be permitted to pass without contra,
diction.
One is that 'the church melted civil
war in France, the massacre of st. Bar
tholomew." The other declares that
there is no instance in history where
the church was prosecuted by a Chris
tian nation when she confined herself
to the legitimate and proper business
of saving souls"
! AS to the st. Bartholomew massa.
/ ere, impartial non-Catholic historians
attest that the church had no part in
it. In the whole affair the church was
conspicuous by it's absence History
affords abundant proof that the massa-
ere was not impelled by religious ami
mostly, but by state policy. Charles
TX and his mother, Catherine de Medi-
els, the instigator of the plot, had no
zeal for the Catholic faith nor any
aversion for the Protestant religion,
except inasmuch as it threatened the
throne. The Papal Nuncio, who was
in Paris at the time of the plot, was,
according to Sism!ndi a Protestant
historian, purposely kept in ignorance
of it; and Ranke, another Protestant
writer, attests that Charles and Cath
crime left Paris suddenly to avoid the
displeasure of the Nuncio.
+ The massacre occurred on August
q, 1872. On August 2G Charles openly
declared in parliament that "the deed
had been done y his express orders, to
head off conspiracy of the Hugue-
nots against himself, the royal house.
the king of Navarro and the noblest
subjects of his kingdom" Admiral
Coligny was the head of the Hugueno'
party. His journal, which was placed
before the royal council and parlia
ment, and other papers belonging to
him revealed projects which wouls
have merited capital punishment ir
any country. Charles TX wrote to hi:
ambassador, Schomberg, in Germany:
"Coligny had more power than had
and was better obeyed by those of tht
new religion than 1 was. He had al
rogated SO much power to himself tina
| could not cal myself king, but mer
! could not call myself a king, bu
merely ruler of part of my domfn
ions. / could not tolerate him an
longer, and determined to give reig
to justice which was indeed extra
ordinary, and other than / would hav
wished, but which was necessary.
(Villeroy, Vol. w., Letter to Schom
berg, September 13, 1572.)
In the same letter to Schomber'
Charles states that: "Coligny recent.
ordered the new religionists to NEE
me in arms near Fontainebleau, wher'
was to be on the Sd of August
Since it has pleased God to deliver M
from him, l may we'll thank Him TO,
he just punishment He has inflicted
On the admiral and his accomplices.
The motive which impelled the mas
sacre is revealed by the Calvinist
themselves in their own historic core
'igious textbook, their martyrology
the author attests that the perpetrat
,rs of the massacre, in their joy o
success, showed the corpses of thei
'ictims, saying: "These are they VIII
would have killed the king" AM
the courtiers laughed, saying that a
ength the war was ended and the
'ould live in peace"
More testimony can be offered fror
Protestant sources to prove that tn
st. Bartholomew massacre was poll
cal affair. Catherine de Medicis, tn
chief instigator of the plot, was fret
hinker, who, during her meals, ofte
istened to Calvinistic sermons, an
yould, according to Cantu, declare he
elf a Protestant had such cours
cen favorable to her ambition fc
!, ,ower.
=. The statement of IN. E." that "thel
p no instance in history where til
:, church was prosecuted by a Christia
" state when she confined herself
Ter legitimate and proper business
saving souis," is false. England alor
e has furnished abundant evidence
IN prove the contrary "M. E." will a
lg knowledge that England was a Chrl
n tian state in the sixteenth, seve
go teenth and eighteenth centuries.
.o- IN. E." not aware of the persecutit
a inaugurated by Henry VIII and carrie
ne out by Edward vi, Elizabeth, James
ne and Oliver Cromwell? The church
all England and Ireland was confined
it. her legitimate and proper business
ey saving SOULS" yet never in the histo
al of the world, not even in the days
ho Noro y,oc ouch a ,,orSocution wa o