The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-02
A CATHOLIC PRIESTS REToRT.
tho st. Bartholomew Massacre and Eng
fish Persecution.

lish Persecution.
To THE EDITOR OF The suN--Sir: M. E."
Of Montrose. Pa. In letter to The Bun OF
Sunday. July 80. advanced propositions which
are at variance with the testimony of history.
The REPUTATION Of all the Inaccuracies Of this
letter would take UP too much valuable space,
but two statements which are garingly false
should not DO permitted TO pass without con-
tradictlon.
Ono IL that "the Church melted civil war
In France. the Massacre of 81. Bartholomew"
The other declares that there is no instance
In history whore the Church was prosecuted
BY Christian nation whom she confined her
self TO the legitimate and proper business OF
saving SOULS
A. TO the st. Bartholomew massacre. Inn
partial non-Catholic historians attest that
the Church had no part In 1t. In the whole
affair the Church was conspicuous by its
absence. History affords abundant proof
that the massacre was not impelled by re-
lisious animosity. but by State policy. Charles
TX. and his mother. Catherine de Medlcls.
the insti gator Of the plot. had no zeal for the
Catholic faith nor any aversion for the Prot
estant religion, except inasmuch as 1t threat
ened the throne. The papal Nuncio. who
was In Paris at the time of the plot was. &C.
oording to Slsmondl. Protestant historian.
purposely kept In ignorance Of II: and Ranke.
another Protestant writer, attests that Charles
and Catherine left Paris suddenly to avoid
the displessure Of the Nuncio.
The massacre occurred on Aug. ~, 1872. On
Aug. 10 Charles TX. openly declared In Parlla-
ment that the deed had been done by his ex-
press orders, to head OF Q conspiracy Of the
Huguenots against himself. the royal house. the
Ktnsof Navarro and the noblest sub jects Of his
Kingdom Admiral Coli gny was the head Of
the Husuerot party. His Journal, which was
placed before the royal council and ,Parlia-
ment, end other papers belonging to hin
capital ptinsSment IN any yV eounTy Charles
TX %I1ts to s sGsom6srs
Of the new religion than than was was. H. had
arroeated 80 much power to himself that
f fSa q 81. ss d mH y dono s 1q o s5diS
70 % s"s
sshsd but ,xs S sesn wo0 s
roy, Volume w.. Letter to schomberg. Sept
states III coS n 70 G.esnty ordered the
new relieionlsts to meet me In arms near
f. sn wssEs to q tos
~ ths ,uss pu"skn.ns A Se b. !noted on
nf fhs motvs snH hs i%pssd the massacre
their own historic -, coreligious textbook,
The perpetrators Of the massacre. In their
Joy Of success. showed the corpses Of their
i:a hs's .ss shK see TSss
.nS.S sd Ssy snfi ~. fnsa ss was
..sSs to a Ss st.
crime dc MedieIs. the chief lpstIsstor Of the
meals. Often listened to cslvInist sermons
and would. according to Cantu. declare her
TSe ns1 a% N fo1 psSss there is
b bstey Sh ssss ss ch wbsh
nssna alone he. ,hi sTnshsd abgRdapt ey
acknowledge that England was a Chrlstian
State In the sixteenth seventeenth and eight:
ssnth nv net syaTe Fl
s'E1sSd sy ESTsTs
Souls a yet never in tie history q the World.
not even in the days Of Nero. was such
tie Catholic Church in England and Ireland
Pagan history does not afford persecution
cruel more t. thsn
EissSsth, Js%s. l., snd the Rctstor. ollysSi
Bshop OF Rochester: Archbishop 1ermat
O'Hnrley Of Cashel, Patrick O'Healey. Bishop
Of MAYO; Richard Creagh. Archbishop OF
Armagh. and a host Of others met death at
the hands Of the English solely because they
were Catholics. The religion Of ENGLAND
exist, tn, refusal Of the people to submit
the. ecafold. their, property was confiscated
and their civil qualifications denied.
Tss p't s% 3Ss5 'Fs%T nrsa
overran ireland. spreading devastation and
ruin on al! sides, in the name Of religion,
He thanked God for being the instrument for
the advancement OF Christianity. and he
advanced Christianity by slau Rhtering thou.
sands Of irish Catholics whom he murdered
for hatred Of their religion and their steadfast
Mr.. Goodwin Smith and M. E. talk about
the Church crushing freedom OF INQUIRY.
let them review the history OF Fin Rland dur
Ing the sixteenth seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries and thev will find abundant evil
dence to prove that the laws Of England crushed
freedom Of inquiry bv the use OF the rack.
the sword and the Ribbet and by cruel dis
qualifications that made It harder to live for
the faith than to die fort.
DANBuRY. Conn. July 81.