The Irish standard., 1908-10-03
A POINTED RePRooF.

4Ac SdluO1lc union ana Times PUB.
fishes from the New York Independ.
ent the following rebuke of the Eng.
lish mob and the Protestant Alliance
of England for its treatment of the
delegates to the Eucharistic League:
1t is not mere madness-it is bad.
ness of heart, nothing less, that has
stirred up the cranks of British Pro-
testantism to protest against the visit
of an Italian gentleman and priest to
attend a religious meeting in London.
There has been held an international
conference of the Congregational
churches of the world; and now there
is to be an International Eucharistic
Congress of the Roman Catholic
Church. One would think that in a
free country they had the same right
to meet and invite whom they pleased
as any other body OF Christians or pa
gans. But there is an Imperial Pro-
testant Federation that thinks other
wise. Cardinal vannutelli has been
detailed by Plus X to preside at the
congress. and these imperial and i'm
perious Protestants declare that there
was a law passed three hundred years
ago which forbade any papal legate
to enter the country-that was in the
time of Queen Elizabeth. The law,
they say. has never been repealed.
Doubtless nobody thought of repeal
ing it. Catholics are in both houses
of parliament; they have been allowed
equal rights in the universities, and
we imagined that all the disabling
laws had been abrogated except that
which requires the king on his corona
tion to swear to defend the Protestant
faith. But this, law. it would seem,
had been overlooked. The parliament
which has lately provided for Cath.
olic university for Ireland will not
allow any such statute to stand.
1t offended these militant Protest.
ants that King Edward was likely to
receive Cardinal Vannutelli, who was
to bring courteous message from
the Pope! All! think Of the danger!
Another papist plot! vannutelli pro-
roses-who knows?- to convert Eng.
land to popery, and then re-establish
the inquisition, and then Smithfleld!
There is nothing too silly for such
silly people to believe.
That law-if such a law there still is
lis obsolete. TO insist on it's observ.
ance, to forbid the cardinal to land in
England, to forbid the king to receive
him and accept a kindly message from
the Pope at Rome, to forbid the Eu-
charistic Congress to march in pro-
cession. would be indecent, unChrist-
ian. But these men are not Christ
ians, for Christians love one another;
and the purpose of their organiza.
tion Is to hate and devour their neigh.
tor. We do not believe that any such
law will be enforced. The Christian
sentiment of the country would not
allow it. Doubtless other laws grant.
ing their rights to Catholics have indi.
rectly If not formally repealed this
ancient and obsolete act.
Let the Eucharistic Congress hold
its next meeting in the United States.
1t will be welcome in Washington.
The president-Mr. Taft, we presume,
who went as legate from the United
States to Rome to settle with the
Pope the troubles about the friars'
lands-will receive courteously any
kind message from the Pope, and will
reply in similar terms. We warrant
it will be safe; it will not make a
Catholic of President Taft, nor Catho-
lies of our people. We do not any
longer take special pride in the desig-
nation of Protestant. It was good
enough once, but now we call our
selves Christians. and we allow the
name of Christian to those equally
who worship God the Father and His
Son Jesus Christ as we do, but also
adore the Virgin somewhat more than
we do. But they have their equal
rights. We do not all Of us agree
with them, but we do not think of
protesting against them, for. we no
longer need to. There is not de-
nomination In this country that has
the word Protestant in its name which
is not trying to get rid of it. We de-
clare for; we do not protest against.
We are hoping for unity, not looking
for division. @ }
King Edward will not receive the
legate: he is going to horse race
that week. We wish he had given up
the Doncaster gamble and had be-
slowed his sympathy upon his Cath.
olic subjects. and shown his contempt
for the mischief.makers.
Walter Wellman. as a result of OBJ.
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