The Irish standard., 1911-07-01
Archbishop Blenk Gives Vigorous
and Terse Answer to an Inter-
esting Question.
Says Priests Are Responsible to
Bishops Only in Ecclesiastical
Matters.
As Free American Citizens They
Exercise All Civil Rights
independently.

Some of the citizens of Arnaudville,
Louisiana, recently addressed a pc
tition to Archbishop Blenk which op-
ems the question whether or not a
Catholic priest is responsible to his
bishop in the exercise OF his political
and civil rights. The Archbishop an
swers the question in a, vigorous and
terse manner, disclaiming any au-
thority over his clergy except in mat
ters of religion and church disci-
pline.
The petition is in part as follows,
as published in the Times Democrat
and Morning STAR"
"Arnaudville, La, June g, 1911.
Archbishop Blenk, New Orleans, La:
"Your Highness: We, the under
signed white citizens Of st. Martin
Parish, in mass meetings assembled,
have resolved to address you this
communication so as to inform you
of a certain situation which has re-
Gently been developed in this parish
and which is assuming grave propen-
stiles as a result of the extraordinary
activities of several Catholic priests
in judicial affairs of great importance
to this commonwealth. x
in Sssst Parrish hat
and killed two white men land
wounded a third. He surrendered him.
self into the custody of the law.
fair and impartial trial was given him
by the Nineteenth Judicial Court OF
Justice, in and for the Parish of st.
Martin, State of Louisiana.
"The Negro was positively given
every chance for his life, but the jury
returned verdict of guilty as charg-
ed-murder in the first degree-and
he was sentenced to hang.
This verdict was eminently salts
factory to the general public, and the
case was considered at an end, but il
is far from so. Several priests III
this part of the country (names here
are onnitted) have procured the neces-
sary legal papers and have filed ar
application to the Board of Pardons
in an effort to obtain a pardon or al
least a Communication Of the sentence
of this convicted murderer. They
have gone so far as to engage the
services of a lawyer to handle anc
plead their cause before the Board o.
Pardons at its next session, contrary
to the wishes of the law-abiding cit
liens and in open effrontery to the
honorable Judge and jury before whom
his case appeared.
"We wish a statement from you tt
the public announcing to what eXten
and degree these priests have YOU
sanction to mix up and drag Cath
olicism into judicial affairs of thi
nature. s."
Replying to this petition Archbishop
Blenk after stating that the matte
did not come under his jurisdiction
as the spiritual head Of the diocese
said:
"The priests of my diocese are un
der my authority only in matters o
religion and of Church discipline
They are and remain free men an
American citizens, entitled to exer
else, independent of me, all civil an
political rights
eff it is their honest conviction tha
the party In whose favor you sa
they are Intervening is innocent, o
that he has not been fairly tried, o
Il. that for any reason he should be ex
tended some clemency from the Par
doning Board, it is their privilege an
duty as good citizens to assist hir
in reaching the highest and last con
stituted authority in this State havin
jurisdiction over his cause. The fac
that the applicant in this instance
a Negro should be of no consequence
at all in the affair. On the contrar.
the lowliness and humble standing {
the one calling for help in any cas-
should, with brave and generou
hearts, strengthen rather than weake
his claim for assistance.
why q number of Catholic men an
women should strenuously oppose Il
NJ j