The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-12-30
EVENTS IN BELGIUM

systematic effort to cut of the Bishops
and clergy Of the Catholic Church in
Russia from the Vatican. They en-
deavor to appoint priests and remove
them without application to the
Bishop, the system of espionage on
the Episcopal couriers being such
that the clergy scarcely know when
the orders they receive are from their
Bishop or from the Government. This
last act Is perhaps the grayest yet
committed. 1t commenced under an
edict which gave Government off,
cial the right to inspect the books re-
lating to the temperatures OF the
Church, an auditor, as we should say.
But account books were only one OF
the matters into which this official
pried. Weeks were spent in going
through the papers of the various
Dioceses and parishes. The couriers
carrying papers for the Bishop were
molested and the contents of their
wallets examined with the result that
in this way grave violations have been
committed of secrets of conscience,
referred by confessors to their
Bishops to be settled by the latter or
again referred by them to Rome.
During the past few weeks several
priests have been removed from their
parishes by order of the Government.
Two Fathers at Minsk were removed
for explaining to their people the Ne
Temere Decree The Rector of st.
Casimir's, a well known church in
Moscow, was removed for an his
torical article on the Jesuits which
he dared to publish. The Jesuits are
the bette noir of the Russian Govern.
ment. No Jesuit may enter Russia
even by himself without special per-
nit from the Gear, privilege which
has only been granted three times in
ninety years. 1t was the finding of a
Jesuit Father in Moscow who had set
tied there to help the forlorn German
and Italian colony that formed the
excuse for much of this nosing about
which has for its ostensible object
the discovery of secret religious socie-
ties. The unfortunate Father was ex-
PEELED and domiciliary visits even to
young ladies' schools Immediately
commenced as though the whole city
teemed with undiscovered Jesuits.
The condition of the clergy is indeed
deplorable. Their stipends are often
withheld from them at the pleasure
of the Government, while every in
ducement is placed in their way to
secure their detection, and behind all
the allurements looms the grim
shadow of Siberia with it's trackless
|steppes and certain death.
The PaIIium for Archbishop Ilsley.
England has been occupied with
the solemn ceremony which accom-
panies the reception Of the Pallium,
and which took place recently in
the Cathedral of st. Chad, Birming-
ham, where Archbishop Ilsley re-
ceived the sacred insignia of his new
rank in presence of vast gathering
of Prelates. clergy and laity. The oc-
casion was also marked by a secular
celebration which took the form of
banquet at which not only the leading
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were present together with all the
Suffragan Bishops of the new Arch
| episcopal See,. but also the city
fathers-who are not, of course, Cath
olics-an evidence Of the esteem in
which the Archbishop is held. After
several felicitous speeches by the
various Bishops, the Earl of Denbigh
and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham,
the committee took occasion to pre-
sent to the Archbishop the costly and
beautiful set Of vestments for himself
and his assistant clergy when In full
state which have been subscribed for
by the faithful at an approximate cost
of E1,500. So rich and beautiful is
the material, cloth of gold brocaded
with damask, that special looms had
to be constructed for its manufac-
ture, while the embroideries on the
various vestments are themselves
worth fortune, executed as they are
by the skilled hands of the various
religious communities Of women in
DR.. Ilsley's province. The design is
superb, and the whole has been car
rled out under the supervision of ex-
perts. The robes which flash like
beaten gold in the sun are lined with
pale blue brocade, and were worn
in their completeness by the Arch
bishop and his ministers when His
Grace, celebrated High Mass in his
Cathedral on last Sunday. They are
unquestionably the finest set in all
England at the present time.
Anti-catholic Activity Of Wesleyan
Methodists.
The Wesleyan Methodists are the
latest recruits to the ranks Of the
Ne Temere directors. Their council
held meeting in London last week
at which, after stating that they did
not desire to interfere with religious
! liberty, they solemnly denounced the
decree declaring it interfered with the
religious liberty of the subject, de-
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