The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-10-13

liam of Orange. Now, IL the Orange
people curse the Pope they also add
his ally at the Battle of the Boyne
king William" daughter and ap-
plause). The reverend lecturer pro-
ceeded to say that the present posi-
ton of the Anglican Church of Eng
land was interesting. Before the time
of Henry VIII, the union between the
Church and State was SO close in
England that the Bishops in England
were appointed by agreement between
the Pope and the King.
Bishops and the Government.
AT present the Protestant Bishops
of England were appointed by the
King, and the government looked up
on each of these bishops as much an
official of the State as 1t did upon
a Judge. The English Government
would like to have the Catholic Church
in Ireland in the same position, and
therefore it seemed somewhat nat
ural thing for them to have officers
of the Government to write to the
Bishops of the Catholic Church direct
ing them how to use their position.
The Government didn't like to arrest
priests: it was an awkward thing to
run priest into Jail if they had a
finer system for dealing with him!
But one bishop in Ireland rose and
rebelled against that system Cloud and
prolonged applause). The Irish peo-
pie had always beer the saviours of
Irish Nationality, and time and again
the rank and file of the people were
the saviours Of Gods Church in Ire
land; and the Irish people would never
allow it to become possible for the
Catholic Church in Ireland to become
the instrument of the English Gov
eminent. (Applause).
Ecclesiastical Dictation.
Bishops of Ireland should so far for.
get their position, the priests of Ire
land would rebel against such a sys-
TEN, as they rebelled against the Veto
seventy years ago. And if ever the
priests of Ireland allowed themselves
to be moulded into fine machine for
the carrying out of the work of Dublin
Castle in Ireland the Catholic people
Of Ireland would rebel against such
system. (Applause). If he thought
that day would ever come in Ireland
that the people of Ireland would al
low their politics to be dictated, or
that the priests of Ireland would at.
tempt to become political machine
to dictate politics; If he thought that
the Irish people would accept such
dictation; if he thought that the Irish
Bishops would try to dictate their pol.
tiles to the priests, and that the Irish
people were going to accept such die
tation; If he thought that the Bish-
ops were going to take their politics
from the Pope, and that they would
will to impose such dictation or the
Irish people; if he thought that the
secular life of the Irish people was
to be held in the grip of an ecclesiast-
ical organization imposing it's will on
the people-he would go to Belfast
and sign the Covenant. (Applause).
Priests at Elections.
He would never submit to see the
liberties of the people placed in the
hands and at the mercy of Govern
ment that would be run in such q
manner-never, never, never! Cap
plause). But things were not going
to be that way. Irish politics were
going to be run under an Irish Re-
public (applause) or under whatever
Government was decided on under a
free and independent Ireland, by the
vote of the Irish people. (Applause).
They had examples of who in Ireland
was going to run its affairs in the last
few elections. In North Roscommon
the priests went into politics not as
a machine, but as independent citi.
zens. They had got no mandate to
teach the people politics; they had
just one mans right to Irish citizen.
ship; none of them claimed to be
} more than one man in Irish civil life
but they shall never submit to be
any less (hear, hear. Some peo
pie were afraid that the people would
be scandalized if they saw the priests
on different platforms in politics; but
} If the priests were all on the same
side they ought to be scandalized be.
; cause it would be an extraordinary
thing II each individual priests came
to the same conclusion on political
question. During the North Roscom.
mon election perfect order and good
> humor prevailed; the proceedings did
not disturb the friendship and har.
mony of any of the priests. They went
out on opposite sides and met each
other and we're as friendly as ever
afterwards. A high standard of polit.
lcal campaign would in his opinion,
be prompted if the priests went into
these elections as ordinary citizens.
ii 9
/, Ill