Year: 1875




FLIGHT INTO AUSTRIAN TERRITORY.


BERLIN, oct. 8, 1875


The Supreme Court for Ecclesiastical Affairs sen
tenced to-day, DR. Forester. tho Prince Bishop Of
Brcslau be deprived OF his The accused prel-
ate did not appear in person


This has been proceeding for exactly six months
although from the first Il was perfectly well known
what would be the issue. On EastoI Monday, 29th
March last the Prince Bishop was served with an tin
vitation" from the Governor tOberprisidenp OF the
fvovince OF siesia to resign his hshopnc The
grounds alleged for this proceeding his known"
antagouism the May laws, and the fct OF his Vicar
General having In pastoral instruction. addressed
TO the cl1gy Of the diocese promulgated tho cele-
brated Pppa Encyelca Of 5th February The Bishop
Piled this .invilationn-s uncomm,nly like the well
known "wll you walk into my parlor'-that no held
the administration OF his diocese from God, who had
condded It TO him through the Pope aad until the Pope
bade him retire be would stay at his post A formal
suit for his deposition then instituted,
der the May laws, before he Court for
Ecclesiastical Affairs at Berlin and tie Supreme Pro-
vincia Court at Breslau was directed make the pro-
limnary inquires-in other words, to find evidence.
Great attention was directed everywhere in Germany
to the DR.. Forester was the only prelaie within
the German Empire who retained the old feudal title OF
Prince Bishop and previous the general boteperse
nent which followed upon the French Revolution he
would have exercised all the attributes OF Independent
sovereignty. He was, individually, special favorite
at the Court Of Berlin, and particularly with the EN-
press, for it is we'll known that friendliness
with the Iron Chancellor and with the court
circle by Synonymous. More
over. DR.. Forester known to be enlightened
man. thoroughly well educated, OF liberal views and
sincerely desirous of reconcng far possible the
exigencies Of German unity and the claims OF the
II 5od
persecute such man, instead Of sympahizng with the
efforts which he notoriousy making to bring the
ecclesiastical management Of his diocese into harmony
with the spirit or recent legislation and connivng
any outward breaches of the letter of the law INTO
which he might be betrayed. But the language held
at the beginning Of the affair by the Berlin
papers which we're repued to be in the confidence of
the Chancellor indicated that Prince Bismarck
was resolved to make example of Dr. Forester
He wished to show Germany that liberal sentiments
would not avail unless the holder prepared to break
with the Vatican and side wholly with him. And he
specially desrous of proving by unmistakable evi-
dence that no favor or protection, however exalted,
vengeance any one who declined 70 follow his policy


A CHARACTERISTIC INCIDENT.


Even at that early period little event occurred
quen of affairs At the beginning Of the year
parish in the diocese of Posen had been declared by
the civil courts vacant account OF some offence
which the parish priest had committed against the May
laws The local district governor issued a notice,
which practically an advertisement Tor priest
One came from the diocese OF Breslau by name Kick,
and he appointed by the civil governor the pas.
tora charge OF the vacant parish When DR. Forester
learned what Kick had done he wrote TO him. remind
ing him that according TO the usages of the Roman
Catholic Church no priest can leave the diocese TO
which he belongs and take an engagement in another
diocese without having previously received
the leave OF his Ordinary. Kick,
however thought the salary Of his new post too desr
able TO be voluntarily renqushed Toward the end of
February the Prince Bishop again the recaci
trant priest plainly telling him that according to the
trt haA
incurred the OF the Church. and begging him
to return back 70 Brcsau This appeal likewise was
vain. On Sunday, the 11th of April, stranger mys
teriousy entered the pulpit OF tho church OF Kwicz
the parish adjoining that where Kick had been installed
and read out solemn sentence OF accommodation,
with ceremonies which to have made profound
impression on the simple congregation He was quite
unknown, and although tho police have been incessant
in their inquiries and prosecutions in connection with
this mysterious accommodation they have not been
abo 10 discover the promulgator


FogRsTER SUMMONED


In the course of their inquiries they heard of DR..
Foerster's letters Kick They to have jumped
al the conclusion thai II was he who had Illuminated the
sentence and that, in fact, he had for whole year
been secretly exercising episcopal functions in the do
OF Posen governing as Secret Delegate for the
imprisoned Archbishop Ledochowsk, who had just
been made Cardinal by the Pope The Bishop
summoned to appear before the local court of Birn-
baum the province OF Posen, Ito be examined touch
ing Kicks communication He did not appear.
He was then summoned TO appear before the Court of
Appeal at Breslau, on the 5th May, in order ito be
examined concerning various matters" The Bishop
did not appear. He denied the jurisdiction of the
court, as a civil tribunal, TO judge his ecclesi-
astical conduct; and further, he could not submit
himself to examination without either making awk-
ward admissions or declining with equal awkwardness
the nterrogatorics OF the judges The Court
was perplexed They teegraphed Berlin for
whether they should order his arrest Next
day the 6th was great Church holiday the festival
OF the Ascension. An order by cipher telegraph
Berlin in the OF that day. ordering shat the
Bishop should be arrested at six O'Clock in the morning
of Friday, Tth May BY some means which have never
discovered the intention arrest the Bishop
the Friday became known in Berlin early on Thursday
connected with the Court and this person
teegraphed the intelligence also in cipher to trusty
friend at Breslau, who lost no time in apprisng the
Bishop OF the intentions of the Prussan government
The rest is told.


THE FLIGHT OF THE BISHOP


nobleman, resident OF Breslau, called at the
palace little after noon, and took the Bishop In his
carriage for "a drive. DR.. Forester his usual
dress had servants and there was nothing to Indi
cate that il was not ordinary drive They went to
q rural railway station about ten miles from Breslau.
Hero the venerable old The is nearly seyenty-sx
wears of agel took the tram and proceeded TO point
about fifteen miles from the Austrian frontier Here
he met by the equpaEe Of another nooeman,
which conveyed him by mountain road to his own
castle Of Johannisberg, where Preparations had been
made for his reception. SO quietly the business
managed that this latter coachman did not know who
was his illustrious passenger Here the Prince Bishop
has resided ever since IN his own princey castle sur
rounded by those domains the appanage his episcopal
which famous all over the world for the glorious
vintage the Johannisberger VINE which they bear 1t
is worth remembering that the diocese OF Breslau om,
braces not only the greater part OF Prussan slesia
but also contermnous districts Of Austrian Slesa
and Moravia Hence the Bishop has never stirred
during all those months outside the boundaries Of his
ecclesiastical charge.


DEPOsED


For some time the Prussian government seemed par
alyzed BY the disappointment But the proceedings in
the Ecclesiastical Court resumed aud have at
length been brought close by this sentence Of de-
position. IL Is worth noting that while legally DR..
Heinrich Forester has ceased be bishop Of Bres
lau within the Prussian districts Of his diocese his
authority remains unassailed within the Austrian
districts.


INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS


All along It has been assumed that in the event Of
his deposition he would endeavor to govern from Jo
hannisberg the Prussian well the Austrian por
ton Of the diocese. We shall whether this
tcpation will prove correct IL 50, curious
plicatIons OF international character not
unlikely to DR.. Forester Is the third Prussan
bishop who has been deposed by the Berlin Court for
Ecclesiastical Affairs the others Count tnow Card
nall Ledochowski Archbishop OF Posen and DR.. Con.
rad Martin, Bishop oil Paderborn- Unlike them, how
ever Dr. Forester has been fortunate enough to escape
making acquaintance with the interior Of either prug-