66 extract), by the authority and command of his "Holiness: "Most Illustrious and most Reverend Lords, "as Brothers.* "WE perceive from your late letter, the great "uneasiness you labour under since the publica- ' ❝tion of a pamphlet, entitled, The present State "of the Church of Ireland, from which our "detractors have taken occasion to renew the old "calumny against the Catholic religion with in"creased acrimony; namely, that this religion is "by no means compatible with the safety of kings "and republics; because, as they say, the Roman Pontiff being the father and master of all Ca"tholics, and invested with such great authority, "that he can free the subjects of other kingdoms from their fidelity and oaths of allegiance to kings "and princes, he has it in his power, they con"tend, to cause disturbances, and injure the public "tranquillity of kingdoms with ease. We wonder "that you could be uneasy at these complaints, "especially after your most excellent brother and "apostolical fellow labourer, the archbishop of Cashel, and other strenuous defenders of the rights of the Holy See, had evidently refuted "and explained away these slanderous reproaches, " in their celebrated writings." * "The original Latin will be found in opposite columns "in "Dr. Troy's Pastoral Instruction, 1793."-(Coghlan, "Duke-street." "Dr. James Butler." "In this controversy a most accurate discrimina❝tion should be made between the genuine rights "of the Apostolical See, and those that are imputed "to it by innovators of this age, for the purpose of calumniating. The See of Rome never taught that faith is not to be kept with the heterodox :—that "an oath to kings separated from the Catholic "communion, can be violated: that it is lawful for "the Bishop of Rome to invade their temporal rights and dominions. We too consider an "attempt or design against the lives of kings and princes, even under the pretext of religion, as an 66 "His Holiness Pius VI. has not, however, "disregarded your requests; and therefore, in "order to effectually remove every occasion of "cavil and calumny, which, as you write, some borrow from the words in the form of oath of "obedience to the Apostolical See, that bishops 166 are required to take at their consecration, I will* prosecute and oppose heretics, &c. to the utmost of my power; which words are maliciously interpreted as the signal of war against heretics, "authorising persecution and assault against them, "as enemies; whereas the pursuit and opposition "to heretics, which the bishops undertake, are to ፡፡ "No one word in the English language corresponds exactly "to PERSEQUAR, as used here. It never signifies PERSECU "TION. We have adopted the Bishop of Cloyne's translation "of it.-See Dr. Butler's Justification, p. 85. et seq.-[Note of "Dr. Troy."] "be understood as referring to their solicitude and "efforts in convincing heretics of their errors, and "procuring their reconciliation with the Catholic "church: his Holiness has graciously conde"scended to substitute, in place of the ancient "form of oath, that one which was publicly re(6 peated by the archbishop of Mohilow, to the great satisfaction of all the court of Petersburgh, "in presence of the empress, and which we trans"mit to you in this letter." "We think proper, notwithstanding, to remind you of a late admonition of the most wise Pope "Benedict XIV. who, in his regulations for the English missions, which are likewise applicable to you, speaks thus:-The Vicars Apostolic are "to take diligent care that the missionaries "behave on all occasions with integrity and decorum, and thus become good models to others; and particularly that they be always ready to cele"brate the sacred offices, to communicate proper "instruction to the people, and to comfort the sick "with their assistance; that they, by all means, "avoid public assemblies of idle men, and taverns. The Vicars themselves are particularly 66 "charged to punish in such manner as they can, "but severely, all those who do not speak of the public government with respect." The pontifical order for the alteration of the pontifical oath, to be taken by the Irish Catholic prelates follows, viz.— "From an audience had of his Holiness on he 9th day of June 1791. "The archbishops, metropolitans of the king"dom of Ireland, represented to his Holiness, "that, from the ignorance or malice of some persons, certain expressions in the form of the "oath prescribed by the Roman ritual to be taken by bishops at their consecration, and by archbishops on receiving the pall, have been misrepresented; which has added new perplexities "to those which they daily experience in a king"dom where the Catholic faith is not the religion "of the state: wherefore they humbly requested, "if it should appear expedient to his Holiness, "that he would vouchsafe to apply a remedy by "some of his apostolical vigilance. His Holiness, on this report being made to him by me, the "underwritten, all circumstances of the case ma"turely considered, was graciously pleased to "grant, that the bishops of the kingdom of Ire"land, at their consecration, and the archbishops on receiving the pall, may use the same form of "oath which was taken by the archbishop of Mohilow, in the empire of the Muscovites, by permission of his said Holiness, which is as "follows: I, N. N. &c. as in the Roman pontifical to the clause-All heretics, schismatics, and "rebels against our said Lord, and his successors * "Mohilow was erected into an archbishopric, with "a chapter, by the present Pope. The first archbishop, "Stanislaos Siestrrenawez, was appointed in a consistory at "Rome, 21st December 1783, and is still living." * "aforesaid, I will to the utmost of my power, prosecute and oppose, which is entirely omitted. "Afterwards, the words--the Cardinal Prefect of "the sacred congregation for propagating the faith, are substituted instead of the Cardinal Preponent in the congregation of the Sacred "Council. The form concludes with these words: "I will observe all and every one of these things "the more inviolably, as I am firmly convinced "that there is nothing contained in them which can be contrary to the fidelity I owe to the most serene King of Great Britain and Ireland, and "to his successors to the throne. So help me, God, " and those holy Gospels of God. Thus I promise " and engage. "Dated at Rome, in the house of the said "Sacred Congregation, the 23d day of June "1791. "L. CARDINAL ANTONELLI, Prefect. * Bishop of Cloyne's Translation. |