ORTHODOX JOURNAL, AND Catholic Monthly Intelligencer, For AUGUST, 1815. VOL. III, THE CATHOLIC QUESTION. THE next subject which I propose whole matter No. 27. the last speech which the Hon, Eart. has published for the edification of the English public, assures us, that lay a new office the attention of my readers, is that of ORTHOD. JOUR. VOL. IIL 2 P Catholics of this empire, through the the Legislature," which is the funda ignorance of some, and the malice of mental Principle of the British Conothers, of their Protestant fellow substitution of State, that as all British jects. To combat all the vague asser-subjects are equally free by the law of tions which have been offered in favour Nature, they certainly are equally en of securities, would be an endless and titled to the same natural rights that disgusting task; I shall therefore prin- are essential for their own preserva cipally confine myself to the argu- tion; " because (as he observes) this ments which have been advanced in privilege of having a share in the le favour of them by Sir John Coke Hip- gislation is not merely a British Right, pisley, because the Hon. Baronet cer- peculiar to this island, but it is also a tainly is more conversant with the natural right, which cannot, without modern style and spirit of the Court the most flagrant and simulating in of Rome, and of its nature, form, and justice, be withdrawn from any part practice, than any other of his Majes- of the British Empire by any worldly ty's Protestant subjects; and likewise authority whatsoever;” and knowing to those adduced by Lord Grenville, moreover, that there is not one single because I consider that noble Lord to tenet or doctrine of their Church be one of the first politicians of the which can in any manner render them age, and both have been considered disaffected or dangerous to the State, as two sincere friends to the advance- the Catholics of Ireland and 'England ment of the Catholic Cause. To il petitioned the Legislature to be ad lustrate the matter, and render it mitted to the enjoyment of the prin more intelligible to such of my readers leges of the British Constitution, as may not be thoroughly acquainted which they had been deprived durin with the progress of the struggle to the most turbulent and disgraceful pe obtain emancipation, it is necessary riod of our history, and to be place to make a few preliminary remarks, upon an equal footing with the rest o before I proceed to the immediate sub their fellow-subjects. In consequen ject of the securities required. The of this application, the Common leaders of the measure in Parliament House of Parliament agreed to tak knowing the prejudices of the nation the subject into consideration, an to run strong against the claims of the passed a resolution, by which a Com Catholics, instead of endeavouring to mittee was formed to prepare a Bill toe disarm their countrymen of these ill-be laid before the House for its con41 founded jealousies, misguidedly formed the project of obtaining an ascendancy In the appointment of the Prelates of the Catholic Church, by establishing a Committee for that purpose, to be composed of both Catholics and Protestants, but mostly of the latter, which Committee was also to have the inspection of such correspondence as might take place between the Prelates and the See of Rome. To this the Catholics of the old school could not agree, because it would fix a stigma upon their former conduct, which they have always asserted to be groundless and without foundation. But conceiving, with the late Mr. Granville Sharp, in his Declaration of the People's Natural Right to a share in sideration, embracing the object of the Emancipation of the Catholics by the removal of all religious jealousies be tween his Majesty's subjects. Happy would it have been for this country had the Legislature strictly adhered to the principles it professed to be ani mated with, instead of permitting clauses to be introduced which tended to confirm those jealousies which the preamble stated it was necessary to remove. Clauses, however, were in troduced by a noble Lord, who is known to have consulted the intriguing director of the Catholic Board, which clauses have been declared by the highest authority of the Catholic church to be of a schismatical ten dency. This circumstance should ne ver be forgotten by Catholics. Aware įmons by Sir H. Parnell, "went to an of the dangers to which their religion extent from which his mind turned stood exposed, and unwilling to hazard with abhorrence, namely. that of the safety of their Church. by placing | shaking the Protestant establishments the Ministers of it under the controul of this country to their foundation : of their natural enemies, the Catholics and had they come before their Lordpetitioned again to be admitted to ships in the shape, either as Resolu their natural birthright, without any tions, or as digested into a Bill, no restrictions being placed on their reli- consideration upon earth should have gion or its ministers. This truly Bri-induced him to give them his support. tish and Constitutional claim appears And the noble Lord is further reported however to have shocked most of our to have said, that "though he were Legislators, and Sir John Hippisley is convinced that a few angry individuals stated to have declared in the late de- spoke the sense of the whole nation, bate, that He felt it his duty to reand even if he believed that four or sist all demands of unqualified confive millions of Catholics could be so Cession he had always had in view unreasonable as to reject a boon and a those restrictions, which were war- benefit from the hands of the Legislaranted by sound policy and the practure, because not offered in the terms ice of other states-restrictions which and in the manner they wished, he were only imposed with a view to li- should still bid their Lordships do it the power of interference of the what was right, consult the plain path ourt of Rome."-The Hon, Baronet of their duty, and provide for the said to have further remarked, that happiness of the people."-With all if the Catholics would examine, they due respect to the logical acumen and ould find that even their Catholic deep-read researches of the learned cestors erected great securities Baronet, and the political sagacity gainst the Pope's authority in Eng- and experience of the noble Lord, for and; and even Mary left on our Sta- whose opinions in general I have the tute Book all those securities prior to highest regard, I must think they have the 20th of Henry VIII."....that "he both fallen very short in this instance knew the feelings and opinions of the in their statements on this great ques respectable and sober-minded tion, and that their ideas seem to be Roman Catholics were averse to the founded on the most fallacious grounds. one of those Petitions (for unquali- Sir John has been constantly labouring fied Emancipation) AS HE HAD IT IN to persuade the Catholics, as well as HIS POWER TO PROVE those indi- the House of Commons, that the ob PR. O most lo viduals being ready to agree to certain ject of the Veto Securities is no more estrictions with respect to the nomi- than what has been the practice of all tion of Bishops, constituting that other states, whether Catholic or Probarrier, which was the ONLY ONE testant, in order to repel the encroachthat could be raised against the in- ments of the See of Rome.—Previous fluence of the See of Rome." With to the late discussion, the Hon. Barorespect to the speech attributed to my net published the substance of his Lord Grenville, it is somewhat of an speech delivered to the House of Com alarming nature, not only to the Pro- mons on the 11th of May, 1813, in testant part of the community, but moving for a select Committee on the particularly to the Catholics, since his Lordship is said to have hinted as much as if the Legislature ought to force our consciences into a compliance with its will. The noble Lord is stated by the prints to have declared that the Resolutions read in the Com more subject of the Catholic Claims; in this speech Sir John says, "The most irrefragable documents might be produced in a Committee to evince the frequent and successful resistance to such encroachments, both in ancient and modern times, on the part even our Protestant brethren might devise to resist the mighty power of the Pope, at which the latter are so much to such as are calculated to undermine the integrity of their Pastors, and place them under the controul of those who naturally hate them. Now the Governments which Sir John has men tioned in support of his favourite scheme for a Committee to inspect and licence all papal rescripts, and to no served were all Catholic, and in com munion with the See of Rome, and, further, the Sovereigns were absolute What analogy then can there be be tween those States and the British Government, the Sovereign of which is not only limited in his power, but must be a Protestant; of which reli gion his Ministers must also be, and all of whom must swear, before they can become Ministers, that the Romar Catholic religion is damnable and ido latrous? Now is there any one so be sotted as to think, that men who con demn a religion for idolatry, and cool ly consign the believers of it to eter nal torments, are fit persons to nomi of those states which are supposed to have been most blindly devoted to the See of Rome. The spirit of the Gallican church has been pre-eminent--alarmed; but they certainly do object but Spain and Portugal-Naples and Austria-Savoy, Venice, and Tuscany -in a word, every Catholic state, even on the other side of the Alps, with an exception of the Roman territory itself, have afforded distinguished proofs of this spirit of independence in the proceedings of their Governments, not only by maintain-minate to the prelacies, it is to be ob ing the freedom of their nominations to the prelacy, but have also, under various appellations, whether of the placet, the regium exequatur, or some analogous term, asserted the right of the Sovereign to the inspection and licensing of all rescripts emanating from the See of Rome, (those of the penitentiary only, under certain guards excepted) before they were allowed to have circulation or validity within their respective states. Surely, Sir, the well attested documents in support of such instructive facts are of no light estimation, but of practical utility, as salutary precedents; and it will be difficult to assign a satisfactory reason why they should not be record-nate the spiritual guardians of it? ed, in the report of the Committee, there any one so foolish as to imagin as an incontrovertible answer to those that the Catholics would be contented misguided zealots, who denonace all to see their Prelates subjected to the measures of state regulation as incon- controut of individuals possessed of sistent with the integrity of the Ro- such uncharitable feelings towards man Catholic religion.' As one of them? Besides, in the States above those who object to the security mea- mentioned, the Catholic religion being sures proposed, I am of opinion that the religion of the State, the Fishops the Committee would have found it a and Clergy had their peculiar rights, very difficult task to render the con- privileges, and immunities granted by duct of the states quoted by Sir John the laws of the country, which it was an incontrovertible answer to the ar- the duty of the Sovereign, and the in guments advanced by those who disap-terest of the Prelates, to maintain. prove of vetoistical arrangements. But, here in the united empire, this The Hon. Paronet talks of "misguid- same religion is prescribed, its minis ed zealots who denounce all measures of state regulation;" but where do they exist? This is a gross misrepresentation of the real state of the case, and such as reflects no great credit on Sir John's veracity. Those who dissen: from the measures proposed, do iot reprobate every regulation which " ters are derided as teachers of super. stition and priestcraft, and, in the eye of the law, possessed of no greater privileges than what the laity enjoy By what rule of logic then can the measures adopted in Catholic States be brought forward as precedents to regulate the measures which may be deemed necessary to adopt in this em- | Prelates, because, like them, they conceive a dependent Clergy inimical to the existence of English Liberty; but an independent Clergy, whose morals are untainted, will preserve their pire? We are told to look into the history of our own country, where we shall find that even our Catholic ancestors erected great securities 11 against the Pope's authority in Eng-flocks from being corrupted by those land. Undoubtedly they did; and they also erected great barriers against bat the encroachments of the Crown. They erected the trial by Jury; they erected free Parliaments; they erected Magna Charta; and so well convinced were they that an independent Clergy de was the best safeguard of the liberty of the people, that the very first article of the Great Charter stipulated as follows: "That the Church of Enghe land shall be free, and enjoy her whole tights and liberties inviolable; and we How will have them so to be observed, that the FREEDOM OF ELECTIONS, which was reckoned most necessary for the Church of England, of our the own free will and pleasure we have granted and confirmed by our Charter, and obtained the confirmation of from Pope Innocent the Third." (See Rapin.)-Here then it is made a fundamental article of the Constitution that the election of Bishops should be free, and although the influence of the Court was sometimes exerted in support of a favourite candidate, yet no law, I believe, was everyenacted by our ancient Parliaments to vest the nomination of the Prelates in the Ministers of the Crown.It is true that statutes of Premunire and Provisors and Mortmain were enacted, but then they were devised for temporal purposes; viz. to prevent the Pope from bestowing fiefs annexed to bishoprics on foreigners, which he had before done to the manifest injury of the national character and our native clergy. In this our ancestors acted prudently and justly, nor have the Catholics of this day any objection to similar enactments, to prevent foreign Bishops from being appointed to the vacant Catholic sees in Ireland; but they have an equal aversion with their ancestors to Ministers having any influence in the appointment of their groveling passions incident to human |