HOSTILE PROPAGANDA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 36, 6 November 1917, Page 6

HOSTILE PROPAGANDA

I AGAINST THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

BISHOP CLEARY ISSUES A WARNING By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, November 5. Replying to the hostilo propaganda directed against Hie Roman Catholic Church, Bishop C'lenry said: "IJen of umnly spirit and clean heart and longue spread n mantle of decent eilencc over tho memory even of dead women that were frail; but these campaigners select for their coarse fabrication saintly women that aro dead. Wo Catholics as a body are far from being over-sensitive about adverse criticism. Wo take no exception to, or merely reasonable notico of, any form of decent criticism of our Church, iU policy, its porsons, and its institutions, and any oampaign by Clirisl:ian>meu can, anil should, be conducted without any outrage upon public decency." Dr. Cleary enid Hie effect of finch a campaign must be to divide and weaken the Dominion by fomenting dissension among its people. Recent events had drawn attention to a serious defect in the law, for it had been ehown that as the law stood the dead might be maligned with impunity. It wae high time this was remedied. In conclusion, Dr. Cleary said: I warn tho Government that wo am rot doing to suffer such attacks lying down. If there is not in (his Dominion n Government strong enough or patriotic enowh to abate this dangerous propaganda, of dissensions and- strife in r.nd out of our-Army, we ourselves will sea to our proper defence, and in Mich a course as we may bs compelled to adopt we count with confidence on the goodwill of every clean-minded and patriotic man and woman."