PROSECUTION OF THE BISHOP OF MOULINS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1397, 9 May 1865, Page 3

PROSECUTION OF THE BISHOP OF MOULINS.

(From the Times.)

Paris, Jan. 12. The Moniteur of this morning contains the following:— *' Monselgneur de Dreux-Breze, the Bishop of Moulins, has believed himself empowered, on Sunday last, the Bth of January, to read from the pulpit of his cathedral the Encyclical of the Bth December, 1864, even in the portions whose reception and publication have not been authorised. In accordance with a report laid before the Emperor by the Minister of Justice and Public Worship, Keepor of the Seals, and approved by his Majesty, legal proceedings have been commenced before the Council of State against Monseigneur tho Bishop of Moulins, for an excess o his functions." . The following is the letter of the Bishop of Moulins upon the subject of the Encyclical, addressed to the clergy of 1,1. Ota®.:«M le Cure,—At the cathedral this morning, after 'the Gospel of the solemn Mass for the Epiphany, I communicated to the faithful the documents which recently emanated from the Apostolic See It appeared to me further desirable to precede them by reading the annexed. It will show | you how, in the midst of the difficulties I with which you are acquainted, 1 , have .. deavoured to reconcile my duties towards my llotK in the eyes of Peter, and as pastor with regard to yourself. Lastly, speaking R8 I have done, not in my name only, but in yours, I have wished to tranciuilisc your conscience, and permit it to await m peace the instructions I intend to forward to you subsequently. Beceive, M. le Cure, the renewed expression of my sincere attachment. "fPKTKBj Bishop of Moulins. «i N.B.—Thiß letter and the accompanying document are not intended to be read from the pulpit. "Allocution pronounced by Monseigneur the Bishop of Moulins, after the Gospel of the solemn Mass for the Epiphany, January 8, 1865. , . , « « our Holy Father Pope Pius IX. gloriously reign-

ing, has deigned to address to us a copy of the Encyclical Letter, published by him the Bth December, 1864, the tentli anniversary of the dogmatical definition o! the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin ; together with a summary of eighty errors condemned by him in various letters and encyclicals issued since the commencement of his pontificate. " Wherefore, remembering with St, Ambrose, * that there where Peter is is the church;' with St. Jerome, ' that whoever does not gather with the successor of Peter disperses;' with St. Augustine, ' that when Rome lias spoken the case is decided ;' and, above ail, with St. Paul,' that the justice of the faith contained in the heart sufflceth not for salvation if it be not followed by the confession of the mouth ;' and desiring, as is our duty, to give this twofold testimony of our filial adhesion to the various matters defined in the said Encyclical, and of our absolute reprobation of the errors enounced in the summary by which it is accompanied, we have considered it our duty ourselves to read the said letters from the pulpit of our cathedral church in token of our submission* to the word ' which binds and looses, and whose privilege is to be never bound.' " In equal obedience to the Holy Father we reserve to ourselves the subsequent fulfilment of another duty, in showing to you, as time and circumstances maj afford, the opportunity, the danger of the condemned errors, as also in announcing to you the period of the jubilee and the conditions to be fulfilled in order to profit thereby. " This present reading shall also serve as a sufficient communication of the apostolic documents to our whole diocese, the publicity which the liberty of the laical press has given them, having already brought to the knowledge of the faithful by other ways than the accustomed channels of the ecclesiastical hierarchy."