BISHOP’S VIOLENT OUTBURST.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1014, 6 November 1917, Page 2

BISHOP’S VIOLENT OUTBURST.

AGAINST HOSTILE PROPAGANDA. WARNING TO GOVERNMENT. (Phis Press Association.) AUCKLAND. Nov.. Replying to the hostile propaganda, direct ed against (ho Roman Catholic. Church. Bishop Cleary said: “Men of a manly spirit and clean heart and tongue spread the mantle of decent silence over the memory even of a. dead woman that- was frail; hut these campaigners select for their coarse fabrications the saintly women that are dead. We Catholics, as a l>ody, are far from being over-sensitive about adverse criticism, V e take no exception to. or merely employ a reasonable • notice of any form of decent criticism of our church, its policy, its per sons, and its institutions, and any campaign by Christian men c#n and should he conducted without any outrage upon public

decency.” Bishop Cleary said the effect of such a, campaign must he to divide and weaken the Dominion by fomenting dissension among.its people. Recent events had drawn attention to ;i serious defect in the law, for it had been shown that as the Jaw stood the dead might ho maligned with impunity. It. was high time this defect found a remedy. In conclusion, Dr. Cleary declared: . I warn the Government that we are not going to sutler such attacks lying down. If there is not in this Dominion a Government strong enough or patriotic enough to abate this dangerous propaganda- of dissensions and strife in and out, of our army, we ourselves w ill see to our proper defence, and in such a course, as wo may ho compelled to adopt, we count with confidence on the good will of every clean-minded and patriotic man and woman.”