CATHOLIC STATESMEN AND CATHOLIC POLICY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4482, 25 March 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

CATHOLIC STATESMEN AND CATHOLIC POLICY.

REPLY TO " ANXIOUS. EKQTJIRER. ,> s To the Editor of the Herald. Sir, do not like the r idea of replying to r correspondents who have not the r ;pluck to subscribe their letters with their own name, either through fear-or shame. Yet I will t say a word to relieve.the.neryous anxiety of L the * 4 Enquirer," who is .so eager to know what I mean by a " consistent and upright ; Catholic.statesman." He accuses the Auckland Press of "partiality" to Catholics. Will he give us some instances shewing their Papal proclivities, for he. should not make such accusations without good.grounds. He must have queer notions of partiality, I . should say. This by the way : In my view of men and thinga, an upright arid consistent Catholic statesman is an honest man, or what a Catholic poet oalled " the noblest work of God,"- One who will hold the scales of public justice even, and .not sacrifice the. rights of any class to gratify the feelings .or uphold the interest ofi any , other class;" least of all, if that other class be wealthy and strong, and. who will do to others as_ he would" have others do to. him in like, circumstances, and.' so fulfil the law. of .Christian charity as well as of public justice. This, in a few words, is rny idea 1 ' of a Catholic statesman "of "the right" stamp. To put the' answer in a still more practical shape, the late Mr..,o*Connell embodies: my idea of a genuine Catholic statesman— a loyal without fail to the constituted authorities of the civil- Government in all civil matters, and equally loyal to the .Catholic Church in matters of religion.. In a, word the man who gives to Ccesar what belongs to him, and to God what belongs tcr God—he is the - -true Catholic —Will "this, satisfy "Anxious Enquirer.lf not, I fear nothing else I could say will satisfy him. He; arid'men like minded with himself," may puzzle their own brains;' and the brains of others, with nice.and; casuistical., questions ; respecting the' true limits of . civii' and religions. obedience. But., such ; questions .will not disturb Catholics of common-.sense and loyal dispositions. " : Time - : enough to settle such nice questions'whenth'ey arise and present themselves in some practical .shape., If your. "Enquirer" means to - allege that Catholics are doing, 1 ' or attempting to. do, or wish to do, anything inconsistent with a chivalrous and devoted loyalty to the civil Government, or are seeking to infringe on the just rights of any class of .their fellow citizens, in God's name let hini out with it openly, and not beat about the bush by vague hints and dark insinuations of mischief. He and many others seem for ever haunted by vague and undefined fears about "Vaticanism," as if the poor Pope were really some bogie or hobgoblin ready to catch the whole Protestant world unawares, and eat them all up, or thrust them into ; noisome dungeons, or cut all their heads of£ Were the Pope and his spiritual subjects really" on hostile thoughts intent, surely Protestants have money enough and guns' enough to protect themselves. But there is nothing the Pope and all good Catholics'hate so much as war,'or any lrind of,injustice on/what pretence soever inflicted. Furthermore, a true Catholic statesman is one actuated by that spirit of liberty'and justice, which breathes in "the great charter signed on the field of Rurinymede-'by King John, and extorted .frorn , that ..Catholic tyrant mainly, by' the courage and address of a Catholic, statesman—the Cardinal Archbishop of Cahter--1 bury of that day.' By that charter, the ' rights of every Englishman were secured against arbitrary power—whether lay or ecclesiastical, rich or poor.. Among the very , first provisions of that famous charter is this, u that in England the Church shall be free." 4 ' volume et.ecelesia Dei libera, M 6" Such is the text of that'part of "The Great Charter"/ which secures religious liberty to every subject of the British Crown. I think I may venture to charge Mr. J. Sheehari with having violated this essential article of the Magna Chaxta— in . the spirit, if not in the letter. How can the Catholic Church- in this colony—how can any Christian',Church in this colony—be said to be free, if its adherents may be forced against their convictions by an arbitrary law of the State to send their children to be educated in State schools ! Perhaps "Enquirer " will himself answer that question j or, Mr. Sadler, who is great in these matters, may answer for him in his own whimsical and grotesque fashion. Had I been a candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives £ should have stood out for the British plan of, public education ; Board Schools for those who require them ; Religious schools for those who prefer them : all aided by Government under secular inspection. Catholics are not the only class who suffer in various ways under the power of tyrant majorities. You cannot long oppress Catholics without leading to the oppression of others. Some of their oppressors in turn become the oppressed.—l am, &c, t . J, Wood.