Page 6 Advertisements Column 1

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17544, 10 April 1919, Page 6

I BISHOP CLEARY FAVOURS NATIONAL PROHIBITION |r WITH COMPENSATION. [ A Strong Pronouncement. i CATHOLICS ABSOLUTELY FREE TO VOTE AS / THEY THINK RIGHT. § r ' ' ' ■ :. '■ ■ ■■.'■ .■■•"' - \y ___^_^_^.^^^ — ■i- ~ .■■..■'-.■ • |f " BISHOP'S HOUSE, • Church. The ablest and most zealous and saintly of our Prelates % ■" PONSONBY, of every wuok, the most devoted of our Clergy, honourably and conI;,1 '■£ AUCKLAND, scientiously take different sides, even opposite sides, on the debated I; - MARCH 31st, 1919. issues of the liquor traffic. In taking these diverse views they ¥ '«. M .»n«* tf hinnT exercise blamelessly and in good faith the freedom which the Church I*; jiy DEAR DEAN CAHXLJLi,—- | v ..; accords to them and to us. THEY ARE FREE to support ContinuI■ i I cannot see my way to comply with the request of you and or purchMe and Control . |; ,thex, for advice as to the attitude which the Clergy and Laity of & their individuaa p; ,'fl* Diocese should adopt regarding National Prohibition, Continu-^ , |r^^ wS^Pll^MC^dColltrol' the Laity's freedom by advice or appeals MADE IN THE COURSE P" OF THEIR OFFICIAL MINISTRATIONS IN THE CHURCHES. X " My reason for affirming the Clergy and the People's Freedom &V "~ . Outside of this, my Clergy are perfectly free to advocate any cause - rf Opinion and of Vote on these issues were set forth in detail in * g that their conscience may approve but I earnestly hope that whatever |V "The Month" (The Diocesan Organ) for July, 1918, and Mirch, n. .1., . cause they may espouse they will maintain the dignity, the decorum &" ijj|9. Rights of religion (as it seems to me) are reasonably safe- £■ ■■-<"'? and the moderation that befit their sacred calling. They are not, of II Baftrded by the sections of the Licensing Amendment Act legalising f: -JET course, canonicaUy free to neglect or abandon their spiritual duties ' the local manufacture, the importation, and the sale of alcoholic £ r-" or (without proper ecclesiastical sanction) to become paid employees fy-- dftnks for Sacramental, Medicinal, Scientific and Industrial purposes, g,: .T v ., ' of any of the secular organisations engaged in the liquor controversy. P;; !ind in the official written pledges of the Cabinet and of the Attorney |;! i|eral in* regard to regulations thereon. Personally, I see no personal view (which you ask for others) can be of com|i . present or prospective grounds for anticipating State measur^^ Por months past it has been known | li^iental in any way to CathoUc, Anglican or other worship, but if membeM of my Di ocesan Coundl, to many others of my Clergy, £." ■' fUtUre "^ anti-Democratic G^ernment in this Dominion a few of the Laity of Dioce se, that to my mind neither |, were strongenough and vicious enough thus to penalise the religion excellent and high minded people in "the f; til large bodies of people it would probably do^so urespective of trade ,, haye been able reduce to reasonable limits the evils atW.state of our Liquor Laws-saving our spiritual rights. The root Bfleßied drink traffic in this Diocese. t Issues of the present liquor problem are these: Consequently I feel that THE PUBLIC CONSCIENCE IS FULLY 't '"'»'' JUSTIFIED MORALLY IN TRYING THE EXPERIMENT OF |: ; What is the le^t amount of drink traffic evifc that the WITH COMPENSATIOIT . My conX estate MUST tolerate before it can rightly take over the m ~ scientious view on this matter, of course, binds no one, and it implies ■" traffic or suppress it? . .. ... [ ! ,::' no reflection whatsoever on the support which other Catholics will " . What is th* WORST STATE of dxtak traffic evUs at #™ •** ««««* °I)inions and with equal good ■which the State i. MORALLY BpW to take over the faith and nonollr to Continuance or to State Purchase and Control. As my Clergy and People sufficiently know, I have always traffic or suppress it? objected to the circulated notion that the conscience of the Catholics I* ' • . ■ zt Neither the Catholic Church nor Catholic Theology has defined of this Diocese is in some sense committed to the brewing and other these things. They have not defined what is the LEAST ACTION liquor interests irrespective of circumstances. Such an idea has no which the State is bound to take in dealing with the evils of the foundation either in fact or in any CathoUc principle-of moral drink traffic; neither has the Catholic Church nor Catholic Theology obligation. Even those most interested must feel that this fiction defined the EXTREMEST ACTION which the State must not exceed, can no longer be maintained, and this, in view of their long standing Entente or Alliance with the ruling forces of an organisation which " In dealing with the evils of the drink traffic even the LOWER i s working to injure our rightful liberties, assailing the most precious UMIT and the UPPER LIMIT of State Interference herein and the honour of our womanhood, and not even sparing our dead within State's action is what the body of the people wills that it shall be. their graves. Up to this date (March 31st) repeated remonstrances In the words of a great Catholic Theologian, public opinion (or th£ by Catholic lay supporters have failed to affect this strange union, "'public conscience") thus becomes in a sense "The guardian of This circumstance in no way affects my personal view. It is menpublic morality' in such undefined matters as the issues of the tioned merely for its bearing upon a traditional claim upon Catholics, licensing Poll of April 10th. The "Public Conscience" decides involving more or less the notion of moral obligation. You are free fcuch free issues in accordance with its sense of the requirements of to bring the contents of this letter to the knowledge of the clergy $he public good. Saving spiritual rights, the Catholic Church has and laity of the Diocese before polling day, April 10th. *hus left Catholic Electors free to vote on these issues M their know- z ledge may suggest and their conscience may dictate. This freedom HENRY W CLEARY ©I^Catholic opinion and Catholic action is widely practised in the Bishop of Auckland !■"'■' - ' ■ ;:n '' a»" „ i