THE NEWSPAPERS AND THE BISHOPS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 38, 17 January 1874, Page 6

THE NEWSPAPERS AND THE BISHOPS.

The study of newspaper literature in reference to the church ' is not devoid of interest. The sympathies of the gentlemen \ of the Press are everywhere against bishops, and in favor of their oppression by the civil powers. The Fre&s would gag [ the bishops ; the Press, whilst claiming unbounded lionise , for itself, wouM deny liberty of speech to the pastors of thr \ church. In England the kading journals ure on the side of ' the persecuting German Government, and in some instances I openly encourage, in others, defend the tyranny of Prince | Bismarck and his party. In France, in Italy, it is the same. And the tune of ! uropean journals has infected colonial ' new.-papeis. These latter follow their leaders in the old ■woild. as if they were infallible guides and prophets. According to the newspapers, the bishops are always wrong ; ! they have no right to bpeak or write on any subject except at the Lidding and with the leave of Pi hue Ministers and the I gentlt men uf the Pres-'. Everybody, with the (xception of' ecclesiastics, may say or write whatever t'.mes- uppermost in J the mind. It would be the greatest calamity to humanity to ! interfere in any way with the free expression of opinion when ; it is iigainst the church, divine faith, Christian morality ; ' but one word from the pastors of the church in defence of truth and ju&tice is, according to the newt papers, an intolerable interference with man's liberty, and deserving of severe chastisement ! Every beardless boy, every empty-pated youngster, eveiy profane scribbler, is to have the right to publish every nonsense so long as it is directed against the church ; but her learned, experienced, and eloquent pastors must not on am account dare to defend her interests ! Profanity, falsehood, and injustice are running riot, and tlie Press applauds the perpetrators. The pastors of thefehuxch in many places, notably in Germany and Switzerland,

are being robbed, banished, cruelly persecuted, by governments and rampant majorities, and the Press sympathises with and applauds the evil-doers. As an instance, the ' Otago Guardian,' of the 13th inst., treats us to the following : " The French hierarchy, in their zeal for the Pope, have transgressed the bounds of prudence. Several of their pastorals, contain attacks against the Governments of Italy and Germany, intended to excite the masses of Roman Catholics in these countries against the Governments of ] Kaiser William and King Victor Emmanuel. The President has been compelled to give the bishr.ps- ' a warning.' If they take it in good part, so much the better ; if they rebel, the French Government, notwithstanding its sympathy with ' religious pilgrimages ' to French shrines, will speedily reduce j them to obedience.-" "We venture to affirm that the writer , of this extract has not read one word of anyone of the pasj torals of the French bishops, and that he does not under1 stand the nature of the action of the French Government. | But as it is Christianity and the church that are concerned,, it ; is a matter of no importance in his eyes ; the telegraphic message affords him an opportunity of making some flippant and insulting remarks as to the French bishops, and that is all he evidenllv cares about. He cannot conceal his joy at the prospect of the bishops being deprived of the freedom of speech lty the tyrannical interference of power. He seems to forget that this power might interfere with the liberty of the Press, which he prizes so much, but he overlooks that in his eagem ss to prove his love of freedom of speech by gagging Catholic bishops ! The ' Evening Star,' too, in its issue of the 12th inst., lus given us another specimen of its intolerance of freedom for the church. It says : " "We are told that the French Government has sent a circular to bishops concerning their pastorals. It now becomes a matter of curiosity to learn what there was peculiar in those ' pastorals' leading to notice by the Government, and what view the Government takes of their tendency. Judging by the style and matter of the pastorals occasionally issued in these colonies, they are most injudicious inteiferences by spiritual pastors with temporal and social arrangements. The spirit that led the crusades is not dead. In these lands we can afford to laugh at these displays of intolerance, being well assured that they usually defeat their own intentions ; but in Europe, where religious liberty is struggling for mastery with wide-spread, soul-ensliving traditions, they are dangerous, to the world's peace.'' Just so ; the 'Star' clans the persecutors on the back and says, in effect, " Well done, gag the bishops ; liberty, freedom require that we alone, we, the gentlemen ot tha Pi ess we, the enemies of the Church, shall have the right of speaking out our mind. Liberty demands that whilst we .-hail be permitted to slander tradition, the Catholic faith, the bishops of thp Church, and, in fact, to say everything we please, the bishops ot the Catholic Church shall: not dare to open their mouths. We jhall be entitled to write and bpeak on all social, political, and religious subjects, how, an i when, and where we please. It is intolerable that hoi}', learned, eloquent, and experienced bishops, men full of years at.d labour-, undergone to ameliorate the condition of mankind, should dare to exercise the common rights of citizens and men. Down with them, gag them, treat them With contempt Misrepic-jent them, hold them to ridicule, strip them of their property, cast them out irom their homes, prevent them from exercising the moat ordinary duties of their otiice, and do all this in the name — the sadly abused. name — of religious liberty." This is in effect the language of the ' Evening Star.' Jt is the cant of the sacred societies, the shibboleth of the Lodges — which are sworn to destroy Christianity — and we i egret to find that the 'Evening Star' has learned it by heart. The ' Star' bays the spirit that le.l the Crusades is not dead. AYe think differently. The spirit that led the Crusades h, we fear, dead, and we regret it is so. What are Governments mid newspapers afraid ol ? Why are they tei rifled at the pastorals ot French bishops ? The Press is for ever telling us there is nothing like free discussion, freedom of itself. Why should it rejoice, then, when it hears that Bishops are likely to be deprived of the power of speech 1 If the Press were cousci his of Living truth and justice on it side, it ought not to tear the pa-torals. This, at all events is in accordance with its perpetual boast. What, i then, has it to dread 1 Can it be that the Tress fears that if both sides of the great questions of the day be freely dis- ' cussed its principles will be cast aside as worse than worth- ', less, that the multitude as well as the accurately informed 1 will be enabled to see through its misrepresentations and I sophisms. Doc& not this invoking of the strong arm o£

government to prevent bishops from speaking argue weakness ! and fear] Why should a few old men, without money, arms, | worldly power, almost without even a press, be so much dreaded ? How is it that a few sentences spoken by men, so much contemned by the ' Evening Star,' are more than a ' counterpoise for hundreds of thousands of armed men 1 ? These ' are questions we shall leave for solution to those who, even in i the midst of their power and triumph and boasting, are ill at ! ease, and quake in the presence of French pastorals. j