New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justita. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1874. THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 43, 21 February 1874, Page 6

New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justita. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1874. THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER.

In our issue of to-rlay we publish a translation, borrowed from the * London Tablet/ of an Encyclical Letter addressed by the Holy Father to all Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, aii'i other Ordinaries in the grace and communion of ihe Holy See, in reference to the persecutions of the Church in many countries, and also as to the new heresy of the sect called the Old Catholics. This is a most important document, aad it will be read by all Catholics with the deepest interest. It is hardly necessary for us to do more on this occasion than call attention to it. No analysis is required of us, for people will be sure to read and analyse it for themselves. After having gi,ven expression to the anguish of his mind, at the, sight of the persecution to which his flock is subjected in many places, and made a passing allusion to the suppression of the Roman University, and of the Religious Orders in the Eternal City, His Holinass proceeds to speak on religious affairs in Switzerland and Germany with a clearness and precision which leave nothing to be desired. The first few sentences of the Encyclical are most touching. " Although," he says, " many grievous and bitter sufferings, from the beginning of Our long Pontificate, have fallen to Our lot through various causes which We have unfolded in Our Encyclical letters from time to tune, yet in these last years the number of our sorrows has so increased that, were We not upheld by the mercy of God, We should be almost overwhelmed by them. Of late, indeed, matters have reached such a pass, that death itself seems better than life amid such storms, and with eyes lifted up to heaven We are fain to cry, 'It is better for us tj die than to see the evils of the saints.' Machab. iii. 50."' As to Switzerland, the Holy Father enumerates tae various acts of violence committed by the Governments a°"ainst the Church, in banishing ecclesiastics, enacting iniquitous l;>ws subversive of the Church, and imposing an oath involving' actual apostacy ; and s >lemnly condemns and rejects these laws and this oath. His Holincss's words aye — " We, therefore, as required hy Our office, do, by Our Apostolic authority, solemnly reject and condemn them, declaring the required oath to be unlawful and sacrilegious, and that all those, who in the Canton of Geneva or elsewhere, having been elected according to the tenor of the same li\\>,1 i\\>, or nthe s like them, by the votes of the people, and confirmation of the civil power, shall venture to take upon them ecclesrustitnl functions, do ipso facto incur the greater excommunication, especially reserved to the Holy :see, md other canonical penalties ; and that they are ta be avoided b" the f titiiful according to the Divine command, i\a str,w T < rs and robbers, uho ' cr.ne not but to steal and to kill ai.cUo destroy.' St. Juhn x. 5, 10." h. lefeience co Gem my, the E ".cyclical deals fir-t with tha Prussian Go'-ennnohfc, nn<l in the second place, with the Old Latii>'LlC heresy, and its unhappy Bi-Jioo Roinkens. The fol' owing h the concluding pa-.sa:;s concerning tin Gv.rnnn Emperor and the Pm-sian Government : — "' We should iiid-ed have glacUy pa-sod over h this place the letter of the rinp"T<>r, if it had not been mad-s public by tho otliciaL jovirn.-l in I'er'iu aitoget'ur vitho.it our knowledge, and in <i manner certainly iv..r<u 1, t< getLer with another letter wtitten by Our haii'l, in which We appealed f. .r tlu Catholic Church in Pru-iva to the justice of the Mo; . Scene Emperor. Tho cliiiys wh'ch we Lavu thus far recounted aru before the ey.i3 t>f all; wheruoie, A\ln!e icl'yious and virgins delicate! to God aic deprived of th< a . union hborty of citizens, auJ. ?ro erilcd \Mth mid ha -sh.i ; while , olic schools, in which Cathi lie uulli ire clay by rHy farther with -iawn from the vjiolc-oin'e te.iehiug an 4 \ igiL.nce ot the Church; wlni.societies li-u'i 'cd fur the auiturii"; of piety, :.nd even the seminaricb jf th- cle r gy c diasol'. cd ; while tliu libeity of preaching itj gosp'l is hindered, whi!^ it is prohibited in ccrh'in p.- 1 ?ot the k'l.gdom to tearli tho elements of religions education in the mother tongue ; v.Jiilc the piiests are forcibly taken awayfiw'i p'iii^hc-> ovrr which they were set by the Bi-Lo'o, cind tho Bishops themselves are deprived of the.r revenues, coerced by lines, and menr<rad \>y threats of imprisonment, while CaOvolics arc vi.- nrbed by of syery kind, is it possible- that we sLould receive into oui

mind that which is laid before us, viz., that neither the religion of Jesus Christ nor the truth is called in question ? "

After having spoken at considerable length and with preat eloquence as to the Old Catholics and their pseudobishop Reinkeno, His Holiness concludes thus : "We not" only declare the election of the said Joseph Hubert Reinkens to be contrary to the Holy Canons, unlawful and altogether null and voiil, and denounce and condemn his consecration, as sacrilegious, but by the authority of U mighty God We declare the said Joseph Hubert, together with th \se who have taken -part in Ms election and sacrilegious consecration, and whoever adhere to and follow the same, giving all, favor, or consent — excommunicated, under anathema, separated from the communion of the Church, and to be reckoned among those whose fellowship has been forbidden to the faithful by the Apostle, so that they are not so much as to say to tharn God speed." St. John ii 10.

Towards the end of' the Encyclical mention is made of the persecution of the Churcli in America, but not at any great length, and the Holy Father promises to return to this subject at a future time.

One would naturally ask why is this war against the Catholic Church cairied on at this time and so generally throughout the world.. The Holy Father is aware of this and gives fin answer. saying, " Some of you may, perhaps, be surprised, Venerable Brethren, that the war which is carried • on at this time against the Catholic Church extends so far and wide. But. whoever is acquainted with the char tcter, the aims, , and -purposes of the sects — be they Freemasons, or by whatever name they are known — and compare them with the character and extent of ■ the strife which throughout neariy the whole world is waged against the Church, cannot hesitate to assign tho cause of our present calamities t> the craft and conspiracy of the same sects. - From th^m is made up the synagogue of Satan, which is marshalling its forces and ppeparing to engage hand to hand against the Church of Christ. These sinful associations having greatly increased the number of their adherents, fancy that they have now obtained their ends and all but reached the goal set before them. Succeed^ ing in this object, after which they have so long hankered — • the posjession of the chief power iv many places — they are now boldly using the strength and puwer they have acquired, ■ that the Church of God may be reduced to the most grinding slavery, that it may be uptorn from its foundations and defaced in the divine mark? with wnich it shines conspicuous ; in a word, that shaken, shattered, and overthrown by many blows, it may, if possible, bo utterly blotted out fr«">m the world."

There is, in conclusion, a beautiful and consoling passage quoted from St. John Chrysostom to which we direct the especial attention of our readers.