THE POPE AND THE CORRUPT PRESS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 95, 20 February 1875, Page 10

THE POPE AND THE CORRUPT PRESS.

Tot following is an extract from the speech delivered by the Holy Father, on the Feast of All Saints, to the Society for Catholio interests :— My beloved children, you see with your own eyes that the evil which is done is great. The abuse of the press is one of the principal means that our enemies employ to disseminate and spread abroad corruption. Certain journals, indeed, desecrated by the venomous slayer of the infernal regions (inobrattati della piu veUI^T/'rt T 1 " 011 a P pear no longer in secret and in the midst of darkness, but openly here, in Rome, depict every day in the blackest colors, or else mock and cover with ridicule Ind clisdain the ministers of the Holy Church, as" well as all honest men, for the one sole reason that they are Catholics. Further than this, their impudence is pushed so far that they blaspheme the saints and even the King of Saints, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we are condemned to witness. During these last few days several journals have been brought to me, and among them there iloS ■-a bJasphemer like the others, or even worse— that is named the Capitale In this paper I read things which prove that it deserves its name of capital, but capital of impiety, capital of all that is most corrupted in the world. It is an immense grief for my heart to learn that a journal of such a character is found in thj hands of a great number even among the lowest classes of the people, and that it is read with avidity, to the destruction of souk and to the great prejudice of entire families. Formerly we have expressly forbidden all these newspapers. We now seize the occaS^ r ° lbl V^?? anew; or rather ' we confi « n thefomw prohibitions, with all the censures attached to them. At least let the artisans make use of them, but only for the service of their £?w i + lßnutJvl Bnut Jv^ mplo3 ; them ' tut onl y t0 fc^e the fire of feS J iftw e f lerm^ use of t^em, but only to wrap up his wax; let the tailor use them, but only to take his measures! Let every one reflect, and be well assured that these jounwls-and especially the most corrupt of them-surpass all bounds in tS SS2SF t We re ? ard With *««**■» Poison which Mb the body, and shall we not feel horror for the poison which destroys S» w \ eaT^ resp 7 i^ ta mcu «red ky those who write all these blasphemies and who publish all these calumniea, and also by those who read such impieties !