THE CATHOLICS AND THE JEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 342, 7 November 1879, Page 9

THE CATHOLICS AND THE JEWS.

From the Catholic Times, Waterloo, N.Y. There are some blear-eyed people who must needs, by reason of their intellectual smallness, follow blind prejudices. It is to this class that the American Israelite talks as follows :—: — " Hs is a Catholic ; we are not going to vote for him ; and there is a league of 20,000 men in this State sworn not to vote for any Catholic' These are the very words we heard concerning Gen. Ewing. If we were certain that Gen. Ewing is a Catholic, and that such a league exists in this State of Ohio, we would surely work and vote for the man proscribed by damnable intolerance, blind and narrow sectarianism. If Gen. Ewing was a Jew, and his Judaism would be in the way of fanatics, we would vote for him on the same principle, whatever his political creed might be ; for religious liberty and mutual toleration are in principle much superior to aay political creed." In view of this manly sentiment of a Jewish organ, it is appropriate to give the following historical record, which contains an official acknowledgment of the action of the Popes in reference to the Jews. We quote from th» French work of M. Nicolai : — In 1807 the Kabbins and delegates from the different Synagogues met in Paris by invitation of Napoleon 1., to form a great Sanhedrim. This was, perhaps, the first act of toleration and justice of which they were the object on the part of the civil government. The first use they made of it was to pay a solemn debt of recognition which they owed to the only power which protected them in the middle ages — the Papacy. The following is the record of their resolutions passed on the sth of February, 1807, preserved by the Minister of Public Worship :—: — It is in consequence of the eacred principles of morals, that in different times the Roman Pontiffs have protected and invited to their States the Jews, persecuted and expatriated from the different parts of Europe. About the middle of the seventh century, St. George defended the Jews, and protected them in the whole Christian world. In the tenth century, the Bishops of Spain opposed with great energy the people who wished to massacre them. The Pontiff , Alexander 11. wrote to those bishops a letter full of congratulations for their conduct in this matter. St. Bernard defended them in the 12th century from the fury of the Crusaders ; Innocent 11. and Alexander 111. equally protected them. In the thirteenth century, Gregory IX. preserved them as well in England as in France and Spain from the great misfortunes with which they were threatened ; he defended them, under pain of excommunication. Clement V. did more than protect them ; he gave them the means of education. Clement VI. gave them an asylum, at Avignon, when they were persecuted in all the rest of Europe. In the following centuries, Nicolas wrote to the Inquisition to forbid compelling the Jews to embrace Christianity. Clement XIII. calmed the fear of parents alarmed lest their children might be taken from them, as frequently happened. It is easy to cite an infinity of the charitable actions of which the Israelites were at different times the object on the part of ecclesiastics instructed in the duties of men, and those of their religion.