OUR ROMAN LETTER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 403, 31 December 1880, Page 15

OUR ROMAN LETTER.

(From our own Correspondent.)

November 6. Thb Pope's speech on the 24th October, to the ex-civil servants of the dethroned Papal sovereignty, excited a tempest of wrath and reviling in the Italian newspapers. The speech was delivered at 1 p.m. on Sunday, and was not published until the day following. Without waiting for the text of the speech, the revolutionary organs printed on Sunday evening some pretended extracts from it, even professing to give the ipsissima verba of certain passages, and crediting the Pope with some violent expressions which he never used. Leo XIII. was described as an " apopletic country priest," by one newspaper, and by others as an '• angry and stupid Pontiff," crying out for impocsibilities. The speech itself was a calm and very moderate statement of the present position of the Head of the Catholic Church. He commended the " honourable principles " of the exemployes who sacrificed their situations rather than swear fidelity to the usurper, Victor Emmanuel, in 1870. B.e then bewailed the change of times and the violation of "the design of Divine Providence which had assigned to the Roman PentifE a temporal dominion, in srder that he might enjoy secure liberty and true independence in the exercise of his supreme religious power." This design was broken by a " series of acts of violence," by which the Pontiff was " despoiled manifestly of all freedom and independence." The Italians say the Pope is free because not subject to " visible coercion," and that freedom of speech is given to him. But no one can be independent whose condition depends on the caprice of another. The hunted Christians had liberty of speech in the Catacombs. They say, " the Apostolical authority is reverenced and respected in Rome." But the insults to the Pope in Rome are continual. Only lately, on the 20th September, the " anniversary of the violent occupation of Rome " was celebrated, " beneath the very eyes of the Pope with clamorous rejoicing." They say " that nothing interferes with Our doing all that is required for the government of the Church." Leo XIII., on the contrary, instances " manifold obstacles," such as depriving him of " the valid help of the Religious Orders who are dispersed in the hope of annihilating them ;" pretended rights of the King to exequaturs aad nominations to episcopal sees in Italy ; the seizure of churches in Rome to turn them to secular uses, and the refusal of permission to contest the sacrilege before the legal tribunals ; the encouragement of " impiety and heresy ia the city of Rome," and the establishment of " Protestant schools perilous to the faith." Leo XIII. has not authority as Pontiff, and whatever he does to counterpoise godless education is done by him in his private capacity. Vain are the hopes that the Roman Pontiff will ever accept the present condition of things. " Nor shall We cease, as "We have never yet ceased (says Leo XIII.), from calling for the restitution of all which by fraud and deceit has been taken from the Apostolic See." Some say the restoration of the temporal power is a chimera, but there have yet been but two Kings of Italy in theQurinal, and the line of Pontiff Kings nutnqers some hundreds of mitred sovereigns. Who can tell what changes another convulsion of Europe may produce ? The monarchy of Humbert is already threatened, and that by the revolutionists who erected it. The King's ministers have themselves made the position of Leo XIII. intolerable to Catholics, and destroyed all chance of accommodation. The temporal power was overthrown by fraud deceit, and violence, and every day exposes the iniquitous hypocrisy of Victor Emmanuel and his agents. And every day proves the slavery of the Pope and the Church in Italy, and the fixed determination of the King s ministers to destroy the spiritual authority of the Pontiff. He is not master in his own palace which is national property, nor can he dispose of the furniture or treasures given him by the taithful. Italian bishops and priests depend on the State for their revenues, and for the enjoyment of their houses, and for permission to exercise their functions. The ceremonies of religion are subject to the control of the civil power, and ecclesiastical authority is despised in the schools colleges, and universities. Infidels and profligates are put at the head of educational establishments, and every opportunity is seized, m and out of Parliament, to insult the person and office of P ?' J^ 6o^ i }' received a deputation of Belgian Catholics on the 23rd October, which was introduced by Cardinal Deschamps, Archbishop of Mahnes. To the address of the Belgians, the Pope responded in trench, deploring the recent troubles caused by the Frere Orban policy and approving in every respect the conduct of the Bishops ' M . A i, I**''1 **'' . da t d ° ct ° ber 22, was sent to the Cardinal Archbishop of Pans by the Pope, respecting the March decrees. His Holiness in tins letter testifies to the meritorious services of the Religious Orders, and demonstrates their zeal in discharging the office of preachers teachers and ministers to the poor and the sick. He dwells LW^h^ 64lß^ W their noble sacrific™ Tof manit substance as missionaries in behalf of suffering huTf ro o F i c , II rish! ish B!sll °282 8 ? re now w to pay their visit ad llmina. It was falsely asserted that they were summoned expressly to receive instructions from the Pope concerning the Irish land agitation. They UEUr^V /^ P T inCe - The Bish0 P3P 3 bring-the following contributions of Peter Pence, namely— Drf Croke Archbisliou at Cashe , £2,700 ; Dr. McCarthy, o f Cloyne, £1,100 Dr° Buile? of frmenok £800 ; Dp. McCarthy, of Km- y , £400 and Dr FiSerkld of Ross, £260; in all, £5,260. The liberality of this contribu-

tion is a full answer to the malicious persons who are fond o^ stating that the attachment of the Irish to the Holy See and to the Catholic Church is diminishing, and that the bonds which unite Ireland to Rome are becoming less close than formerly. The Irish people is, in truth, loyal to the priests and pastors, and the influence of the Bishops is still powerful for good. The Munster Catholics, by their endeavour to relieve the wants of the Holy See, wished to show their gratitude to Leo XIII. for his sympathy in their distress last year, and also to make a thanksgiving to God tor the abundant harvest with -which they were blessed this year. I may observe that the smaller contribution of £260 from Ross, was in reality proportionately larger than any of the contributions fron other dioceses, Ross containing only 12 or 13 parishes, none of them inhabited by rich men. The Irish bishops on their way to Rome, stopped in Paris and visited the persecuted Jesuit Fathers. They also stopped in Turin, where they were cordially received by the archbishop, Monsignor Gastaldi. They expect to be admitted to audience by the Pope early next week. They have already had an interview with Cardinal Simeoni. Italians are generally fond of th..-ir offspring, and show marked affection to such of their children as may be afflicted by deprivation of any of their faculties. It was therefore with extraordinary horror that the inhabitants of Palestri.ua discovered a horrible crime in their town, namely, the strangling of a poor imbecile lad by his unnatural parents. They had vainly tried to get the boy admitted into an asylum, and having failed in this attempt, they killed him to save themselves the expense of his maintenance. An audacious act of brigandage was committed on Saturday evening last, on the high road, within two and a half miles distance from Leghorn. A gentleman named Orlando, his brother, and two nephews were driving in a carriage, when two men armed with revolvers attacked them. The horses were stopped, and the coachman put to flight by one ruffian, who fired two shots at the retreating servant. The other man opened the carriage door and fired his revolver four times, wounding severely Orlando in the cheek and hand, and wounding also one of his nephews. He then robbed the party of their money and valuables.

The Campo Verano, or cemetery of St. Lorenzo, presented an extraordinary spectacle on All Saints. The cemetery was thronged by thousands of visitors who came to shed tears and lay garlands at the graves of departed friends. The chapels of the richer monuments were illuminated, and the spaces allotted to the graves of the poor ap. peared as fields of light, innumerable lighted tapers being placed around almost every tomb. Mourning groups here and there were conspicuous by the intensity of their sorrow. The churches of Borne were also filled with devout persons who came to pray for the souls of the faithful defunct.

The Rev. (?) Paul Guardiol, an evangelical pastor, who was a member of the Bible Society introduced into Borne after 1870, committed suicide in Florence, swallowing a phial of ammonia in a coffee house. Love for an inconstant damsel was the cause of his selfdestruction. Another Evangelical pastor, the Key. J. N. Griffin D.D., formerly successor to Bishop Gregg in the incumbency of Trinity Church, Dublin, and lately Chaplain of Trinity Church in Kome, also had a weakness for the fair sex, as appears from the proceedings in the Police Court of Torquay. The rev. doctor gave wiae and a promise of £300 to a lady whom he addressed in letters as "my beautiful Lucy." The fair Lucy, however, stole a valuable pin from Dr. Griffin's wife, and was fined £10. The magistrate severely censured the improper letters and disgraceful conduct of the Doctor of Divinity. Profligacy seems no impediment to Protestant missionary operations in Rome.

Diplomatic relations are about to be resumed on a regular footing between Russia and the Holy See. The encyclical of Lea XIII. regarding the Sclaves and the Beatification of S.S. Cyrillus and Methodius has brought about this good understanding.