A FALSE REPORT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XV, Issue 22, 23 September 1887, Page 17

A FALSE REPORT.

E are informed by the cable ih U, according to a statement made by the London Morning Chronicle, Mgr. Perbico has denounced the Irish priests for complicity in rebellion, and murderous and violent language in inciting the people to revolt. If such has been the case it must have caused surprise, for at Rome the confident expectation, founded, perhapß, on some slight leakage of the contentß of the Envoy's fir6t report to the Pope, wag that the

mission would have no active consequences. In Ireland, again, the whole conduct and bearing of the Envoy were completely at variance wilh any such idea. Mgr. Pekßloo seems to have gone to Ireland with the most friendly disposition towards the people, as, indeed, from the reputation acquired by his Excellency during his residence in America, might have been anticipated. He seems, moreover, to have been from the first confirmed in the good opinions that he had formed, for we have heard him everywhere expressing his pleasure at what he saw, and praising the faith and good works of the people and their priests. By the last mail that has reached us, for example, we have received the report of an address presented to his Excellency by the clergy of the diocese of Armagh, and of his reply to it, in which he repeats in substance all the kind things that he had said before, and testifies to the consolation to be derived by the Holy Father from what he has to tell him. " I will be happy," he said to the priests, " to tell the Holy Father how I found you assembled in spiritual retreat. It will console him in hia crosses to know that in Ireland he has dutiful children. It will console him to think that in all his crosses his paternal heart can turn to his Irish children, and find them devoted to himself, devoted to the Holy See, devoted to our holy faith, and its holy practices." These, certainly, are not like the words of a man, much less of a pious ecclesiastic, who was about to denounce the very clergy he addressed as misleading their people and encouraging them in crime. Still we are not to be astonished that any London paper should publish it as a natural conclusion that Mgr. Persioo would condemn the Irish priests and people. Ordinary editors may well err on this subject, when we find that some of those whose principles, if not their sympathies, might be expected to lead to a very different course of conduct, are among the chief, the most reckless and bitter, accusers of the Irish people and their priests. We have frequently quoted in our columns the utterances to such an effect made by recognised leaders among the English Catholics, for it is to that body or their great majority we refer, and now we shall take an example or two from the less prominent rank and file. Here, then, is at hand the Whitehall Eeview, a society paper, much given to deal with Catholic affairs, of August 4, in which are two letters from Catholics, and from them we shall take our specimens. We refrain from quoting their especial allusions to the Nationalists, which, perhaps, though utterly outrageous, may be lees culpable, our object being to show the feeling of these Catholics towards Irish Catholics generally : — "Pope Adrian IV. (writes "M. A. Catholicus") said Ireland consisted of 'ignorant and savage tribes.' Another Pope, Alexander 111., said the Irish were plunged in incest and bloodshed. And an Irish saint, Archbishop Malaohi, considered the people to be ' stubborn in manners, bestial in rites, impious in faith, filthy in life.' Giraldus Cambrensis said the Irish were ' ignorant of the rudiments of Christianity, a most filthy race sunk in sin, more ignorant than all other nations of the first principles of the faith.' And to the famous St. Brigid was revealed in a dream or vision the information that more souls were lost in Ireland than in any other part of Christendom* English Catholics do not think very highly of Irish morality now, and in their view they see from the foregoing quotations that history does but repeat itself."—" The late Mgr. Consitt, of Durham (writes another Catholic who bigns himself "An Oxford Man "), whose loss we are now deploring, remarked to me : 4 The Irish have helped largely in building schools and churches — in other ways they are more of a hindrance than a help.' Quite true. The Irish brought their religion with them, and for this (bating a few concomitant, harmless superstitions) English Catholics are grateful, but, unfortunately, they brought their politics and their vices as well. We dislike both. The vices swell the criminal ranks and add to the number — to a degree quite incommensurate with the immigrant population — of drunken and disorderly person^ in, our midst who are a nui-ance socially, and a discredit to the Catholic religion." — But, perhaps, some explanation of Irish vice in England might be furnished by those wotds of the late much-lamented Mgr. Consitt. Priests who would be willing to make use of Trish Catholics as contributors m building schools and ch.un.hes, but who would otherv :ic regard them as a hindrance, are hardly the kind of men to minister with success among a people accustomed to regard their ,'priests as familiar friends, with a feeling for their infirmities and weaknesses, and a kindly word to lead them back into the right way or prevent them from straying from

amenied M^r n S<mtenCe fr ° m the !i P s of the late recent \l mS CC ™ SITT > bears out that statement Cathnfn^h \ - y v* f 8 t0 a Cause of the ieaka ge » the »na others so loudly complain. 6 ar ® not *™ concerned to defend or to reply. We hTrdlv to Z * X $T hh ° W {t iS c nBtUMl ' and ' dntviv^ d u tb^ fc midtakps sbould bM mad^ •« to the duty devolvmg on the Pope's Envoy in Ireland. If English SthVT f, ager . tO u deno^e,m prominent newspapers, the r nLtt T^™ "i f&ith & » Criminals > ™» *J*« rom hat SSi wi m> K 8 abominable P e °Ple } w,' may well expect contrTrv ? E ™»ency' s »S.iS a d rect ? Li?th7trnt PWP W l? a^ aybe entertain «d: He will certainly may deft' th 'if ¥«r« r - CoNBITTS or an y othen, they Holy Father ' " they may C ° DSole the heart of th «