CATHOLIC FEDERATION IN AUCKLAND

New Zealand Tablet, 9 January 1913, Page 26

CATHOLIC FEDERATION IN AUCKLAND

(By telegraph, from our own correspondent.) Auckland, January 6. His Lordship Bishop Cleary made an important announcement at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday evening concerning a new development in the resistance of Catholics to the proposals of the Bible-in-State Schools League. His Lordship detailed the seven momentous changes which the League is demanding in our existing legislation. These changes, he said, involved a serious invasion of the rights of conscience, of taxpayers, of parents, and of pupils, and would compel Catholic teachers either to be false to the de-

dared principles and laws of their Church, or to forfeit their bread and butter. It was significant that not one leader of the League had the courage, or rather the foolhardiness, to attempt a defence of those seven proposed changes in the law. As a Christian and lover of his adopted country, he deplored the fact that an anti-Popery banner had been flung out, blazoned with a false issue—‘ Home Rule or Rome Rule.’ The Catholic laity of Auckland were the first in this Dominion to move in the direction of federating all Catholic societies, clubs, confraternities, and individuals in one solid organisation for strenuous resistance to these encroachments on the religious liberties of themselves and of their fellow-citizens of other faiths. All the chief lay associations had joined in this demand, which had his hearty God-speed and co-operation. A federation on these lines was already an accomplished fact in Wellington. His Lordship announced that arrangements: had been made for the immediate organisation of the Catholic body on the lines stated throughout the diocese; of Auckland. He described the great success and varied; activities of such a federation in Germany and theUnited States, where their crusade against evil plays; and immoral literature had won for them high government encomiums. He spoke of the great social work and flourishing daily press conducted by similar organisations in Chili, and entered into considerable detail regarding the Catholic Federation of Victoria, which, though only twelve months old, had 420 branches. Immigration, lecture, and employment bureaux had been organised, and a society for the suppression of immoral literature, composed of people of various religious beliefs. The movements in South Australia and New South Wales were also touched upon. ‘lt is essentially a lay movement,’ said his Lordship. Its motto is never to attack, and never to permit others with impunity to attack us in our faith or in our civil or religious rights. I hope the organisation will adopt one other motto“ Ever to treat opponents in a reasonable and truly Christian way, and thus to help in breaking down the un-Christian rancor that is now being fomented in this Dominion.” ’ ' The church was thronged, and people listened with the closest attention throughout to his Lordship’s discourse.