CARDINAL MERGER THREATENED

New Zealand Tablet, 11 May 1916, Page 15

CARDINAL MERGER THREATENED

GOVE R OR-G E N ERA L S L ETTER.

A report from Brussels states that Governor-General von Bissing has sent long letter to Cardinal Mercier regarding his Eminence’s Lenten Pastoral. The letter contains the following:

• There can, of course, be not the least doubt that I would never prevent your Eminence from communicating to your flock what the Holy Father wishes to let it know through you, but beyond that your Eminence, in your Pastoral Letters, indulges in political statements against which I decidedly protest. ‘lt is quite inexcusable that your Eminence should raise justified hopes as regards the issue of the war. Thus, for instance, your Eminence has mentioned the inaccurate utterances of persons who are not in touch with events and could certainly not be called experts. By such arbitrariness you cause among the credulous population a noxiohs excitement and induce them to oppose the work of administration of those in occupation 'of the country. / Especially inadmissible in your . Pastoral Letter is the hint at a menace to the religious liberty of the people of the occupied territory. Your Eminence knows best how completely unjustified is this suspicion. In these circumstances I shall henceforth sternly prosecute any political activity and any stirring up of hostile sentiment against the authority of the occupying Power, which is legitimate according to international law. If, hitherto, I have submitted offences of the clergy to your Eminence for punishment I must now’ desist from this procedure, because your Eminence sets an example of insubordination, and, therefore, no success can be expected from your intervention. ‘ Your Eminence will once more reply that I have misunderstood individual passages of the Pastoral Letter. As such controversy is wholly fruitless, 1 have no intention to reopen it. Moreover, I am firmly resolved no more to allow your Eminence to abuse your high office and carry on a political agitation, for which ordinary citizens will be called to account. 1 warn your Eminence to desist from political activity.’

, According to the Tyd's Belgian correspondent, Cardinal Mercier has sent General von Bissing a dignified answer, asserting that what he wrote in his Pastoral Letter was entirely within his right. He recalls the illegality of the German attitude towards -Belgium and towards his rights both as an episcopal authority and? as a citizen, and emphasises the inaccuracy of General von Hissing’s remark that,the Cardinal wished to excite the population, which, as a matter of fact, had continued to preserve a calm and noble attitude.

The printer of, Cardinal Mercier’s Pastoral and four of his employees have been arrested. The Osservuture Romano . publishes without comment a. news agency’s telegram stating that von Bissing has denounced to the Pope Cardinal Mercier and all the Belgian bishops who signed the Letter addressed to the German bishops, that he has written to the Belgian bishops saying he hoped the Pope would take action which would spare him the necessity of ‘ adopting measures,’ and that the Belgian Government thinks it probable he will courtmartial Cardinal Mercier and perhaps also the other prelates.