ARCHBISHOP KELLY’S PASTORAL

New Zealand Tablet, 30 May 1918, Page 22

ARCHBISHOP KELLY’S PASTORAL

THE UK It .1 I.U'S SENILE CRITICISM. The timely Pastoral Letter ot his Grace the Archbishop of Sydney, written to introduce, during the month of Mary, fervent prayers for peace, has caused considerable commotion among the Jingoes (says the Catholic /'re**). Their chief organ, the 'sgdnei/ Morning Herald, which could only find room for a few selected extracts from the pastoral, though (he Telegraph printed it in full, found space the following day for two columns of replies, one of them bei.m an anonymous letter twice the length of the pastoral* two others might as well have been anonymous for all the information their signatures convey, together with a windy leading article. This is quite in keeping with lory practice to comment on matter which the'public has 1 not seen. It is by these methods that another Archbishop is made, according to the confession of a ydney newspaper, to “belie the impressions formed about him” by those who do not hear him. The Archbishop of Sydney was on perfectly safe ground when he asserted the principle that “in declaring war, public authority is obliged in duty to the people to seek the common welfare, to respect the rights of the people, and to observe the limits of the law and constitution'.” The Archbishops comments on the voluntary system and his references to the baneful influence of ‘'the daily journals in trying to force the hands of Government on the conscription issue, may not be pleasant reading for the baffled lories; but they have been unmistakably endorsed by the voice of Australia. The Archbishop is also correct in his claim that the British Government has no right to enforce conscription on Ireland. Mis Graces apt illustration, equals be added to equals and the sums shall be equal,” applies not only to lieland, but to the treatment of Catholics in Australia It is impolitic and unjust to restrict the rights of citizens and then to expect them to take a full share of the duties And before striving to reform the world we should put our own house in order.