Solemn Pronouncement by United Bishops of Ireland on National Crisis

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 49, 14 December 1922, Page 21

Solemn Pronouncement by United Bishops of Ireland on National Crisis

-MOVING APPEAL TO IRREGULAR LEADERS. -The, Irish Hierarchy, at their meeting on Tuesday, October 10, in St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, under the presidency of his Eminence Cardinal Logue, issued a Pastoral Letter of momentous importance to the priests and people of Ireland, in the course of which they discussed the present lamentable situation in the country, and the duties and responsibilities which it entails upon clergy and laity alike. Revolt against the legitimate Government established by the people is strongly condemned, as is. the campaign of guerilla warfare being waged by the Irregular forces. The Pastoral declares that the killing of National soldiers is murder, and those participating in such warfare may not be absolved in Confession or admitted to. Holy Communion if they persist in such evil courses. Priests favoring insurrection are declared to be false to their sacred office and forbidden, under pain of suspension, from advocating such doctrine. •'.'' The Hierarchy addresses a moving appeal to the leaders and members of the Irregular forces to seek the realisation of their ideals along lines sanctioned by the Divine law and society. In particular are they invited to avail of the Government's present offer of Amnesty and Pardon. TEXT OF THEIR LORDSHIP'S PASTORAL. The present state of Ireland is a sorrow and humiliation to its friends all.over the world. To us, Irish Bishops, it is, because of the moral and religious issues at stake, a source of the most painful anxiety. Our country that but yesterday was so glorious is now a byeword before the nations for a domestic strife, as disgraceful as it is criminal and suicidal. A section of the, community, refusng to acknowledge the Government set up by the nation have chosen to attack their own country as if she were a foreign Power. Forgetting, apparently, that a dead nation cannot be free, they have deliberately set out to ''make our Motherland, as far as they could, a heap of ruins. ■ They have wrecked Ireland from end to end, burning and destroying national property of enormous value, breaking roads, bridges, and railways, seeking by this insensate blockade to starve the people, or bury them in social stagnation. They havo caused more damage to Ireland in three months than could be laid to the charge of British rule in so many decades. . They carry on what they call a war, but which, in the. absence of any legitimate authority to justify it, is morally only a system of murder and assassination of the National forces— it must not be forgotten that killing in an unjust war is. as much murder before God as if there were no war. They ambush military lorries in. the crowded ' streets thereby killing and wounding not only the soldiers of the Nation, but peaceful citizens. , They have, to our horror, shot bands of these troops on their way to Mass on Sunday; and set mine traps in the public roads and blown to fragments some of the bravest Irishmen that ever lived. Side by side with this woeful destruction of life and property there is running a campaign of plunder, raiding banks and private houses, seizing the lands and property of others, burning mansions and country houses, destroying demesnes and slaying cattle. -:.'■■'. \ PHYSICAL RUIN. . Demoralisation Caused by Unhappy Revolt ;•.. But even worse and sadder than this physical ruin is the general demoralisation created by this unhappy revolt-demoralisation especially of the young, whose minds are being poisoned by false principles, and their young lives utterly spoiled by early association with crueltyrobbery, falsehood, and 'crime. : Religion itself is -'not spared. We observe" with, deepest sorrow that -a> certain section is. engaged in a. campaign, against the bishops whose pastoral office they, would silence by calumny and intimidation; and they have done the priesthood of Ire land, whose services and sacrifices -for. their country' will be histofic, the insult of suggesting a cabal amongst ; them

to -browbeat their bishops and revolt against their authority. And, in spite of all this sin and crime, they claim to be good Catholics and demand at the hands of i the Church; her. most-sacred privileges like; the Sacraments reserved for her worthy members. When we think of what these young men were only a few months ago, so many of them generous, kind-hearted and good, and see them now involved in this network of crime, our hearts are filled with bitterest anguish. ' : ■ ■ ■ \ , , Tragic Degeneration. '[■'?. v It is almost inconceivable how decent Irish boys could degenerate as tragically, and reconcile such a mass of criminality with their duties to God and to Ireland. The strain on our country for the last few years will account for much of it. Vanity, perhaps self-conceit, may have blinded some who think that they, and not the nation, must dictate the national policy. " Greed for land, love of loot, and anarchy, have affected others, and they? we regret to say, are not a few; but the main cause of this demoralisation is to be found in false notions on social morality. The long struggle, of centuries against foreign rule and misrule has weakened respect for civil authority in the national conscience. This is a great misfortune, a great drawback and a great peril for our young Government. For no nation can live where the civic sense of obedience to authority and law is not' firmly and religiously maintained. And if Irelnad is ever to realise anything but a miserable destiny of anarchy all classes of her citizens must cultivate respect for and obedience to the Government set up by the nation in whatever shape it takes, while acting within the Law Of God. This difficulty is now being cruelly exploited for the ruin as we shall see, of. Ireland. The claim is now made that a minority are entitled, when they think it right, to take arms and destroy the National Government. Last April, foreseeing the danger, we raised our voices in the most solemn manner against this disruptive and immoral principle. We pointed out to our young men the conscientious difficulties in which it would involve them, and warned them aganst it, Discard for the Divine Law then laid down by the bishops is the chief cause of all our present sorrows and calamities. SOLEMN WARNING. Duty of Obeying Legitimate Government. We now again authoritatively renew that teaching and warn our Catholic people that they are conscientiously bound to abide by it, subject of course to an appeal to the Holy See. ' No one is justified in rebelling against the legitimate Government, whatever it is, set up by the nation - and acting within its rights. ; The opposite doctrine is false, contrary to Christian morals and opposed to the constant teaching of the Church. "Let every soul," says St. Paul, "be subject to the higher powers"—that is, to the legitimate authority of the State. From St. Paul downwards the Church has inculcated obedience to authority as a divine duty as well as a social necessity, and has reprobated unauthorised rebellion as:sinful in itself and destructive of social stability: as it manifestly is, for if one section of the' community has that right, so have other, the same right, until we end in general anarchy. No Republican can evade this teaching by asserting that the legitimate authority in Ireland is not the present Dail. or Provisional Government. There, is no other, and cannot be, outside the body of the people. A Republic without popular recognition behind it is a contradiction in terms. Such being Divine law, the guerilla, warfare now being carried on by the Irregulars is without moral sanction, and therefore the killing of National soldiers in'the course of it is murder before God. The seizing of public and private property is robbery. The breaking of roads, bridges, and railways is criminal destruction, the invasion of homes and the molestation of citizens a grievous crime. All those who in contravention of this teaching participate in such crimes are guilty of grievous sins, and may : not be absolved in Confession nor admitted to Holy Communion if they persist in such evil, courses.\ _~ '• ;• ; •": ; INJUNCTION TO■ CLERGY. It is •said that there are priests who approve of this Irregular • insurrection. • If there" be any such, they are

false' to their sacred office and are guilty of grievous scandal, and will not be allowed to retain the faculties they hold from lis. . ;.•:' . . .. Furthermore, we forbid under pain of suspension, ipso facto, and reserve to the Ordinary any priest who advocates such doctrine, publicly or privately. > - Our people will observe that in all this there is no question of mere politics, but of what is morally right or wrong according to the Divine law in certain principles and in a certain series of acts, whether carried out for political purposes or otherwise. What we condemn is the armed campaign now being carried on against the Government set up by the nation. If any section in the community have a grievance or disapprove of the National Government they have the elections to fall back upon, and such constitutional action as is recognised by God and civilised society. If their political views are founded on wisdom they will succeed sooner or later; but one thing is certain, the Hand of Providence will not be forced nor their cause advanced by irreligion and crime. MUST TEACH TRUTH. It may perhaps be said that in this our teaching we wound the strong feelings of many of v our people; that we know and the thought is agony to us. But we must teach Truth in such a grave crisis no matter what the consequences. It is not for want of sympathy with any part of our flock that we interfere, but from a deep and painful sense of our duty to God, to our people, and out of true charity to the young men themselves specially concerned. Let it not be said that this our teaching is due to political bias and a desire to help one political party. If it were true, we were unworthy of our sacred office. Our religion in such a supposition was a mockery and a sham. .We issue this Pastoral Letter under the grievous sense of our responsibility, mindful of the charges laid upon us by our Divine Master to preach His Doctrine and safeguard His sacred rule of faith and morals at any cost. We must, in the words of St. Peter, "Obey God rather than man." < . APPEAL TO LEADERS. With all earnestness Ave appeal to the leaders in this saddest revolt to rise above their own feelings, to remember the claim of God and the sufferings of the people in their conscience, and to abandon methods which they now know beyond tho shadow of a doubt are un-Catholic and immoral, and look to the realisation of .. their ideals along lines sanctioned by Divine Law and society. Let them not think we are insensible to their feelings —we think of them with compassion, carrying as; they do on their shoulders a heavy responsibility for what is now happening in Ireland. Once more we wish to appeal to the young men in this movement in the name of God to return to their innocent homes and make, if necessary, the big sacrifice of their feeiiugs for. the common good. And surely, it is no humiliation, having done their best to abide by the verdict of Ireland. We know that some of, them are troubled and held back.by" the oath they took. A lawful oath is indeed a sacred bond between God and man; but no oath can bind any man to carry on a, warfare against his own country in circumstances forbidden by the law of God. It would be an,offence to God and to the very nature of an oath to say so. '■>? THE AMNESTY OFFER. We, therefore, hope and pray that they will take advantage of the Government's present offer and make peace with their own country, a peace which will bring both happiness and honor to themselves and joy to Ireland, generally and to the friends of Ireland all over the world. *« In this lamentable upheaval the moral sense of the people has, we fear, been badly shaken. We read'with horror of the many unauthorised murders recorded in the press. With feelings of shame we observe that when country., houses and public buildings were destroyed the furniture and other fittings were seized and carried away Vby people in the neighborhood. We remind them • that, all such property belongs in justice to the original owners, : and ;now must be preserved for and restored to them by '-those who hold them. . ?"-

< ASSISTING GOVERNMENT; ; :,:: *••■ We'desire to impress on the people the duty of supporting the national Government, whatever it is, to set their, faces resolutely against disorder; to pay their taxes, rents,, and annuities, and to assist the Government in every possible way to restore* order and establish peace; -Unless they learn to do so they can have no Government; and if they have no Government they can have no nation. As human effort is; fruitless -without God's blessing, Ave exhort our priests and people to. continue the prayers already ordered, and Ave direct that the remaining October devotions be offered up for peace. ',"; We also direct that a Novena to the Irish Saints. for:; the same end be said in all public churches and oratories, and in semi-public oratories, •to begin on October 28 and end on November 6, the Feast of all the Irish Saints. These Novena devotions, in addition to the Rosary and Benediction, may include a special prayer for Ireland and the Litany of the Irish Saints.