THE PAPAL DECREE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1835, 8 May 1888, Page 3

THE PAPAL DECREE.

(PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.) London, May 3. The " Freeman's Journal " has published a statement to the effect that m the course of an interview with a reporter m Sydney, Cardinal Moran declared that the Irish ought to disregard the commands of the Pope if they interfere wiih the Nationalist movement, and that the agitation for Home Rule must be continued until autonomy for Ireland is secured.

The "Tablet" writing on tho eubj c l of the Papal Decree, hae an article upon the qaeai)P, bat like the Northern Roman Uithol'o Clergy, does not give credence to the Information contained in the oable nowß. It ooooludea a ehorb article &b follows : — *' It is indued very likely lhat some one of tho Congregations of Cardinals may have given an opinion aa regards aomu case of morals placed before them for consideration, and it is nut at all unlikely that the Holy Father, whilst abstaining moat carefully from mixing himself up Id a purely political question, may have oharged the Iriah Bishops to Inculcate on both prloats and people mutual charity and froedem as well as Christian patience, Bat this would be no more than aoy Christian man might do: And we ar« convinced that his Holiness has done no more. Aa to tho the iloglcal opinion eaid to be given by a Congregation of Oirdlnala, its probablo effect In Iceland will entirely depend on the terms of the oaao stated. If the real condition of the Plan of Campaign and boycotting baa been fairly and honestly Btatcd and truthfully placed before the Congregation, its opinion will certainly have considerable weight with Irish Catbolioß. Bat the question is : Has a fair and truthful representation been made? Irishmen will carefully Investigate this point, and If it be found the case has been misrepresented, their decision will be treated as was the decision once given by a Congregation in the case of Galileo. Men will treat it with silent respect, regret the mistake that has been made, and proceed, nevertheless, to agitate for Homo Rule by snoh lawful methods as ace within their teaoh. An opinion in a case not fairly Btnted will have no more effeot in putting an end to the movement for Borne Rule than Galileo's case had in stopping the progress of scientific investigation. The " Oathbllo Times " saya :— " Tho startling intelligence of tho week baß been the news received of the decisive interference on the part of tho Vatican In IrUh affairs. The dally vorylng cablegrams published in this connection are sufficient to indicate that the information on whiph they are baaed Is extremely vague and unofficial. It would appear that certain Instructions have been leaned from the Vatican to the Irish Bishops — though on what grounds it would bo hard to tellthat these instructions are both condemnatory of both boycotting and the Plan of Campaign. Until definite and authoritative information reaohes ua we mast decline to disease a condition of things which, for ought wo know to tho contrary, may not exlat. Boycotting, |it will be romomborcd, is a practice of long standing, and has boon known by that nnrne for the past ton yoara, during whioh we wore moro than once assured by the London Press that It had boan brought under the notice of the Pope, with tho result that it had boon unequivocally condemned by his Holineai. But there are other olrcumatancos whloh load ua to dleoredlt tho mischievous rumors of tho past week ; and tho announcement that all members of tho Irish National League are henosforth excommunicated is more than rldlculoaa enough to scout these cablegrams out of Court. Io would be interesting too, to know Binca when Mgr. Persioo haß taken u.p his roaldenoa in tha city of Cork, that ito Inhabitants should hi" afforded so ready »n opportunity of bringing home to the Pupal Delegate the tfflaacy of the nrt of boycotting 1 Tho difficulty ia to discover the little grain of wheat in all this granary of ohaff, &nd uutll our Homo files to date arrive.; Ihore ia no toiling what mo?o or leas troth there may be in thaso reportD, Meanwhile wo ! would recommend our readers to ouupond their judgment," '