THE PAPAL DECREE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1840, 14 May 1888, Page 2

THE PAPAL DECREE.

10 THS EDITOR. Sir,— An there la a vory great intereet taken m the alleged Papal Deoree, perhaps yoa wonld permit me to point out a few reasons whioh, to my mind, prove that the publio generally are, m all probability, \ much mistaken. Wbat the Pope has condemned is not by any means olear. The telegrams, too, are very unreliable on that sobjeot. Mgr. Perßloo, we are told, was boycotted by tbe people of Oork ; but he waa at the time m Rome 1 But If, as Is reported, the Pope has oondemed the " Plan of Campaign " and ••' boycotting," ao much the worse for the Pope and the Vatioan. Boycotting is aB old as Christianity, and was praotised oenturies ago m Franoe. Why it should be oon* demaed now when it is most needed Is a puzzle, while lt was never before condemned by Pope or Cardinal. Assuming that theae things have been condemned by the Pops, his Deoree will be disregarded as completely as was the Rescript of Oardlnal Slmeoni. No man, whether he Is Pope or not, has any right to try to foros any man to speak to, or deal with, any other man ; and if the Pope has tried to do this so muoh tha worse for himself. I think some sort of Deoree has been issued by the Pope ; but to speculate on what It is is premature. The Plan of Campaign Is a perfeotly just way of deallag with an j ast landlords. If rente, fixed by a partisan Court, oompoaed entirely of the oreaturea and hangera-on of the landlords, oannot be paid owing to the lower value of agricultural prodnoe, it is rldioulona to think that the tenants ought to pay the rents ln full and leave tbeir ohildren without food. If the Pope hns condemned them for not leaving their children to starve, I say again bo muoh the worse for the Pope. O'Oonnell often Bald, "as muoh religion as you like from Rome, but no politics " ; and again ; "I would as soon take my politics from Constantinople as from Rome." Mr Parnall la the political Pope of Ireland,, and Irishmen will not tolerate any Interference with bim by Leo XIII. As Aa for the College of Cardinals they had better look at homa and try to find a remedy for the state of affairs which their own neglect has helped to bring abont ln Italy iv general, and Rome In particular. Mr Dillon spoke the sentimenta of every real IrUhman when he said Irishmen oould manage their own political affairs without foreign interference. But whatever the Pope has or haa not condemned will not make the slightest difference to the Nationalists — they will pursue their own course, even though the Pope, who ought to be their friend, should desert them and lend hla aid to their enemies. Irishmen, remember that the Pope's espeoial representatives m Ireland (Cardinals Culleu and McOabe) were the bitterest enemies of Irish rlghta — they were, m faot, " Oastle Bishops." Both theaa Bishops lived to repeat their misdeeds ; but their opposition oould not atop the progress of the Irish movement. Nothing can stop that but an Irish Parliament m "College Greek.