CLERGY AND THE WAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1679, 27 February 1917, Page 3

CLERGY AND THE WAR.

At a largely-attended meeting of the Manawatu Catholic Federation held at Palmerston on Sunday night, and presided over by Mr J. Ilodgins, the following motion was carried unanimously: —“That this meeting of the Palmerston North branch of the Catholic Federation expresses its emphatic approbation with the views of Dr. 0 Shea, Archbishop of Wellington, on the conscription of the clergy, and, further, resolves to abide by any’steps adopted by the Hierarchy to combat any furtherance of such a project. This branch already desires to point out that already over 10 per cent, of the Catholic clergy in the Wellington Archdiocese have gone to the front its chaplains, .and have demonstrated, therefore, that they are fully doing their share.” ROMAN CATHOLICS’ VIEWPOINT. Speaking at St. Patrick’s Church, Palmerston N., on the clergy and the war on Sunday night, the Rev. E:ither McManus said (hose priests who did go lo the theatres of combat would go voluntarily and on a mission in keeping with (heir profession in life. And when there they would endure anything. He instanced what Father Dore had done, and what he had done the others would do. Someone writing in the press had said that (he clergy would have to he treated as a class apart. That was the right point of view, because as a matter of fact they were a class apart. The rest of humanity considered them as such and treated them as such. Even the old pagan priesthood was considered as a class apart. There was at present being engendered a spirit of bigotry and bitterness againsl the Catholic Church, and this was one of its latest forms. So far was this feeling of bitterness going that it had even been asserted that this war had been caused by the Holy Man of Peace, Pope Pius X. —the man who died of a broken heart because of j(. One wondered what the slate of the mentality of Ihe readers of the press must be who believed such an absurd canard. Rigid: at the beginning of the Avar the Irish Guards under General Smith-Dorien, Catholics to a man, had (according to Sir John French) saved the British Army and A\ere annihilated in the attempt. Rut these men Averc not even mentioned by the War Office. There Avas a campaign of silence concerning (he doings of the Irish soldiers. There was at the present lime a Nonconformist minister (miring the country ostensibly delivering a patriotic lecture, lad instead under this cloak hurling a tirade of violent aluise against Catholics and the Church. Some high-minded public men had declined lo preside al his meetings or to be associated with him in any way. There Avere 430 miles of front held by Catholic soldiers in France, and here avc had a Nonconformist minister going aboid the country levelling abuse at C:dholies for allegedly not doing their duly. To attack Catholics al; the present time mi this ground avus the culmination of bad taste. And did it show a sense of fair play? Hi 1 would very much like to knoAv what Avas the Government's motive in conscripting the clergy. Was it to injure the Church? If that Avas the Government's intention lie Avoiild like them to intimate that much, and then (hey would know Avhere they were in the. matter, tie referred lo the huge profits that Avere being made out of the war by Ihe I'cav. Men Avere making millions, and it was these men avlio Avere shouting patriotism from the housetops ami talking about the last men and the last shilling. But it Avas (he oilier CelloAV who was to be at the war. and the oilier fellow’s shilling. It was a pity, a thousand pities, that when all the energy of the nation was required to avlu the Avar men should have their minds diverted against Catholics. Catholics left sectarianism, with all its attendant evils, alone. Admittedly sectarianism Avas being stirred up and directed against the Church. But for all this Catholics Avoald still tie faithful, still ready to do their Mm re, and priests and people alike, in their proper sphere, help to bear the burden.