PRIESTS AND CATHOLISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1922, Page 6

PRIESTS AND CATHOLISM.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I was rather amused in reading “Husband of a Catholic’s” letter in the News a few days ago. I wonder if she is a practical Catholic? If she is, I am sorry for her, for evidently she gets hell on earth from her hueband. He says tlio majority of English priests are drawn from the aristocracy, and that they are very loyal. Of course they are of the best of the nobility. They are also loyal to their country, their King, their religion, and their God, and their loyalty is not the ordinary loyalty which is usually made up of pounds, shillings, and pence, buz heartfelt and generous loyalty, which only a priest can give. In fact, the English priest is a true English Sinn Feiner in every respect. But we refuse to believe “Husband of a Catholic” when he says that an English priest refused the sacrament to an Irishman or woman on account of his or her nationality. If “Husband of a Catholic” knew more about Catholism, he would know that there is neither class distinction nor nationality in the church, and any priest that would refuse the sacrament on those grounds would very soon be obliged with a holiday to ruminate on his mistake. Another old lady’s tale of “Husband of a Catholics” is that re the Wanganui digger, who called the Sinn Feiners “murderers,” a cheap price for a pint of beer in those sad times, or perhaps “digger” belongs to that noble race who teaches their lisping babes to say “To hell with the Pope.” But this “husband o-f a Catholic” must be very old and dotty when he writes on what school children said in Australia, and dottier still not to understand what the children meant. The children were given to understand that “consul” was looked upon as a very important man. They also knew that Dr. Mannix was the most important man in Australia, and indeed it is very much to the credit of the children’s intelligence to make such a brilliant selection, and also shows the density of “Husband of a Catholic” to find fault with the children’s choice. —I am, etc.. HUSBAND OF A PROTESTANT. Inglewood, April 11.