The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1888. THE PAPAL DECREE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1764, 17 July 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1888. THE PAPAL DECREE.

The news that reached this colony with reference to the Pope's Decree was to the effect that the National League, the Plan of Campaign, and Boycotting were condemned, and that Absolution would be denied to.those who refused to comply with it. We did then what no other paper in New Zealand did—not excepting even the Catholic papers—we published articles which stated the exact truth as regards the Pope's Decree. We stated that His Holiness the Pope had only condemned the Plan of Campaign and Boycotting; that the National League was not condemned, and that no such punishment as a denial of absolution had been inflicted. If we had had the text of the Decree before us we could not hare gauged the. position more correctly. We were subsequently misled by the account of the affair which reached us by the San Franciacj mail news, aud we thought then our first surmise was wrong; but the Home papers which have since arrived, and have given the Decree in full, show that awful and unblushing falsehoods have been cabled to us in this colony. Jhe following is the full text of the Papal Decree:— My Lord,—When iver the affiira of their country seemed to ri quire it, the Apostolic See has frequently addressed to the Irish people—towurds whom it has always shown special affection— seasonable words of warning and counsel, with the object of enabling them to dufend or to assert their rifthtu without prejudice to justice or to public tranquility, At the present moment our Hoy V »ther Pope Leo HIL, f*aring lest right conception of justice and charity should be perverted amongst that people in consequence of that mode of warfare called the Plan of Campaign,' which has been employed in that country in coutests bstween letters and holders of lands or f irmc, as also in consequence of * form of proscription in connection with fclio sime contests known as boycotting, commissioned the Supreme Coqgregation of' the Holy Roman and Universnl Inquisition to make tbe matter the subject of grave and cireful eramination. Accordingly the following question wis submitted to the-Most Eminent, Fathers who share with me tbe office of General Inquisitors agiinst error, viz. : Jn contests between letters-und holders of lands or farms in Ireland, is it lawful to have recourse to tbosa means.known as the Plan of 'Jatnp'irgn anl Boycotting—and their Eminences, haying 'ong aDd maturely weighed tbe matter,: replied in* the negative. Our Holy Father confirmed and'np. proved this reply on Wednesday,'the IS h of the preseat month. " ' ■ How equitable this decision is anyone will see who reflects that a rent, fixed by" rrulijal consent cinnot, without violation of contract, be reduced at the arbitrary will of the tenant a'one. the more, since for the settling of such contests Court* hay'e bean established which, allbwancd being m ide even for failure of cops or of disasters wh'ch may have occurred, reduce excessive rents and bring them within the Mini's of equity. Again, it cannot be held to be lawfu l that rent should be extorted from tenants and deposited with unl'nowo persons, no account being t«ken of the landlord. Fin illy, it is altogether fore'gu to natural justice and to Christian charity that a new form of persecution and of proscription Bbould ruthlessly bi put in force against persot s who are salißwith,, I'fld are prepared to pay the rent agreed on with their landlord ; or against persons who iu the exercise of their right take vacant farms. Your Lorr'slvp will therefore—prudently, hut effectively—admomVh the Cie'gy and the people in reference to this matter, and exhort tliein to observe Christian charity, and not to overetep the bounds of j astice w ile steking lolief from the evjls which ffl ui them. —Your devoted servant in the L.ml, J?. Cakjd. Monaco. Uo»«-, Apii 20,ii, 1888.

It will be seen that there is not a word iii this about the National League, or Absolution. We also said that the Papal Decree would float over the backs of Irishmen as easily as water would over a duck, and here we were right, too. The Pope's Decree could have no effect in Ireland until it had been interpreted by the proper ecclesiastical authorities. On the 30:h of May the Archbishops and Bishops met at Holy Cross College, and the following is their interpretation of it:— "In obedience to the commands of the Holy See, and in the ■willing discharge of the duty placed upon us, we desire 'o put on public recor 1 that the racent Decree addressed to the Man heirarchy w-is intended to affect the domain of moraU alone, and in no wny to intetf<re with politics ns such in this country. Even this vory day we have had from our Holy Ftither direct unequivocal assurances of hia deep and paternal interest in the terupoial] welfare of our country, and that, so far from intending by this Decree to injure our national movement, it was the hope and purpose of His Holiness to remove those things which he judged might in the loog run be obstac es tn its advancement and ultimate hucoess. With these facts thus claarly before us, apart altogether from other numerous titles to out filial affection and respect, we mint; -Warn our people against the use of any hasty, irreverent language in reference to tho Sovereign Pontiff ortoany of theSaored ,3ongregitiion, through which he usually issues his decree. While expressing our deep and gratitude to ' the loaders of the national movement for the B ; gnal services they have rendered to religiDn and tha country, we d"om it our duty at the same time to remind them an 1 our flicks, as we must emphatically do, that the Roman Pontiff has an inalienable divine right to Bpeak with authority on all questions appertaining .to faith and morals." The resolutions are sigi.ed by the three Archbishops present and 24 Bishops, inc'uding Dr O'D.vyer, Bishop of L'menck.

Prom this ifc will -be seen that all that is insisted upon is a proper understanding of the subject. The Bishops say in effect that the Pope has not interfered with the political liberties of the people, and, therefore, they are warned against entertaining angry feelings towards him. And, furthermore, the leaders of the national movement receive a pat on the back from the Bishops by expressing their " deep and lasting gratitude " to them " for the signal services they have rendered to religion and the country:" There is nothing very awful in this. The people of Ireland had noV right to be angry with the Pope yrhen he. gave them no real cause, but it would appear that they were from-the fact that the Bishops thought : it necessary to admonish them. In condemning Boycotting and the Plan of Campaign in the abstract no one can say that the Pope was wrong. Under ordinary circumstances no sane man could undertake tii defend such things ; but the circum-stances-which brought them into existence were not ordinary, and consequently they are defensible on the ground that they were the means of saving the lives of thousands from death by starvation. Desperate diseases require desperate remedies. The disease from which Ireland was suffering was desperate, and the remedies are desperate also. As regards the Decree, it is clear on the face of it' that the Pope was misinformed with regard to these matters. Money was never extorted from the tenants for the purposes of the Plan of Campaign; they gave it of their own free will, and it was because the Courts were not reducing the rents that the Plan of Campaign was resorted to. But we have said enough to show that the Papal Decree was a very harmless aff air,and it was not worth while making much noise about it. It shows, however, that no reliance can be placed on news received by cable in this colony,