Sectarian Strife.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 33, 14 August 1902, Page 4

Sectarian Strife.

In a circular letter, addressed to hie clergy regarding the annua Peter s Pence collection the Archbinhop of Melbourne* refers to th« mxnt •range demonstrations in Victoria. After quotu.g from the Jucycioal of the Holy Father i^ued in M*.rch last, m which the baprerae Pontiff refutes the calumny that the Church is the enemy of libeity, his Grace goes on to Bay : The Church it was, who by her authoritative teaching and her efficacious action had, in fact, emancipated mankind from the yoke of slavery, preaching to the world, as she did, the great law of i n J? a * lu * «"<! fraternity. Iv the Church the weak and the oppressed, the child, the woman, and the slave had ever found their oodbu™ protector uu.l their defei.ee. Tii« b auie calumnies were refuted in the Encyclical of the Holy Father they had repeated amongst themselves during the p-st week. That they should be repeated by men who sought notoriety by abase of the Catholio Church they „eed not »* surprised. But what Catholics had a right to complain of was that those men should profane the Gospel of peace and ot ooanty by quoting text, t. fcu it their evil purposes. Let them app a] to some Dr.coniau cod j i» justification of their nnohariuble and unchristian hatied *nd calnmoies, bat let them spare tne letter and the spirit of the Holy uible from the profananon of such association. They have a right to complain, too, that n-putaolo citizens lent the sanction of their names and presence to proceeding which, even if they were not so wanting in truth and chanty were so demoralising as to greatly lower the standard of public decency and propriety. Hut they would, as the Holy Father exhorred, supplicate th.- Divine Master that ' the glory of heavenly hjrht may illuminate tho*e who, rather perhaps through ignorance th*n thronsrh .nal.ee. hate and persecute the religion of Jesus Christ, and also that nil men of good will may be closely united in a holy union of active charity.' In Ireland, at this season of the year, and in certain parts of the country, an outbreak of sectarian strife recurrtd annually. Kut here there was not even the pretence of historical association ot any kind to account for a similar temporary madness Each year the meetings became more scurrilous, and each year the judicious grieved more over the pitiful spectacle they presented. No doubo there were some who honestly believed that there was something to be feared from the Catholic Church, and, therefore, that it was w> 11 each year to assemble and demonstrate against her. They did not advert that many of the orators were making political capital out of those demonstrations, and that to produce any effect they bad to appeal to the lowest passions of their audience, or go back to the ancient times and feuds, and to try to fasten the odium of those on the Catholic Church. But they could produce nothing certain nothing tangible, nothing present, beyond their own unfounded suspicions, and vague uncharitable charges. These demonstrations ot religious and political bitterness unintentionally served one uHtful purpose. They went to show how, in European countries, the leaders, or, rather the wire pullers, of secret societies managed to succeed in raising a cry against the Catholic Church, and inflaming popular prejudice against the clergy, with just as little reason of juhtifi;ation as existed here. If such a refutation ot calumny were oofc provided before their own eyes, many careless and creauloud people would believe thic thert was substance in the charges n,ade against the Church and her ministers in foreign countrits. They knew from the principles of their faith so clearly enunciated in the en-jjelioala of the reigning Pontiff, that the tathouc Church w.s the best chnnpion of tb/> Srate, and that if others threatened to withdraw their allegiance unless their views of right ani wrong were carried out, Catholics would continue to 'love tae brotherhood, fear God, and honor the King.'