The Accession Oath

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9, 4 March 1909, Page 342

The Accession Oath

The movement for the amendment of the insulting features of the Accession Oath goes gaily on in England. The opposition to this measure of Catholic relief is confined to the happily small, though" noisy, section- of the population whose bodies live in the present, but whose souls belong to the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries. ' Sensible men,' says the Catholic -Times, ' are convinced that the King should not be called upon to outrage the religious beliefs of any class of citizens who go to form btie State of whidh he is the head. The Guardian, while cordially hoping that a Bill may be got through Parliament, feels by no means sure whether any measure can be framed satisfactory to " militant Protestants and punctilious Roman Catholics." It has an idea that the problem will be solved, not by Parliament, but by- the present Prince of Wales. It says : "A declaration by the next King to the effect .that, on his honor, he professed himself a sincere member of the Church of England, and rejected the claim of any foreign Prelate to exercise jurisdiction in this country, would satisfy the vast majority ofjhis subjects, without giving the slightest cause of legitimate offence to Roman Catholics, and we rather think that- it would fare ill with any devoted

Kensitite who -thereupon refused obedience to his' Majesty." But how could any Monarch, on his accession, reject theclaim of the Pope to exercise jurisdiction in this country, unless he specifically said "temporal" jurisdiction? The Pope both claims to exercise, and docs actually exercise, spiritual jurisdiction, nor can any Prince or Parliament prevent him from so doing. Moreover, what one King on his accession might consent to do, another might refuse. All things considered, by far the best plan is to make a change, in due form of law, and free the King from the duty of insulting any religious beliefs held by his people.' And so say all of us.