ROMAN CATIIOLIC CHURCH. 



759 



but to the Prince of Pa*tor to Jesui ChrUt, who 

 instituted poatoni and doctors, wh, in their npirit- 

 ual adminiatrutioii, are subject to no eculnr ; 

 Just iu it in tho duty of the hierarchy to govern, M> 

 nUo is it tho duty '( the fuithful, according to thu 

 U'lni.iiiitiini i-l' the npo.stle, to olicy uitd to submit t 

 tin-in ; ami tlu-ri-fi>ru it in tliut th. people 



have u acrcd ri^'ht which ou^ht imt to In- interfered 

 with hy tin- in itn sacred duty ol' follow- 



in'' the disi-i|.!iin> and lawn of tho Church. 



ii/r with us, dear sons and venornblo 

 I'l-.'th, rs, that tiie lawn debuted to-day in the AUB- 

 trinn Ui :!.. -r..t:i contain mid manifest a serious vio- 

 t' tins iliviiu- constitution of the Church, and 

 mi intolerable subversion of the rights of the Apos- 

 tolic See, of the holy canons, and of tho entire Cath- 

 olic people. 



In til..:, i.y virtue of these laws, the Church of 

 *'liri>t, in al:in>-t all its relations and acts relative to 

 the direction <;' the faithful, is judged and consid- 

 ered completely subordinate and subjected to tho 

 superior power of the secular authorities, and this ia 

 very openly expressed and, BO to Bay, spoken of as a 

 principle in thu document which explains the full 

 object and sense of the laws in question. It is also 

 expressly declared that the secular government, in 

 virtue of its unlimited power, possesses the right of 

 making laws on ecclesiastical subjects just as it has 

 on those purely secular, and to overlook and domi- 

 nate the Church just as if it were a mero human in- 

 stitution within the empire. 



I'.y this the secular government arrogates to itself 

 the right of judgment and teaching over the consti- 

 tution and rights of the Catholic Church, as well as 

 over its exulted administration, which it exercises 

 of itself, partly by its laws and acts, and partly by 

 different ecclesiastical persons. 



Hence it follows that this will and power of tho 

 civil government usurp the place of the religious 

 power, which was established by divine ordination 

 for the direction of the Church and edification of 

 the body of Christ. Against such a usurpation 

 of the sanctuary the great Ambrose rightly says: 

 "They say that every thing is permitted to Caesar, 

 and that all things belong to him." I answer: "Do 

 not imagine that thou possessest an imperial right 

 over the things consecrated to God. Do not exalt 

 thyself, but be subject to God." He has written: 

 " What is God's is God's, and what Cassar's, Cae- 

 sar's." To the Emperor belong the palaces, tho 

 priests, the churches. 



As regards these laws which have been preceded 

 by an exposition of their object, they are in reality 

 of the same nature and kind as those of Prussia, 

 and prepare for the Church in Austria the same 

 misfortune, although they appear at first sight to 

 be more moderate when compared with the Prussian 

 tar*. 



We do not care to exumine in detail each article 

 of these laws, but we cannot pass in silence the 

 cruel insult which by the presentation of such laws 

 has been offered to us and to this Apostolic See, as 

 well as to yourselves, dear sons and dear brethren, 

 and to the entire Catholic people of the empire. 



The contract which was concluded in 1855 be- 

 tween ourselves nnd the illustrious Emperor, and 

 was confirmed by this Catholic sovereign by the 

 most solemn promises and promulgated throughout 

 the entire empire, is now presented to the Chamber 

 of Deputies, with the declaration that it is complete- 

 ly without force and annulled, and this without any 

 previous negotiation with the Apostolic See, and 

 moreover with a public contempt of our most just 

 representations. Could such a tiling ever have hap- 

 pened at a time when public faith had still sonic 

 value 1 But now, in this sad epoch, it is not only 

 undertaken but completed. Against this public vio- 

 lation of the Concordat we protest once more, before 

 you, well-beloved sons and venerable brothers. 



We reprove all the more this outrage inflicted 



the Church, an tho cause and pretext of thin 



rupture of thu Concordat and of other law* which 

 were attached to it are insidiously retcd upn :!..- 

 definition of the teaching* of fuith published and 

 confirmed by the (Ecu: Vati- 



can ; and they have Mpokcn of tlient- Catholic dog- 

 ma* in an impious rnunner and styled them new 

 fashioned, ana changes made in the article* of faith 

 and in tho constitution of the Chuu-h. 



There may bo in tho Empire of Auntria some per- 

 sons who have renounced the Catholic fuith op ac- 

 count of these unworthy inventions; but it* illus- 

 trious monarch and the whole imperial household 

 preserve and confess it, a* do also the vu.-t majority 

 of the people, and it is to this people that tut-be 

 lawn, founded on such inventions, are to be given. 

 Therefore, without our knowledge and will, they 

 have torn the convention which we had concluded 

 with the noble Emperor in the interest of the sal- 

 vation of souls and the advantage of the state. A 

 new form of right has been invented, and they have 

 attributed to the civil government a new power, so 

 that it can interfere in all ecclesiastical matters, and 

 BO that it can ordain and arrange the affairs of the 

 Church as it thinks fit. 



With tho projected laws they have been able to 

 bind the Church with heavy chains and to paralyze 

 her action and her inviolable liberty, which she must 

 ever possess for the government of the faithful, the 

 religious guidance of the people, and even of the 

 clergy, to help the progress of Christian life toward 

 evangelical perfection, in the administration and 

 even possession of property. They introduce per- 

 version in discipline, they favor apostacy, and the 

 union and conspiracy of the sects against the true 

 dogmas of Christianity are actually protected and as- 

 sisted by laws. 



In truth, a great task would fall to our lot if we 

 had to mention the nature and number of the evils 

 which we should have to fear as soon as the laws 

 are in operation ; but, dear sons and venerable broth- 

 ers, they cannot either deceive us or escape your 

 wisdom, for really all the ecclesiastical functions and 

 benefices, and even the exercise of pastoral duties, 

 are so entirely subjected to the civil power, that the 

 ecclesiastical superiors, supposing that they would 

 submit to the new laws wnich is far from being 

 possible would ultimately not be able to adminis- 

 ter their dioceses (for which they have a strict ac- 

 count to render to God) according to the salutary 

 rules of the Church, but they would be obliged to 

 exercise this direction and to restrain it according 

 to the will and pleasure of the head of the state. 



Again, what are wo to expect from those laws that 

 bear the heading in consideration of the religious 

 communities? Their fatal intent and hostile mean- 

 ing are so evident that all easily perceive that they 

 are destined to prepare the way for the ruin r.nd ex- 

 tinction of the religious orders. The loss of tempo- 

 ral property is so great that it is scarcely to be clis- 

 tinguisned from a public sale and confiscation. The 

 Government will place the property in question un- 

 der its authority after the passing of these laws : and 

 will arrogate to itself the right and power of divid- 

 ing it, ofletting it out, and of reducing it by taxation 

 to such an extent that the miserable result and bene- 

 fit which will remain over can scarcely be considered 

 by the Church as honorable t but rather as a mock- 

 ery and a mere cloak to cover the injustice. 



As the laws discussed by the Chamber of Deputies 

 of the Austrian Reichsrath are worded in this sense, 

 and based upon tho principles which we have ex- 

 posed, you can clearly see, dear sons and venerable 

 brothers, the actual dangers which menace the flock 

 placed under ^our charge and vigilance. The unity 

 and peace of the Church aro notably at stake, and 

 they only wish to deprive her of that liberty which 

 St. Thomas of Canterbury well called " the soul of 

 the Church, without which she has no life, and with- 

 out which she has no strength to fight against those 



