762 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



crees of the Popes condemning Freemasons 

 had not received the ~beneplacitum of the Bra- 

 zilian Government. To this Cardinal Anto- 

 nelli replied : 



_The undersigned, Cardinal Secretary of State of 

 his Holiness, lias received the memorandum re- 

 mitted to him by your Excellency with your prized 

 note of the 29th of October last, and, after having 

 examined with mature attention the contents of the 

 document, has fulfilled the duty of promptly bring- 

 ing to the knowledge of the Holy Father a circum- 

 stantial relation of them. His Holiness, warmly 

 deploring the conflict in Brazil between the ecclesi- 

 astical and the civil powers, the causes and circum- 

 stances giving rise to it, and the unhappy conse- 

 quences which have resulted or may result from it, 

 has seen with much satisfaction that the Imperial 

 Government, in deference to the supreme chief of 

 the Church, and in proof of adhesion to the Catho- 

 lic religion, has directed itself to the Holy See, in- 

 voking its authority to put an end to the lamentable 

 conflict, and declaring at the same time that it desires 

 to maintain between the two powers the good har- 

 mony so necessary for the prosperity of the Church 

 and state. Wherefore, the Holy Father, justly ap- 

 preciating the step taken toward the Holy See by 

 the Imperial Government, and also the sentiments it 

 has expressed, and having presented the reply given 

 by his Holiness on the 29th of May of the current 

 year to Mpnsignor the Bishop of Olinda and Per- 

 nambuco, is disposed to adopt those means which, in 

 his high wisdom and his paternal benevolence toward 

 the Brazilian Catholics, he will judge opportune to 

 terminate the deplorable conflict. He hopes, how- 

 ever, that the Imperial Government will contribute 

 to the removal of all the obstacles which might de-, 

 lay the prompt restoration of the desired concord, 

 and will in this way assist the benignant measures 

 of the Holy See. 



The undersigned cardinal judges it superfluous, 

 when bringing the above to the knowledge of your 

 Excellencv, to make any observation upon what the 

 memorandum says in respect to the beneplacitum to 

 which some governments subject the decrees of coun- 

 cils, the apostolic letters, and every other ecclesi- 

 astical constitution, and also in respect to the appeal 

 to the crown, it being well known what are the prin- 

 ciples professed by the Holy See upon the one and 

 the other. 



The undersigned cardinal profits, therefore, by 

 this opportunity to reiterate to your Excellency the 

 assurances of his distinguished consideration. 



ANTONELLI. 



Baron DE PENEDO, etc., etc. 



The negotiations continued, hut the Brazilian 

 Government did not satisfy the Pope that the 

 bishops had gone beyond the line of their duty. 

 The attitude of Brazil, in appealing to an au- 

 thority whose competence it denied and whose 

 decrees it declared null, was anomalous. The 

 Pope sustained the bishops by two briefs : 



To our Venerable Brother Antonio, Bishop of 

 Belem and Para, Pius IX. Pope. Venerable Brother, 

 Health and Apostolic Benediction: From intelli- 

 gence that has reached here we learn with much sat- 

 isfaction the various circumstances connected with 

 the struggles now going on between the Brazilian 

 Episcopate and Freemasonry, so greatly misrepre- 

 sented by the person who came as a representative 

 to us on the subject, and whose bad faith has been 

 still further demonstrated by his subsequent acts. 

 We, therefore, confirm all we wrote in May last to 

 pur Venerable Brother, the Bishop of Olinda, who 

 is proving himself so worthy of his charge. And 

 still further, we have seen absolutely nothing in 

 your conduct against the sacred canons, but, on the 

 contrary, we have observed that you have acted 



wisely and prudently in every thing. It is unneces- 

 sary for us to give you any commands ; but we ex- 

 hort you, in this trying persecution everywhere 

 waged against the Church by the Freemasons, always 

 to display the same firmness, and never to allow 

 yourself to waver either before the threats of the 

 mighty, nor through a fear of spoliation, exile, im- 

 prisonment, or other trials ; because all afflictions 

 are to the Christian, who suffers like Jesus Christ, 

 so many crowns of glory. They manifest no less 

 than they strengthen in the eyes of the faithful the 

 authority of the bishop, and increase their faith 

 more than any counsel or cares whatsoever. In a 

 word, just as in the infancy of the Church they over- 

 came idolatry, so will they overthrow Freemasonry, 

 together with the multitude of abominable errors 

 growing out of it, and they will reestablish the prac- 

 tice of our religion in all its integrity. These afflic- 

 tions, doubtless, appear to surpass the strength of 

 human infirmity, but we can do every thing in Him 

 who strengthens us, and in whose name we combat. 

 We earnestly implore, therefore, His all-powerful 

 aid for you, for the illustrious and most worthy 

 Bishop of Olinda and for your venerable brethren ; 

 and at the same time, as an earnest of heavenly gifts, 

 and as an evidence of our special good-will, we most 

 affectionately bestow upon you, Venerable Brother, 

 upon them and upon your whole diocese, our Apos- 

 tolic Benediction. 



Given at Eome, near St. Peter's, on the 18th of 

 May, 1874, and the twenty-ninth of our pontificate. 

 PIUS IX., POPE. 



The brief to the Bishop of Olinda was simi- 

 lar in tone, heartily approved of his course, 

 and hoped for his speedy liberation. The im- 

 prisonment of the Bishop of Olinda and laws 

 bearing on the question led in November to an 

 outbreak of the people in Parahyba do Norte, 

 which required the calling out of troops. 



In Venezuela President Guzman Blanco had, 

 on the Prussian plan, deposed the Archbishop 

 of Caracas, and ordered a new election, after 

 banishing Mgr. Sylvester Guebara di Lyra, the 

 archbishop, and some of his suffragans and 

 clergy. Congress then passed an act, appoint- 

 ed a new archbishop, suppressed convents, 

 established civil marriages, and recognized 

 marriages of the clergy. Against these acts 

 the archbishop addressed a protest to Congress, 

 April 10, 1874. Peru likewise showed hos- 

 tility to institutions of the Catholic Church. 



In Chili acts were also passed, imposing 

 penalties for obedience to decrees from Rome, 

 which led to a protest from the Chilian hier- 

 archy on the 5th of October. Ecuador, on the 

 contrary, endeavored to act in harmony with 

 the Catholic Church. 



Mexico pursued the course of hostility to the 

 Catholic Church begun previously, and, toward 

 the close of the year, expelled the Sisters of 

 Charity and all priests of foreign birth. The 

 Government also encouraged Protestant mis- 

 sionaries from the United States, and their 

 preaching and publications excited an indigna- 

 tion and animosity in the lower orders which 

 led to deplorable scenes. One missionary was 

 murdered, and an attack by a mob on a private 

 Catholic chapel, seized by the Government and 

 given to an American missionary, resulted in 

 the death of several persons at Acapulco. 



Among the eminent Catholics who died dur- 



