THE TABLET
A VReekly Newspaper and Review
D um VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCOEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.
From the B r ie f o j H is Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , Ju n e 4, 1870.
V o l . 4 1 . N o . 1 7 1 5 . L o n d o n , F e b r u a r y 2 2 , 1 8 7 3 .
P r ic e 3d. B y P ost 5%
[R eg iste r ed a t t h e G en er a l P o st O f f ic e a s a N ew s paper .
C h r o n ic l e o f t h e W e e k : The
Page
Persecution at Geneva.— Protest of Mgr. Mermillod.— The History of the Rupture.—Attitude and Duties •o f the Catholics.— The Conservative Protestants.— The Attack on ■ the Parochial Clergy.— The Bishop o f Bale and the Five Cantons.— Spain, Portugal, and Prince Amadeo. —The Morrow of the Revolution.— America, Spain, and 'Cuba.— Proposed Measures.— The Spanish Army.— The Carlists.— The Galway Election Prosecutions. — Lord Selborne’s Bill.— The Juries Bill.— The Strike in the Ogmore Valley and at Merthyr.—The Report of the Dufaure Committee.— French Electoral Reform, &c., &c. 221
CONTENTS
Page
L e a d e r s :
The Proposed Government of the
Irish University . . . 225 Philosophy and History in a Mixed
University ..... 225 Spoliation in Rome— Responsbili-
ties of the British Government . 226 The Irish College in Paris . . 227 O ur P r o t e s t a n t C ontem po r ar ie s :
Creeds and Critics.— The Science of History.— German Bishops.— The Folly of Religion . . . 228 T h e A n glican Movement :
The Athanasian Creed . . . 229 R e v ie w s :
Church Defence .... 229 History of Napoleon I, . . 231 The Rise of Great Families, See. . 232 The Greys of Cotham . . . 233
S h ort N o t ic e s : Bibliographia Ca-
Page tholica Americana.— The Anglican Alphabet.— Debrect . . . 233 C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :
The New Irish University . . 233 The Bishop of Newport and Menevia and the “ Saturday Review” 234 Provost Husenbeth’s Library . 234 S. Winifrede’s Well . . . 234 Our Agricultural Labourers . . 234 The G e n e s i s ................................... 234 “ The Helpers o f the Holy See” . 234 Famine in South Wales . . 234 F oreign N ew s :
Russia ..... 235 P a r l ia m e n t a r y S ummary . . 235 R ome :
Letter from our own Correspondent 240
.
R ome (continued) :
Letter from an Occasional Corre
Page s p o n d e n t ...................................... 241 R ecord of G erm an P er secution , I &c. 242 D io c e sa n N ew s :
Westminster ..... 243 Liverpool ..... 244 Salford ..... 244 S h r ew s b u r y ...................................... 246 I r e l a n d :
Letter frbm our Dublin Corre
spondent ..... 246 The Galway Prosecutions . . 246 M em oranda :
Educational . . . . . 248 Literary . . . . . 248 L e g a l ................................................248 Gen e r a l N ew s . . . . 249
CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.
THE TERSECUTION AT GENEVA, . A
T Geneva matters have proceeded to ex
tremity, and Mgr. Mermillod, a born citizen of Geneva, has been expelled from Swiss territory by an arbitrary act o f violence which would be impossible in a really free country. In the letter which he sent on Saturday to the Council of State he explained that the nomination o f a Vicar-Apostolic is in no way similar to the erection of an episcopal see, that it is the course always adopted when there is a difficulty o ra conflict about jurisdiction and when it is desired to pave the way to an agreement, that it is a measure temporary and provisional in its nature, and leaves the door open 1o every attempt at a treatment of the matters in dispute. Moreover, that there are only three practical solutions of the problem of the relations between Church and State ; namely, complete liberty, as in England or America; an arrangement in the nature of -a Concordat, or oppression of the Church by the State. Finally that he cannot cease to discharge his functions as Vicar-Apostolic towards the Catholics who freely accept him as such, and that he asks from the State neither for favour nor privilege, neither for pecuniary support, nor even for any official character. The whole of the clergy of the Canton waited on the Bishop of Hebron that same morning to assure him of their unvarying obedience and sympathy, and on .Sunday he preached in Notre Dame for the last time before .going into exile.
PROTEST OF
MGR. MERMILLOD.
The arrest of the Bishop of Hebron was effected in his own residence, attached to Notre Dame, at eleven o’clock on Monday. The Commissary, his secretary, and two police agents entered the house and prevented all egress. The Bishop then assembled the clergy and dictated a protest which is published in the Swiss Times and other papers. “ We protest,” he said, “ in the name of the rights of the Catholic Church, “ in the name of the liberty of Catholic consciences violated “ in my person, in the name o f my rights as a free citizen of “ the Helvetian Republic, against the decree o f banishment ■“ by which the Federal Council puts me outside the territory x‘ o f my country without having heard me in person, without “ judging me, and without violation on my part of any law of “ the Constitution.” The Bishop was only allowed a few minutes for his preparations, and consented instead o f walking, as he wished, to enter a cab in order to avoid any chance o f disturbance. When asked by the Commissary whither he wished to be taken, he replied that he had no orders to give, and the Commissary directed the man to drive to the frontier on the Ferney road, between three and four miles from Geneva, where the Bishop descended, and accompanied by
New Series. Y ol, IX . No. 224.
four o f his clergy who had followed in another carriage, walked on to Ferney, where he entered the church and was speedily offered hospitality by the Curé. A ll through theafternoon and the next day the Ferney road was crowded with the carriages of the Genevese on their way to express their sympathy and regret, and in the evening the Bishop preached in the Church of Ferney, and a meeting was held in the Cure’s house, when the Bishop again protested against the violation o f law and liberty which had been committed. The attitude of Catholics is one of quiet, law-abiding indignation. In the evening the Miserere was sung in Notre Dame, and there was an immense crowd both within and without the church, but no disturbance whatever. In any country whereconstitutional rights and individual liberty really existed, Mgr. Mermillod would be speedily able to reverse the unjust decree of exile by an appeal to the legal tribunals. It is not pretended that he has in any way broken the law, it is the mere presence of a spiritual head of the Geneva Catholics, even an unpaid and provisional one, which the petty tyrants o f that Canton and their Radical friends at Berne will not endure.
We have said before that the Holy See could the history n0(- p0SSibly have adopted a more moderate and rupture, conciliatory course than that o f appointing a
Vicar-Apostolic as the temporary pastor o f the
Catholics of Geneva, left without any spiritual head. Not even in the times which preceded Catholic emancipation in England did the State in this country object to the presence o f Vicars-Apostolic. Such arbitrary violence is reserved for Switzerland, which, instead o f being a free or enlightened country, can now, as far as Catholics are concerned, be only compared to Russia, and to the Russia of some years ago. The case, moreover, when looked into is worse than it at first appears. It seems that the brief appointing the VicarApostolic was founded on an understanding between Mgr. Agnozzi, the Pontifical Chargé d ’Affaires, and M. Weld, the President of the Swiss Confederation for 1872. That high official was of opinion that there could be no possible objection to the nomination of a Vicar-Apostolic, and offered to arrange an interview between Mgr. Agnozzi and the representatives of the Canton o f Geveva. M. Carteret, however, and M. Cambassedès would not hear of any arrangement, their object being to push matters to a rupture at any cost ; and the new President, M. Cérésole, who owes his position to the Catholic deputation in the Federal Assembly, has given them his entire support.
The State, therefore, as represented by a attitude Radical Government and Radical majority both “ r * ' n t'le Canton and the centre o f the FederaCATHOLics. tion, has declared war against the whole Catho
lic population. Every single member of the
