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LXXXVI. 17.

28 December 1814.

Letter of the Pope to the English Catholics*.

In this letter his holiness acknowledges the receipt of the preceding address, and informs the English catholics, that he had transmitted the rescript of Monsignor Quarantotti to a congregation of cardinals; that the matter ought to be examined ab integro.-We insert a translation of it in the Appendix.

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LXXXVI. 18.

26 April 1815.

Cardinal Litta's Letter to Dr. Poynter↑.

By this letter his eminence informs Dr. Poynter, that "his holiness will feel no hesitation in allowing those, to whom it appertains, to present to "the king's ministers a list of candidates, in order that, if any of them should be obnoxious or sus"pected, the government might immediately point "him out, so as that he might be expunged:"Care however being taken to leave a sufficient "number for his holiness to choose from it indivi"duals, whom he might deem best qualified in the Lord for governing the vacant churches."

Appendix, Note IV.

† Appendix, Note V.

LXXXVI. 19.

23 and 24 August 1815.

Further Resolutions of the Irish Prelates respecting the Veto.

Ar a meeting of the roman-catholics in Dublin, they came to the following resolution :--that "it " is our decided and conscientious conviction, that any power granted to the crown of Great Britain, "of interfering directly or indirectly in the appointment of bishops for the roman-catholic "church in Ireland, must essentially injure and may eventually subvert the roman-catholic religion in this country.

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"That with this conviction, deeply and unalterably fixed in our minds, we should consider "ourselves as betraying the dearest interests of that

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portion of the church, which the Holy Ghost has "committed to our care, did we not declare most "unequivocally, that we will at all times and under "all circumstances, deprecate and oppose, in every "canonical and constitutional way, any such inter"ference.

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Though we sincerely venerate the supreme pontiff, as visible head of the church, we do not "conceive that our apprehensions for the safety "of the roman-catholic church in Ireland can or "ought to be removed by any determination of "his holiness, adopted or intended to be adopted, not only without our concurrence, but in direct

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opposition to our repeated resolutions, and the "very energetic memorial presented on our behalf, "and so ably supported by our deputy, the most "reverend Dr. Murray; who, in that quality, was

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more competent to inform his holiness of the real "state and interests of the roman-catholic church "in Ireland, than any other with whom he is said "to have consulted."

These resolutions were unanimously agreed to by the four metropolitan archbishops, by Dr. Everard the coadjutor of the archbishop of Cashel, by Dr. Murray the coadjutor of the archbishop of Dublin, by the bishops of Meath, Cloyne, Clonfert, Kerry, Waterford, Derry, Achonry, Killala, Killaloe, Kilmore, Ferns, Limerick, Elphin, Cork, Downe and Connor, Ossory, Raphoe, Clogher, Dromore, Kildare and Leighlin and Ardagh, and the warden of Galway.

LXXXVI. 20.

1 February 1816.

The Pope's Letter to the Irish Prelates on the subject of their Resolutions.

A COPIOUS extract from this letter was transmitted by the catholic bishops to the catholic board in Ireland, and is published in the Appendix *."With what pain do we find it expressly declared "in your letter," exclaims his holiness, "that the "expedient, which among others for satisfying

"the government of the loyalty of those to be "elected bishops, not only did not meet your approbation, but appeared to threaten destruction "to the catholic religion in Ireland."

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His holiness argues this point with the prelates at great length,-and finally bids them "observe "how destitute those, their apprehensions, were, "of all reason and of all foundation."

LXXXVI. 21.

19 July 1817.

Remonstrance of the General Board of Catholics in Ireland.

THIS letter was addressed by the general board of the Irish catholics to his holiness, deprecating any interference of the British government in the nomination to vacant catholic sees, and praying for such "a concordate with the catholic bishops "in Ireland, as will render the election of their successors perfectly domestic and purely catholic; "and will at the same time insure the institution "to the person so to be elected."

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LXXXVI. 22.

21 February 1818.

The Pope's Reply.

His holiness replied to the board; he refers them to his letter to the Irish prelates." As to the suspicions and alarms, which," says his holiness,

"we find from the conclusion of your letter, you "entertain concerning the ecclesiastical affairs of your country, we order you to be at ease.

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For

you ought to consider that we have viewed and weighed the manner in which we should conduct "ourselves in regard to these matters, whenever any opportunity should present itself."

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We shall conclude the article by observing, that up to this very moment, the veto has never been a subject of any motion, or even of any serious discussion among the English catholics. To the acceptance of it,—either unfortunately given, or unfortunately retracted,-by the Irish prelates, the veto, with every thing that belongs to it, is solely owing. To charge it on the English is unjust and ungenerous in the extreme.

CHAP. LXXXVII.

BOARD OF THE ENGLISH ROMAN-CATHOLICS.

THE nature of the board of the British romancatholics having been greatly misrepresented, the writer apprehends that the following short account of the formation and construction of it may be inserted without impropriety in this place.

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In the preceding pages it has been mentioned, that, in the year 1782, a committee of romancatholic noblemen and gentlemen was appointed at a general meeting of the body for the management of their public concerns; that, successive

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