The Irish Catholic Bishops have met at Holy Cross College,
Clonliffe, Dublin, and have agreed to resolutions concerning the Papal Rescript which they have ordered to be published, resolutions in which they declare, first, that in obedience to the commands of the Holy See, they wish to put on public record that the Rescript " is intended to affect the domain of morals alone, and in no way to interfere with politics as such in this country,"—the important words "as such" just saving them from anything like disrespect to the Pope ; next, that on the day of their meeting they have received from the Pope an assurance of his "deep and paternal interest in the temporal welfare of the country, and that, so fax from intending by this decree to injure our national movement, it was the hope and purpose of his Holiness to remove those things which he judged might in the long-run be obstacles to its advancement and ultimate success,"—in'other words, that so long as they
do not use immoral means, the Pope has no objection to the agitation for Home-rule, a statement of which we never felt any doubt ; thirdly, that they warn their people against "hasty or irreverent language with reference to the Sovereign Pontiff," or with reference to the Sacred Congreg,a- tion ; and, lastly, that "while expressing deep and lasting gratitude to the leaders of the national movement for the signal services they have rendered to religion and the country," they deem it their duty to remind the national leaders and their flocks, as they "most emphatically do," that the Roman Pontiff "has an inalienable and divine right to speak with authority on all questions appertaining to faith and morals." This is a very politic series of resolutions. It really means that the Bishops and clergy give up the "Plan of Campaign" and " Boycotting " in obedience to the Rescript, but all the more ardently adopt the Nationalist movement, and are not inclined to add their own warning to the Pope's warning, deeply as they respect it, against the "Plan of Campaign" and Boycotting."
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