The Confederate Memorial to the Catholic Prelates

The Galway Vindicator, Wednesday, October 27, 1847

The following is the copy of a memorial which was intended to be presented on yesterday week to the Catholic prelates assembled in Synod, on the part of the "Catholic" portion of the Irish Confederates. The document will speak for itself. On the duty in question a deputation consisting of the Rev. Messrs. Kenyon and Meehan, and of Messrs. Charles Gavan Duffy and Pigot, conveyed the document to the Presbytery in Marlborough—street, where their lordships were assembled ; but the Catholic prelates, perhaps in error as to its purport, or learning that it impeached the conduct of some of their venerated members, returned the memorial unread. The document was, however, published in the last number of the Nation, and we accordingly present it to our readers : —

To the Most Rev. and Right Rev. their Graces and Lordships the Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland, in Synod Assembled.

The Memorial of the Undersigned Irish Catholics, on behalf of themselves and other Catholic members of the Irish Confederation, prayeth.

That whereas memorialises having been born and educated in the Catholic faith, reverencing the Church, its doctrines, and traditions ; honouring its apostolic founders and illustrious saints ; and, from their souls, desirous to live according to its laws, and in amity with all their brethren ; have, nevertheless, of late, to their public and private injury, been misrepresented to their nation and the world as sceptics and infidels, by dignitaries and clergymen of the church ; and having appealed in vain personally to contain of their assailants for proof or withdrawal of these accusations, now beg to approach your most reverend synod, and respectfully to ask judgment upon these charges.

That your memorialises in the conscientious exercise of their judgment, were obliged by circumstances to recommend certain political principles for adoption which they believed would be successful in attaining the end they had in view, viz., a Repeal of the Legislative Union. That these principles having attracted much attention are exceedingly well—known — that there is nothing in them contrary to Christianity, to the Catholic religion, or to public morals, and that they are not calculated to injure, and certainly were not in the slightest degree intended to infringe on, those rules which the church as the guardian of faith and morals enjoins. That notwithstanding these publicly advocated principles have been made the sole grounds for those heavy accusations ; the accusing party not pretending to any private knowledge of us which would justify their charges.

We beseech your lordships' attention to the following detail of the charges, and of the redress we seek for :—

Whereas, as members of a political society (the Loyal National Repeal Association), certain of your memorialises refused to subscribe to the doctrine that political ameliorations can never be lawfully effected by means of physical force. We humbly conceive that our opinion is in no way opposed to the faith of that church ; that she never, by formal definition or otherwise, prohibited or condemned this opinion ; and that we therefore, in refusing to abjure it, have not violated the spirit or the letter of any law, or doctrine, or principle whatever of our religion — Yet, because we refused to subscribe to a formal and solemn condemnation of this opinion, we have been denounced by the Right Reverend the Bishop of Ardagh 'as false and sanguine Repealers'. The very reverend the parish priests of Birr and of Wicklow, the Rev. Richard M'Loughlin, of Ahascragh, and several other clergymen, have publicly stigmatised our doctrine as 'untrue in morals' ; as 'worthy of utter abhorrence and detestation' ; as 'abhorrent to religion', and 'at open rebellion with the Christian principle'. The Right Rev. the Bishop of Meath, in a letter dated July 31, 1846, pronounces and insensible to our obligations as Roman Catholics. These sentiments uttered (as your memorialises presume) by the right reverend and reverend gentlemen in their capacity as members of the aforesaid Association, have been used against us as the decision of the church in Ireland. This matter, therefore, we humbly submit requires adjudication ; for, besides the injury that we have sustained hereby in our private and in our public character, many of our countrymen are liable to be misguided into error, if these denunciations be, as we esteem them, rash and unfounded. May it please your most rev. synod, therefore to set...