^ i^AA^A^ ^ ^A^^^^^^^^W -^^^^V^^^^^V^ 6iicycUcal Letter OF Ris r>oUnc9s pope Leo XIH> ON THK jVIanitoba School Question Tor.KTHHK WITH THK pastoral Letter of f)if 6race Hrcbbiabop Begin protnulgating the Gnc judical. t ail t l." I. >»sl )v< N* . ,898. iK'Vt ^"r.'H*: krcC & PUBIISHINC CoMl'ANV (Ltinitefl.) t 'fll , Autigonsh N. S. PUBLIC ARCHIVES NOVA SCOTIA Presented by: A. *i. Hattie, Ksq, , Halifax, N, 3. 1943. • a/? ■^■ I Jl 1l\ ft^M AfoMm flt Nam *iiii L^ n't in POPE LEO XIII.'S ENCYCblCAb bETTEl^ ON THK MANITOBA SCHOOli QUESTION. To Otir Venerable Brothers, the Archbishops^ Bishops^ and other Ordinaries of the Dominion of Canada, having peace and communion with the Apostolic See: Venerable Brothers, Health and Apostolic Benediction — In addressing you, as we most willingly and lovingly do, there naturally occurs to Our mind the continual interchange of proofs of mutual kindliness and good offices that has ever existed between the Apostolic See and the people of Canada. • The charity of the Catholic Church watched by your very cradle, and she has never ceased since she received you into her maternal bosom to hold you in a close embrace, and to be- stow benefits on you with a prodigal hand. If that man of immortal memory, P>ancis de Laval Montmorency, first Bishop of Quebec, was able happily to accomplish for the public good such deeds of renown as your forefathers witnessed, it was be- cause he was supported by the authoiity and favor of the Roman Pontiffs. Nor was it from any other source that the works of succeeding Bishops, men of great merit, had their origin and drew their guarantee of success. In the same way, to go back to earlier days, it was through the inspiration and initiative of the Apostolic See that generous bands of missionaries undertook the journey to your country, bearing, together with the light of the Gospel, a higher culture and the first germs of civilization. It was these germs, rendered fruit- ful by their devoted labors, that have placed the people of Canada, although of recent origin, on an equal footing of cul- ture a.nd glory with the most polished nations of the world. It is most pleasing to recall these facts, all the more so because We can still contemplate their abundant fruits. As- suredly the greatest of these is that amongst the Catholic people there is an ardent love and zeal for our holy religion, for that II ligion which your ancestors, coming providentially, if.-- 2 EnCjifUrMl on tin' Manitoba ^School Qin-'ufion. first and chioflv from Kraiico, then from Ireland, and after- wards from elsewhens faithfnlly ])raeti.sed and transmitted as an inviolable dei)()slt to their children. But if their ehildren have faithfnlly preserved this precious inheritance it is easy for Us to understand how much of praise is due to your viiiilance and your labors, \'enerable Brothers, how nuich also to the zeal of your clergy, for all of you have labored with ummimity and assiduity for the preservation and advancement of the Catholic faith, and — for we nuist pay this liomaive an aeeount to Us of the state of afltvirs, he has faithfully and diliociitly fnllilled the eonnnand • ' which We had jjiven him. ^ The question ajiitated is one of jjreat and exceptionalim- portance. We s])eak of the decision taken seven years ajjo by the Parliament of Manitoi)a on the subject of education. The ' Act of Confederation had secured to Catholic children the . ri^ht of edncation in public schools, in keepinji with their con- ., scientious convictions : thc' Parliament of iNFanitoba abolished this rijiht bv a contrary law. By this law a urave ininrv was • inflicted, for It is not lawful for our children to seek the bene- fits of education in schools in whicii the C'atholic relijiion is . ^ ij>:nored, or actively combated; in schools wiiere its doctrine is , ■ despised and its fmulaniental i)rinciples repudiated. If the , Church anywhere permits this, it is only with reluctance and when there is no help for it; and after havino; taken many \ precilutions, Avhich, however, too often are found uncipial to parrying' the dan: is «!;ranted by law, or custom, or the i»;ood will of men, which will render the evil more tolerable and the danoers more ,, remote, it is ex[)edient and advantajjeous to make me of such concessions, and lo derive therefrom as nnich benefit as possible. Where, however, no remedy can Ite found for the evil. We exhort and beseech that it be provided against by the liberality and muniHcence of their conti'ibiitions : for no one can do anything more salutary for himself, or more conducive to the prosperity of his country, than to contribute, according- to his means, to the maintenance of these schools. There is another ix)int which appeals to your common solicitude, namely, that by your authority, and with the assist- ance of those who direct educational institutions, the course of studies be wisely and carefully drawn uj), and that it be especially ;M'ovided that no one shall be permitted to teach who is noL amply endowed with all the necessary qualities^ natural and acquired ; for it is only right that Catholic schools should be able to compete in learning, culture, and scholarship, with the best in the country. If one looks to intellectual cul- ture and the graces of civilized life, one must recognize as praiseworthy and noble the desire of the Provinces of Canada to develop public instruction, and to raise its standard more and more, in order that it may daily become higher and more perfect. And there is no kind of knowledge, no perfection of learning, which cannot be fully Imniionized with Catholic doctrine. Catholics who are writers on the public and especially on the dailj'^ press can do much towards explaining and defending what we have already said. Let them, therefore, be mindful 1 Eiiri/rl!i-(i.l on flic Midn'/ohd Srhnol (Question , of their duty. Let them sacredly and eourafieously ui)h()ld what is true, what is rioht, what is useful to the Christian Relijiion and the State; let them do it, however, in a deeorous manner. Let them avoid iH-rsonalities ; let them never over- step the hounds of moderation. Let them respect and relioi- ou3ly take heed to the authority of the Hishops and all legi'ti- mate authority. I'he '- Begin'n Pastoral Letter. 9 a single one, in tlie East or in the West, which has not heard his voice and received from his august lips counsel and direc- tion. His great heart goes out to all nations, the lowliest as well as the mightiest, those that are centuries old and those that are in their infancy, those that have remained in the right path as well as those that have wandered from it. For each and all his admirable intellect, enriched with the choicest gifts • of nature and of grace, has been a light like that of the Master, his Divine Model, whose beneficent work he continues. Lately, addressing the Bishops of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, on the question of education — a question which, more perhaps than any other, is the object of his preoccupa- tion and zeal — he affirmed in concise but luminous form the principles by which Catholics must always be guided. We were struck by that teaching, so clear and so strong, which answered so perfectly to the wants of our troublous times. Leo XIII. exhorted the Bishops to leave nothing un- ■ done to maintain the faith whole and entire in all schools, both those intended for children and those which are called higher or academic. He warned them against mixed or neutral schools ; those in which religion is hurt, and those from which it is banished. Indifferentism or neutrality in the school seemed to him a sacrilege, and he did not hesitate to say that " to organize teaching so as to divorce it at every point from religion, is to destroy in the soul the very germs of the beauti- ' ful and the good, and to beget, not defenders of the country, ! but a pest and a plague for the human race." Then, anxious to make heads of families and ail interested I in education understand that what the child claims, by right of j its baptism and of the Catholic Faith, is not merely a smattering I of religious instruction relegated to a secondary place, but a I course of teaching wholly penetrated with the Christian spirit, i he wrote the beautiful words which it is a pleasure for us to repeat: "Not only must religion be taught to children at*. ' certain hours, but the whole teaching must breathe the fragrance j of Christian piety. Otherwise, if that sacred aroma does not j penetrate and enliven the spirit of the teacher and pupils, the j instruction, be it what it may, will produce but little fruit, and i will often on the contrary, have most undesirable resulcs." These important lessons, dearly beloved brethren, Leo XIII. " repeats to-day, in addressing us the masterly Letter which we are charged to promulgate. The Catholics of the whole world will reap benefit from his teaching, but it is upon you especially ' 10 -Wf/'*' Bcifhi'ti Pastoral Ldte.i'. that devolves the duty of listeuinjj; to it with the deepest respect and of putting it faithfully in practice. Thwt the immortal Pontiff should thus deion to interest himself particularly, in us, to study our many needs, to take an exact account of our social condition, of our strength and of our weakness, to search out the cause of the evils from which we are sulTering and of the strifes that divide us, in order to point out the way we must follow and the remedies we must use, is assuredly for all Canada a signal honor and an inestimable advantage. lie to whom it has been said by Jesus Christ himself: " Feed my lambs, feed my sheep: confirm thy brethren," ho it is who speaks from the sacred height of the Vatican, and the pages full of tenderness and of solid doctrine that his hand has traced will form one of the noblest chapters of our national history. But why has the Pope spoken to your Bishops, and through them to the whole Canadian people? Why does he recall to our minds, more forcibly perhaps than he has ever done before in any of the documents which he has published, the unchange- able rules from which the childien of the Church may never swerve in the matter of in 'truction and (education ? It is well that you should know, and we will explain it in a few words. P^ver since their entry into the Canadian Confederation, the Catholics of Manitoba had their own schools, wherein their c.'hildren were taught conformably to their religious principles and the direction of the Church. They had these schools, not in virtue of any concession or tolerance whatever, but in virtue of a solemn pact which could not in honor and in justice be broken, and in which they placed absolute trust. Regardful themselves of the convictions and the rights of those who did not share their belief, they asked no favor, but simply the exercise of the right they possessed of bringing up their chil- dren according to the dictates of their conscience. During twenty years, these rights were recognized and peace and I harmony reigned throughout the Province of Manitoba. All at once, in 18^0, there befell an untoward event which filled our brethren with consternation. For reasons which we need not here dwell upon, a law was passed depriving them, the the weaker, the less numerous, the poorer inhabitants of the country, of that right which was assured to them by the most sacred engagements, and which was dearer to them than their very life. Their schools were done away with and replaced by public schools, to the erection and maintenance of which they . - I Mqi'. Bcr/hi'.s Pastoral Lettci'. II were forced to contribute, and which nevertheU^ss, because of their professed neutrality iu reUiiion. and because of the reguhitions therein put in force and the text-boolcs used, they could not in conscience allow their children to attend. They felt themselves aii^^rieved ; the}' realized all the more the injustice of which they were the victims that, in another Province, the Protestants, who form l»ut a small minority, were beinji; treated by (,'atholics with a fairness and liberality acknowlediied on every hand. Then began for them a time of bitter trial and hardship. Thej' protested manfully and energetically, and with them protested, it may truly be said, throughout the whole country, irres{)ective of creed, ajl who possess the sense of justice, and for whom the stipulations of a contract are not an empty form. These protests proved fruitless, and then the legal contest began. The question was one that intimately concerned the Catholic conscience ; the Bishops could not, therefore, remain idle lookers on. They were true to their duty ; they addressed a joint appeal to Catholics and to all right-minded and loyal citizens. It seemed to them that so just and holy a cause should soon triumph. Their teachings and their counsels are slill fresh in our memory ; future generations, we are sun;, will be grateful to them for what they did during those trying years in behalf of an oppressed minority. Alas ! a question which might so easily and speedily have been settled acco-ding to the pi'inciples of natural equity alone, became involved in numerous and unex- pected complications. Carried from court to court, it was finally thrown into the aiena of politics. Here again, the Bishops, holding themselves aloof from party and from all partizan intrigues, sought, as it was their right and their duty, to win a triumph foi- their cause. It ever remained a question of conscience and they cotdd not al)audon it. The remedial measure brought in by the Federal Government was foiled, and since then our country has continued to be the theatre of painful strife. A new government succeeded the old one. and it was announced one dtiy that an agreement had taken i)lace, a compromise had been concluded, between it and the govern- ment of Manitoba. That compromise did not restore the rights infringed ; the concessions made could tot be brought into harmony with the recjuirements of the Church in this matter. The Bishops could not give it their approval. They therefore declared it unacceptable, and the Catholics of Mani- toba continued to support their own schools at the cost of the greatest sacrifices. (I '' . • ■ Hma^ Archives of Nova Scnfi» 12 Mgr. Begin' s Pastoral Letter. '| . i The situation was becoming more and more intolerable. The question was referred to the Pope, the venerable Head of the Church, whom Catholics recognize as their Supreme Pastor, that great diplomatist, that man of wise and prudent counsel, whom even they who are not of his flock have chosen aa arbiter in their disputes. Leo XIII. was pleased to act as our teacher and adviser, as he had already done in similar circum- stances for other liations. But before making any pronounce- ment on so grave a question, and in order to give satisfaction to all, he appointed a Delegate Apostolic, and charged him to present a report after having heard the interested parties. Leo XIII., then, speaks to us to-day, dearly beloved brethren, with a heart full of the liveliest affection ; he speaks to us after having examined and maturely weighed the whole question, confident that his words will be welcomed as words of equity and peace. His admirable Encyclical will furnish a theme for many salutary instructions; but it is not our intention to offer a commentary upon it to-day. We wish simply to promulgate it, while giving its sense and bearing. The sense is quite clear and cannot give rise to controversy. After justly extolling the glorious achievements that mark the rise and progress of the Church in Canada, after recalling what the Church has done in our country for the education of childhood and youth, after giving Canada a place among the most civilized and most glorious nations of the earth, nay, declaring it their " rival," Leo XIII. addresses himself to the^ solution of the school question. ' .' . V. " The matter of his Letter may be summed up uniJer three principal heads : 1° — Principles of the Catholic Church regarding education ; 2° — Review of the events connected with the Manitoba Bchool question from 1890 to the present day; 3° — Duty of Catholics and of all citizens in regard to this question. , " 1. PRINCIPLES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN REGARD TO EDUCATION. Under the first head, Leo XIII. teaches; 1. — That it belongs to parents above all, under the guidance and with the concurrence of the Church, to provide for the education of their children and to secure them such instruction as shall be in harmony with their religious belief. *' It is a right inherent K>, Mijr. Begin* s Pantoral Lettpr. 18 in parental authority/' says His Holiness, '• to determine in what institutions the children shall be brought up, and who shall be their teachers of morality." Hence it follows that the law of 1890, which inflicted such an injury upon our co- religionists in Manitoba, must be regarded not only as a breach of the Federal compact, but also as an invasion of the inalien- able rights of parents and of the Church. 2. — Leo XIII. condemns emphatically, as he had already often done, mixed and neutral schools. Speaking of the latter, he says: "In like manner one must at all cost avoid as most pernicious those schools wherein every form of belief is indif- ferently admitted and placed on an equal footing — as if in what regards God and divine things it mattered not whether one believed rightly or wrongly, whether one followed truth or falsehood." 3. — Leo XIII. defines the Catholic school to be one which is taught by •' Catholic teachers, in which the readers and text- books are approved by the Bishops," and of which the entire system harmonizes with the religious wants and duties of the young pupils. Without these conditions, Catholic children are exposed to the gravest dangers, and it is a sovereign injustice (to use the very words of Leo XIII) to force fathers of families to expose to such dangers those whose care the Author of nature has confided to them. " When Catholics de- mand — and it is their duty to demand and strive to obtain — that the teaching of the masters shall be in conformity with the religion of their children, they do but make use of their right. And nothing could be more unjust than to force on them the alternative of letting their children grow up in ignorance or of exposing them to manifest danger in what concerns the sup- reme interests of their souls." n. REVIEW OP THE EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE MANITOBA SCHOOL QUESTION FROM THE PASSING OF THE LAW OF 1890 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 1. — Since the law of 1890 inflicted a grievous wrong on the Catholic minority of Manitoba, it was the duty of the Bishops to take up the defence of that minority. They did so, and Leo XIII is pleased to commend their action in these words: "Wherefore, when the new law struck a blow at Catholic education in the province of Manitoba, it was your ■ -■ ■ s -'■ j.^'- '- ■' ' ' 14 s ^^f'Ji'- Ii<'(fhi\s Pastoral Letter. duty, Vener:il)le Brethren, lO protest openly against the in- justice and the injury inflicted ; and thd manner in which you have fuUlUed that duty is a proof of your common vi^ihince and of a zeal truly worthy of bishops. And aUhouy;h, on this point, each one of you finds a sulHcient approbation in the tes- timony of his C(Miscience, know nevertheless that you hnve also Our assent and Our approbation. For those things which you have sought and still seek to protect and defend are tridy sacred." 2. — All honest men, all Catholics especially, ought likewise to have united to defend a cause in comparison of which mere political interests are of no importance. Unfortunately party- spirit prevented the fulfilment of that sacred duty, a fact which the Holy Father bitterly deplores. " What is more deplorable still," says His Holiness, " is that the Catholics of Canada themselves failed to unite as they should in defending interests which are of so great importance to all — of such importance and gravity indeed that, in view of them, the voice of party politics, which is concerned with matters of much less moment, ought to have been luished." 3. — The agreement eftected between the Federal authorities and the Government at Winnipeg, to which they were pleased to give the name of settlement of the school-qitestion, is de- clared defective, imperfect, insutiicient, and therefore cannot be accepted as an equitable solution of the question. " The Catholics ask," says Leo XHl., "and no one can deny that they justly ask, for much more. In a word, the. rights of Catholics and the education of their children have not yet been sutliciently provided for in Manitoba." With reason, then, have the Bishops repudiated that arrangement, and the Mani- toban minority refused to be bound by it. ■ -■ * • * III. r DUTIES OF CATHOLICS AND OF ALL CITIZENS IN REGARD ^ TO THE QUESTION. It was not enough to have pointed out the injustice done and the inadequacy of the measures taken to repair it. It was needful to trace out a line of conduct for the future. And this Leo XIII. has done in the last part of his Encyclical. 1. — Catholics are bound, to strive by all lawful means to regain their rights. "Such," says the Pope, " should be the aim, such the object to be pursued with zeal and prudence." 2. — In this arduous endeavor, in which all should have the I , M(jr. Ber/'ii'.s PaMoral Letter. lo snmo mind and the same dcsiiv. namely, to secure entire jnatice to the HMuority, if honest ditferenees of opinion arise, let tlieni be stated with all moderation and charity, and finally <>ive way to a concert of minds and a l)rothei'ly unanimity. The prin- ciple of such unity of action is the episcopal authority and direction, without which nothip