Letter from Catholic Appeal Committee on Account of Their Mission Before Depature for Ireland

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Pontifical Irish College

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Hagan, John, 1873-1930

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Typescript copy letter from [Catholic Appeal Committee, Rome] (no signature, possibly fragmented), to Cardinal [...], rendering account of their mission before departure for Ireland. As instructed by him, they had an interview with Monsignor Borgongini. Despite tendering a declaration of loyalty to Pope and Irish bishops ('our...anxiety to stand well with the bishops'), the Pope refused to receive them himself. Criticising Borgongini's 'new doctrine' that all military activity against a de facto government, whether or not imposed and sustained by enemy help, is a mortal sin. While ready to meet Cardinal Logue, as demanded, pointing to the cardinal's consistently pro-English stance and his late uncharitable and bitter approach to republicans. Entering emphatically a protest against refusal of access to the Holy Father where English envoys find ready entry. Pointing to grievances made known to the Holy See also by Monsignor Luzio, and in particular the unjust detention of republicans, currently on hunger strike. Warning that the loss of confidence in the Vatican will cause republican leaders to act with less constraint towards the bishops than up to now: the church could take grave wounds: quoting Archbishop MacHale on damage done to the faith by the political involvement of the hierarchy. There will be 'the cry that the time has clearly come for administering such a lesson to churchmen as will deter them once for all from ever again using spiritual bonds to tie the hands of the Irish people ... [fighting for] the God-given right of Ireland... to the liberty and independence which no churchman thinks of contemning in any other country.' (This belongs in October 1923; it was found in HAG 3 ('political'). It is connected to a delegation with Conn Murphy alluded to by P. Murphy, Enniscorthy, 1923/594, and Hagan, Rome, 1923/670.)