The following statement is taken from the second edition of the
_Persecutions Suffered by the Catholics of Ireland Under the Rule of
Cromwell and the Puritans_, by the Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran, D.D.,
Archbishop of Sydney. Dublin: 1884. Appendix ii., p. 464:—
The many links that for centuries have united Ireland with the
Holy See are familiar to our Irish readers. Even during the
persecution of Elizabeth we find our country engaging Rome’s
special care. Pro-nuncios were despatched to her shores, to
guard and defend the interests of the Catholic faith; her
children, who rose in arms to assert her rights, received from
Rome not only words of encouragement but funds to aid their
cause; and when her clergy were persecuted and imprisoned, the
Holy Father not only stretched out to them an assisting hand,
but by repeated briefs solicited the mediation of foreign
princes, that the rigour of the persecution might be relaxed,
and the captives restored to liberty.[26]
During the period of which we treated in the preceding pages,
at the very commencement of the struggle of the Confederates,
the saintly Scarampo was sent to encourage them, and guide them
by his counsels. Later still, we find the Nuncio Rinuccini sent
on a like mission, besides being the bearer of ample subsidies.
At every stage of their momentous proceedings, letters were
sent from Rome to the French and Spanish monarchs, as well as
to the minor princes of Germany and Italy, exhorting them to
lend their aid to the Irish nation; whilst other letters were
from time to time transmitted to the bishops and confederate
leaders, rejoicing with them in their triumph, condoling in
their afflictions, healing their dissensions, and exhorting
them to union and constancy in the cause of justice and
religion.
It would be easy to give further instances of the solicitude of
the Holy See for its faithful children; and to record the many
letters of exhortation and encouragement which were addressed
to the citizens of Dublin, and others, during their long
struggles and sufferings in the cause of religion and their
king; but we reserve them for another occasion, not wishing to
extend this note to too great a length.
We shall merely state for the present that during the interval
of Cromwell’s triumph, we find the assistance of the Holy
See bountifully given to the banished clergy and people; and
immediately after the restoration, letters were again addressed
to all the Catholic powers, praying them “to commission their
respective ambassadors at the English Court to defend and
protect the interest of the poor Catholics of Ireland, and
especially of the priests who were imprisoned for the faith in
many parts of that kingdom.”[27]
Thirty years later, when the sword of persecution was again
unsheathed against the Irish Catholics, the Pope was still
their unflinching advocate. Remittances were yearly sent from
Rome to the Court of St. Germain for the relief of the Irish
exiles, whilst additional aid was bountifully supplied to
the banished and persecuted members of the Hierarchy. In the
Vatican archives we find it registered that 72,000 francs were
then annually supplied by Rome for the support of the Irish
secular clergy and laity; on the 15th of July, 1698, we find
an additional remittance of 23,655 livres for the religious
who were banished from Ireland. Instructions were, moreover,
sent to the Nuncios in the foreign Courts to give every
protection and aid to the Irish Cathodes; and even a jubilee
was proclaimed in Italy to solicit the prayers and alms of
the faithful of that country for our suffering people. In the
month of January, 1699, we meet with a list of 27,632 livres
received from the Holy Father, and distributed to various
Irish ecclesiastics who had lately taken refuge in France
and Belgium. In the month of February there is another list
of 11,832 livres similarly distributed; and in March, as we
learn from a letter of the Nuncio in Paris to Cardinal Spada
(dated 9th March, 1699), 53,000 livres were sent by the Pope
to St. Germain, and distributed by King James to “the Irish
ecclesiastics then sent into exile.” There is another list
dated from St. Germain, 29th March, 1699, which we give entire.
Its details must be peculiarly interesting to our readers:—
“To Mr. Magennis, Superior to the College des Lombards 1,200
To do. do. to be distributed amongst the Irish
Missioners 1,200
To Mr. Nolan, Superior of another Irish Community in
Paris for the support of the poor students in his
community 1,000