Chapter 19
part two chapter nine of garcia moreno by guston berth this the profox recording is in the public domain recording by maria the concord at eighteen sixty two our readers will not have forgotten what we have before said as to the origin of ecclesiastical patronage in ecuador the kings of spain had obtained numberless privileges from the sovereign pontiff relating to ecclesiastical questions and the appointment of bishops this was all very well as long as these privileges were exerted by catholic princes who had at heart the good of the people and the maintenance of the church but it was quite another thing when such powers fell into the hands of the revolutionists who were determined to form a national church and to substitute the civil power for that of the pope to establish in fact the supremacy of the state over the church this masonic dogma was detestable to garcia moreno and feeling with st anselm that god loves nothing better than the liberty of his church he resolved to snap asunder the change which had so long bound her to do this he had obtained from congress authority to conclude a concordat with the holy see his first care now was to choose a man who could undertake this difficult and delicate mission for not long before the minister of buenos aires having insisted on inserting in his concordat a clause in favour of liberty of worship
pius the ninth had broken off the negotiations garcia moreno chose a priest still young but whose ideas and intentions harmonized with his own di ignacio ordonez then archdeacon of cuenca footnote d'iignazio was always honoured by garcia moreno's affection and confidence which both his talents and virtues well deserved as senator he only defended the church and the congress as bishop of riobamba he spent all his revenues in the works necessary for his new diocese when exiled by the revolutionists who put garcia moreno to death he passed several years in france and gave up his seat with wonderful disinterestedness when peace was once more re-established leo the thirteenth promoted him to the archiepiscopal see of quito and insisted upon his acceptance of the dignity which the humble prelate considered to be a burden far beyond his strength may god grant that for the interest of the church in ecuador a long life may be granted to this holy and excellent man who was the constant friend and faithful auxiliary of graziano moreno having been sent to france towards the end of the year eighteen sixty one with a commission to bring back the brothers and sisters for the primary schools d'ignacio pushed on to rome there he received from his government to his great surprise an official missive appointing him minister plenipotentiary from ecuador to the holy see
so as to arrange the proposed concordat his first idea was to refuse the honour for which he thought himself insufficient but pious the ninth reassured him by these words full of goodness and wisdom as a priest you must know the rights of the church as an inhabitant of ecuador the needs of your country besides you are furnished with minute instructions from your president what do you wish for more and he added with his fine smile must a man be a metternich to treat with pious the ninth one may add that it was still less difficult to treat with garcia moreno this great statesman gave the following simple but sublime instruction to his envoy i wish for the complete liberty of the church and the complete reform also of the secular and regular clergy i entreat the sovereign pontiff to send us a nuncio invested with supreme power to enforce these reforms upon all after six months discussion the plan of the concordat al referendum was signed on september twenty sixth eighteen sixty two by cardinal antonelli prime minister and by diagnosio ordones from the potentiary of ecuador this is its substance the catholic apostolic and roman religion is the religion of the state to the exclusion of all other form of worship and of all societies condemned by the church
it will be preserved perpetually in its integrity with all its rights and prerogatives conformably to the order established by god and to canon law education in every branch will be modelled on the principles of the catholic church the bishops alone will have the right to decide on the books which shall be made use of by the students for the teaching of ecclesiastical science and of those which regard faith or morals further than this they will exercise their right with full liberty to prescribe and prohibit all books contrary to religion or morals the government also will take all the necessary measures to prevent the introduction of such books into the republic as to the university the colleges and the primary schools the bishops who are invested by god with the right to watch over all matters of doctrine and morals will have the authoritative inspection of them all the sovereign pontiff having jurisdiction over the whole church both the bishops and faithful may communicate freely with him without either his letters or the pontifical rescripts being submitted to the exquator of the civil powers the bishops will have full liberty in the administration of their respective dioceses as also in convocation or in the holding of provincial or diocesan synods the church will exercise without lead or hindrance full power to possess and administer her property ecclesiastical tribunals will be re-established in their integrity
the cases of clerics will be dealt with by ecclesiastical authority without any appeal to secular tribunals appeals are abuses which are and must remain suppressed the church grants to the president of the republic the right of presentation to vacant bishoprics the bishops will select and submit three candidates to the president out of whom he must make his choice and that within three months after that time the nomination will lapse to the holy see footnote see the text of the concordat and el national of april twenty second eighteen sixty three and footnote after one or two clauses relating to the special needs of ecuador the concordat concludes with this last article the law of patronage is and will remain suppressed the articles of the concordat being thus determined an exchange of signatures was to take place at quito and pius the ninth sent an apostolic delegate to represent the holy see this prelate monsignor tavani was the bearer of an autograph letter from his holiness to congratulate garcia moreno on his profound piety towards the holy see and his ardent zeal for the interests of the catholic church
exhorting him to favour the full liberty of this daughter of christ as well as the diffusion of his divine teaching on which alone the peace and happiness of a people depended this concordat continued monsignor will furnish the world a new proof of catholic unity of the mutual support lent by the sword to the tiara and of the indestructible links which unite the eternal city of rome and the republic of ecuador garcia moreno's love for the holy and good pious the ninth knew no bounds and also his indignation at the persecution he was then enduring from garibaldi and his followers he made a magnificent speech in this sense to the papal nuncio who duly transmitted it to the holy father soon after don ignacio ordonez arrived bearing the projected concordat the president accepted all the conditions but before pending his signature he inquired if the clauses had been inserted with regard to the reform of the clergy now on this question there had been some difference of opinion garcia moreno had begged that the pontifical delegate might be sent with full powers to make the delinquents return to their duties and to those among the religious who resisted reform he admitted of no alternative but secularisation
this idea displeased the authorities at rome and the holy father sent word that though he was as anxious as garcia moreno himself for reform he thought it could be brought about by gentleness and persuasion but this would have upset all the president's hopes he knew too well the state of the religious houses in ecuador and that without vigorous measures the concordat would remain a dead letter return immediately to rome he exclaimed to his minister and tell the pope that i accept all the articles of the concordat but on condition that he also should impose the reform of the clergy if he will not do this i cannot impose the concordat don ignacio set off immediately and reappeared before pius the ninth who was stupefied at his prompt and unexpected return doubtless exclaimed the pope you come to say to me like caesar vene viti vici on the contrary i come to announce to your holiness that the president refused to sign the concordat and as pius the ninth showed immense astonishment don ignazio explained that if they had taken count of garcia marina's instructions concerning the liberty of the church they had omitted his propositions regarding the reform of the clergy
i wish for the reform replied the pope but not by the same means but he affirms replied the minister that if your holiness knew the situation as well as he does you would see clearly that the means he proposes are the only efficacious means in fact without this reform and that an immediate one the execution of the concordat is impossible pious the ninth knew by his own experience the difficulty of bringing about reforms by persuasion alone even though backed by the highest authority his scruples consequently disappeared before the conscientious energy of the inflexible president and he at once decided that plenary powers should be granted to the apostolic delegates a month later on april twenty second eighteen sixty three all obstacles having been removed the concordat was solemnly promulgated in the capital and in all the towns of ecuador at quito the ceremony was performed in the metropolitan church with all the pomp and dignity befitting so historical an event after the pontifical mass the president and the papal delegate surrounded by all the civil and military authorities proceeded to the exchange of signatures after which the articles of the concorda were read out to the people
then while they all intoned the te deum and amidst salvos of artillery the ecuador flag and that of the holy father were simultaneously hoisted to symbolise before every one the close union which was henceforth to exist between the church and the state by this act of christian policy an act without parallel in the history of modern nations garcia moreno raised himself above all statesmen since the days of st louis alone among sovereigns he understood what was needed for the reform of human society and alone in spite of the radical and socialist elements which are the destruction of both people and things he restored true liberty to his country by placing her once more under the government of god chapter nine
