PREFACE This volume contains an account of the Archpriests, Prefects of Missions, Vicars Apostolic, and Bishops, who governed the Catholic Church in Great Britain from the time of the extinction of the ancient hierarchy in Queen Elizabeth's reign, down to the present day. The materials, with the exception of some documents from the Private Archives of the Vatican and from the Archivio di Stato in Rome, have been derived from the Archives of the Propaganda and of the English College in Rome, and from other authentic sources. Of the defects in the execution of this work, the author is fully sensible, and he has endeavoured, by means of "Corrections and Additions," to remedy some of them. It remains for him to return his sincere thanks to all those persons who have in various ways facilitated his researches. His acknowledgements are especially due to His Eminence Cardinal Franchi, Prefect of the Propaganda; to Monsignor Cretoni, Archivist of the Propaganda; to the Rev. Sante Pieralisi, Librarian of the Barberini; to the Very Rev. Dr Henry O'Callaghan, Rector of the English College, Rome; to Signor A. Bertolotti, Archivist in the Archivio di Stato, Rome; to the Rev. Charles Allen, Vice-Rector of the English College, Valladolid; to the Rev. Dr Campbell, Vice-Rector of the Scots College, Rome; to the Right Honble the Lord Petre; to Major General A. Stewart Allan, Shene Lodge, Richmond, Surrey; to the Very Rev. James Spencer Northcote, President of St Mary's College, Oscott; to the Rev. Edward I. Purbrick, Rector of Stonyhurst College; to the Rev. John Chapman, Vice-President of St Edward's College, Everton, Liverpool; to the Rev. James Bernard Murphy, Prior of St Gregory's, Downside; to the Very Rev. John Gillow, D.D., Vice-President of St Cuthbert's, Ushaw; to the Rev. W. A. Johnson, Secretary to Cardinal Manning; to John V. Hornyold, Esq., Blackmore Park; to the Rev. Thomas E. Gibson, Lydiate Hall, Ormskirk; to the Rev. Richard Holden; the Rev. Frederic Neve, D.D.; the Rev. Patrick Phelan; the Very Rev. Canon John Worthy; the Rev. Henry Coll; the Rev. James Nary; the Rev. Thomas M. Margison; and the Rev. Thomas Ullathorne, St Mary's, Lowe House, St Helen's. Rome. 24 Via Massimo d'Azeglio Feast of S. Agatha. 1877. ANGLICAN B EFORE giving an account of the manner in which the Holy See provided for the spiritual wants of England during the period when a cruel policy rendered it impossible to fill the vacant sees with Catholic prelates, it will be necessary to explain why the bishops consecrated according to the protestant ritual during the reigns of Elizabeth and her successors on the English throne, have been denied any place, even that of schismatical bishops, in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The Roman archives have uniformly ignored the State episcopate in the three Kingdoms, and the Holy See has always in practice treated the protestant ordinations as null and void. Anglican writers have from time to time protested against the line of conduct pursued in this respect by the Pope, and have asserted that the churches founded in Great Britain by Saint Augustine, and in Ireland by Saint Patrick, have their only lawful and true succcession. in the protestant hierarchy established in those countries by the Crown and Parliament. ANGLICAN THE ANGLICAN STATEMENT ti Anglican protestants in fact contend that v STATEMENT new Church was formed by Queen Elizabel, and that the succession of catholic bishops continued t broken. The church, they say, reformed herself, and restored her doctrines to primitive purity. It is manifest that this controversy embraces a variety of topics which it belongs to theologians to discuss; but inasmuch as the chief facts on which the controversy is based have been disputed, it will be useful to offer a plain statement of matters of history, which will enable unprejudiced persons to judge more fairly of the question at issue. The case as regards the English succession may be thus stated. The present protestant archbishops and bishops of the State Church possess the titles and temporalities of the ancient sees, and trace their descent by way of episcopal ordinations from Matthew Parker, who was consecrated to the see of Canterbury by order of Queen Elizabeth, on the 15th of December, 1559. The fact that he was consecrated to that see in the year stated, is beyond dispute. That he was ever validly consecrated, is denied by Catholic and maintained by protestant authorities. Upon this controversy many volumes have been written by learned men on both sides, and it is likely many more volumes will be written upon the same subject, without bringing the controversy to a close. For while the Holy See has ANGLICAN always in practice, whenever individual cases arose, ORDERS denied the validity of Anglican Orders, no formal ROME or authoritative decision has ever been pronounced, embracing the whole question, much less has any definite declaration been ever made of the particular reasons upon which the rejection of Anglican Orders has been based. Modern Roman theologians, such as the late Father Perrone, assert that Anglican Orders are invalid, because REJECTED BY |