The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

280 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.to comply with this second demand, the Pope wasarrested and sent into exile, where he lingered foryears.And at this very moment the old conflict betweenthe Church and despotic governmentsisragingfiercely throughou-t Europe. The scene enactedby John and Herod isto-day reproduced in almost every kingdom of the old world. It is theold fight between brute force and the God-givenrights of conscience.In Russia we see the Bishop of Plock exiled forlife, from his See, to Siberia. His only offence ishis refusal to acknowledge that the Emperor Alexander is the head of the Christian Church.If we pass over into Italy, we see religious menand women driven from their homes ;their houseaand libraries confiscated libraries which pious andlearned men had been collecting and consulting forages. The only crime of those religious is that theyhave not the power to resist brute force.Cross the Alps into France, and there you willsee that many-headed monster the Commune, assassinating the Archbishop of Paris and his clergy,solely because he and they were the representatives of law and order.In the so-called Republic of Switzerland, BishopMermillod isexpelled from Geneva without theslightest charge adduced against his character asa citizen and a Christian Prelate, Faithful clergymen are deprived by the government of their