Above : Pope Pius VII, Pope At That Time

The circumstances of Ireland were, however, peculiar, and the Irish Bishops soon made their position clear. In 1808, they issued an official declaration that they did not hold it expedient that there should be any change in the present mode of electing bishops, and, as the question of State-payment of the clergy had also been raised, they added that they desired that they and their priests should remain, as heretofore, dependent for their revenues on the voluntary offerings of their people.

The Catholic Relief Bill of 1813 contained a strong veto clause, and the Irish bishops declared that, if the Bill had passed, they could not have accepted this clause. Daniel O’Connell brought forward at the Catholic Board a resolution of thanks to the bishops, and this was passed. There were, however, many dissentients. Both sides now applied to Rome.

Pius VII was at this time a prisoner in the hands of Napoleon, and the conduct of affairs was in the hands of Monsignore Quarrantotti, Secretary of the Propaganda. The action which he took was in the highest degree injudicious. Writing in February 1814, to Dr. Poynter, head of the English Catholic Board, he stated that the question of the veto had been discussed at a meeting of “most learned prelates and theologians,” and that the decision come to was that the Catholics should accept the Relief Bill, in the form in which it had been drafted the preceding year—that is to say, with the veto clause—and, moreover, should return hearty thanks to the King and Parliament for the favour shown them. (The assumption evidently was that the Bill would be reintroduced). Dr. Poynter was desired to communicate the contents of the letter to all bishops and Vicars Apostolic in the Kingdom.

Above : Napoleon, Take Pope Pius VII As A Prisoner

When the text of the letter appeared in one of the Dublin newspapers (May, 1814), it was received at first with incredulity, afterwards with amazement and indignation. The fact that it was not issued by the Pope himself, but by an agent, the limits of whose authority were unknown, was at once seized on by clergy and laity alike indignation meeting held in Dublin, the the Archbishop (Dr. Troy) was per veto should be freely expressed by directed appointed by the King, to whom the names proposed for vacant Sees should be submitted, and without whose approval no appointment could be made. Furthermore, these same Commissioners should regulate communications between the Irish hierarchy and the Pope, no such communication being permitted without their knowledge and consent. This was widely different from the scheme sketched in 1799.

The Pope, on being released from captivity, disavowed the Rescript of Quarrantotti, and, some months afterwards (April, 1815), he instructed Cardinal Litta to communicate to the Irish bishops his directions regarding the matter involved. Regarding the acceptance or rejection of a veto the Pope gave no positive orders, but, should the bishops decide to accept one, they must go no further than this : When a list of persons judged suitable for election had been drawn up by the clergy of the diocese, this list should be submitted to Government, which might, before the names were forwarded to Rome, remove that of any person whom they regarded as ” obnoxious.”

The bishops were well aware of the great distrust of Government interference which ages of oppression had bred in the breasts of the Catholics of Ireland, so that it is not surprising that their final decision was against any form of veto. The Pope did not further interfere, and for several years the question was dropped.

It was revived for a short time in 1821, by the introduction into Parliament of a Relief Bill containing a strong veto clause. However, the Bill itself, having passed the Commons, was rejected by the Lords, so that its provisions were immaterial. This was the final stage of the controversy. When, in 1829, Catholic Emancipation was granted, no attempt was made to impose any Government veto on the election of bishops.

The Irish Catholic Church remained, as it had been since the Reformation, entirely free from the control or interference of the Government.