Anglais

39424 — London 1791. This letter from the Catholic Committee to the Bishop of Centuria dated February 1791 was issued prior to passage of the bill brought by Charles Butler and the Catholic Committee. They attempt to explain and defend the actions and resolutions of the Catholic Committee to the Vicars Apostolic and to argue a case for the condemned oath. With errata notice tipped to inside of front wrapper; with page 33 numbered correctly. Dated at end: Feb 2 1791 and signed: Charles Berington. Jos. Wilks and six others for the Committee of English Catholics. Clean text throughout corners creased and lightly soiled. Original paper wraps creased and sunned. VG. Referenced by: ESTC T051371 In 1789 when the action of the "Catholic Committee" threatened seriously to compromise the English Catholics Walmesley called a synod of his colleagues and a decree was issued that the bishops of England "unanimously condemned the new form of oath intended for the Catholics and declared it unlawful to be taken". The issue was over the form of an oath of loyalty to George III necessary for Catholics to engage with the official world. The previous oath had been defined in the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1778. On 15 August 1790 Walmesley consecrated Dr. John Carroll the first Catholic Bishop in the United States of America at Lulworth Castle Dorset. Eventually however a form of words was agreed and The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 was passed in 1791 31 George III. c. 32 relieving Catholics of certain political educational and economic disabilities. It admitted Catholics to the practise of law permitted the exercise of their religion and the existence of their schools. On the other hand chapels schools officiating priests and teachers were to be registered assemblies with locked doors as well as steeples and bells to chapels were forbidden; priests were not to wear their robes or to hold service in the open air; children of Protestants were not to be admitted to the schools; monastic orders and endowments of schools and colleges were prohibited. - See Wikipedia [London?, 1791] paperback