1821. Aug. 5.

Rid Yourselves

Lett 2. Interests concerned

and transitory life, the Catholic Religion

ought, above all things, to be preserved: preserved, in whatsoever degree of purity and perfection it possesses

or is susceptible of.

But, that, to the maintenance of this religion in any assignable

degree of perfection, not a maravedi is necessary to be provided by forced contributions, or by fixt masses

of property kept on foot for the purpose, is matter of experience. It is so

in all countries in which the Catholic Religion, while it has not only its professors

but also its functionaries, is not the established religion of the state. It is so accordingly, in England, in Scotland, in Ireland, in Denmark, in Sweden, in various parts of Germany to a great extent, in the Kingdom of Prussia

and in the Russian Empire: not to speak of the Anglo-American United States.

In Spain, as in other countries in which

the Catholic Religion stands established,- the whole body of the Clergy, taken in the aggregate, stands distinguishable into two very marked

divisions. The class called that of the regular clergy, and the class called that of the secular clergy. That of the regular clergy has this for its distinctive character: namely, that by none of

its Members as such, is religious

service rendered, in any shape, to any living

individual or assemblage of individuals in particular, to the exclusion of any

others. Accordingly, these have not, properly speaking, a place upon the list of functionaries.

To this part of the list belong - not only such of the clergy as

belong to this or that Monastick order, but the possessors

of all benefices to which no cure of

souls stands attached.

In regard to the secular clergy, no other assumption can I suppose on

this occasion, be preceeded upon, than that of the necessity of the demand for the

services of a number correspondent to that of the offical situations at present in existence. In the Catholic Church, the offices

possessed by them stand distinguishable into Sacerdotal and

Episcopal. The necessity of the office itself being in

each case admitted, and office and officers together thus perserved from the

retrenching knife, remain for a subject of proposable retrenchment the amounts of the

respective bands, tithes and

masses of emoluments in every other shape as to this

matter, the case of Ireland

would