is not, at present, any appearance; the Pope not having yet consented to receive a Mexican Minister in his public capacity. But the six years which have elapsed since the declaration of Independence, have rendered the concurrence of His Holiness no longer of such vital importance. The country has been prepared, gradually, for a change, which cannot now be much longer deferred; and should there be any farther delay on the part of the Court of Rome, the situation of the Mexican Church is such, that the Government, in assuming the right of presentation to all vacancies, will not only be supported by the Clergy, but will set the stamp of law upon the general wish of the nation.
A short view of the present state of the Ecclesiastical establishments of New Spain will place this point in a clearer light.
The Republic is divided into one Archbishopric, (that of Mexico,) and the nine Bishoprics of La Pūēblă, Guădălajāră, Văllădŏlīd, Dŭrāngŏ, Mŏntĕrĕy, Ŏăxācă, Yŭcătān, Chĭāpă, and Sŏnōră.
All these, with the exception of Sŏnōră, have Cathedral Churches and Chapters, (Cabildos Ecclesiasticos), which, with the Collegiate Chapter of Guadelupe,[1] contain one hundred and eighty-five Prebendaries and Canonries, formerly in the gift of the King.
- ↑ A drawing of the Church of Guadelupe, about a league from the Capital, is annexed.
