said Archbishop Labastida to the French general Neigre, who had treated him disrespectfully.[1]
Monsignore Meglia, papal nuncio, was publicly and cordially received, with the highest honors accorded at royal courts to ambassadors, by Maximilian, whom he assured of the holy father's confidence in the monarch to protect religion. Maximilian expressed himself as highly satisfied with the fulfilment of promises made him in Rome. These friendly expressions came to little or naught eventually. Maximilian was powerless to effect any change. It is true that he surrendered the cemeteries to the church, but on the other hand, he enforced the law suppressing the ecclesiastical fuero, which of course brought out a strong protest from the bishops. In fact, Maximilian, in his efforts to win the good-will of the liberals, acted imprudently, and alienated the churchmen.[2] At several conferences with the nuncio, nothing definite was arrived at to please Rome. The latter would accede to no reforms, and her nuncio finally quitted Mexico. Maximilian's envoy near the pope succeeded no better, for all the fair promises which had been made him. Maximilian went so far, in 1866, as to appoint a commissioner to confer with the prelates assembled in Mexico about a concordat.[3]
- ↑ La Iglesia sufre hoy los mismos ataques que en el tiempo del gobierno de Juarez, en la plenitud de sus inmunidades, y de sus derechos. . . . jamás se vió perseguida con tanto encarnizamiento. . . . nos encontramos peor que en aquel tiempo.' Arrangoiz, Mej., 182-5.
- ↑ Periód Of. Imp. Mex., Dec. 13, 1864. He said openly that the pope was ill advised, and that he cared but little if his holiness was displeased with his acts in Mexico, his responsibility being only to God and his own conscience as a sovereign; that the Mexican prelates did not understand the spirit of the times, nor of true catholicism; that many of them lacked a Christian heart. If the pope excommunicated him, he would be the fourth Austrian archduke that had been so treated. Carlota, his wife, had used even stronger language, and had shown much antipathy to the high clergy. Arrangoiz, Méj., iii. 341-2.
- ↑ He wanted confirmed all the measures of the liberal administration, and was desirous of adopting others, to wit: payment of the clergy by the state, religious toleration, revision of parochial fees by the govt, and exemption of the people from some ecclesiastical imposts. He instructed his minister to act on the principle of an ample and free religious toleration, though recognizing the Roman catholic as the religion of the state. Voz de Méj., March 18, Apr. 25, 1865; Rivera, Gobern. Mex., ii. 649-59; Domenech, Hist. du Mex., iii. 318; Martinez, Hist. Revol. Mex., i. 235-7; Diario del Imp., Feb. 27, 1865.
