A letter from Tempier had brought him disturbing news regarding the health of the old bishop: \u201cYou might as well know that all these upheavals have depressed our prelate. There is a great change in him; at the age of 82, one does not bear up under such staggering blows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAll I ask is that they do not harass my uncle and if it troubles him to accept the resolutions at which I foresee they will arrive, let him leave for Italy. It is not at his age that one can stand up to the struggles of the kind for which preparations are underway.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 19 August 1830, EO VII n 357<\/em><\/p>\n
Pressure was being applied on the old Bishop to make a decision about whether to recognize the new King or not. Leflon notes: \u201cFather de Mazenod\u2019s family traditions, his ultra-royalism, his Bossuet-inspired belief in the legitimacy of the Bourbon kings, and his ardent love for them, naturally prejudiced him against the son of Philippe Egalit\u00e9, while the revolution which he considered essentially satanic horrified him instinctively.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (Leflon 2, p. 344.)<\/p>\n
The background to the situation in Marseilles:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe common people as a whole had remained loyal to the legitimate monarchy and to the Church, and were thoroughly opposed to the revolution. Any acts of aggression against the bishop\u2019s palace, religious houses, mission crosses, even noisy or tumultuous demonstrations, would have provoked an immediate reaction on the part of the dockers, calkers, fishermen and fishwives, etc.; since there were only a few demonstrators who could be recruited, it was far wiser to refrain from such tactics. It would take almost a year before any of these things were attempted and their consequences discouraged their repetition. Bishop Fortun\u00e9, therefore, was at odds only with the local authorities, that is, the divisional commander of the military, the prefect, and lastly the mayor who was determined to force recognition of the new king upon the old bishop, and to enforce legislation unfavorable to the clergy. However, these same authorities had to reckon with public sentiment which was mostly antagonistic toward the new government, especially among people living in the port districts. On the other hand, the prelate enjoyed the support of his flock, among whom were those who were quick to use their tongues and fists.\u201d<\/em> Leflon 2, p.343<\/p>\n
\nI leave everything to Providence but reiterate my concern for my uncle. I think that it will be necessary for him to choose a course that depends on the opinion he will embrace. If he adopts the affirmative on his own initiative, there is no obstacle to his remaining; but if it is in the negative, I think that it would be as well that he leave as soon as possible, for how will he have the strength to bear all the consequences?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 21 August 1830, EO VII n 358<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A letter from Tempier had brought him disturbing news regarding the health of the old bishop: \u201cYou might as well know that all these upheavals have depressed our prelate. There is a great change in him; at the age of … Continue reading