38. Scalabrini to Corrigan⁸⁵

         Piacenza, August 10, 1891

Most Reverend and dear Excellency:

Just returned from my Pastoral Visitation I find here the beautiful Circular Letter Your Excellency with timely thought has sent to the pastors of your archdiocese regarding the new St. Raphael Society.

            This gesture honors Your Excellency beyond any word and, no doubt, will produce immense advantages to those Italian colonies.

            I congratulate you with all my heart, dear Archbishop, and I thank you also very much in the name of my Missionaries who ever more rejoice to have found in you a real Father who, after God, they acknowledge for whatever good they do.

            I thank you also for your very kind letter of last July 10.⁸⁶

            To tell you the truth, the initiative of the hospital has always worried me. But I have always thought that everything was carried out with your consent and under your directive since that was the order I had imparted to my Missionaries. From such a distance I would not know now what should be prudently convenient. On the other hand, I shun any action that might even in a distant way give the impression of the slightest interference in somebody else’s house. Therefore, I shall write to Father Morelli telling him to slow down, not to contract more debts before paying those already made, that I have heard from well-informed persons that it is not only impossible to have an Italian hospital, but useless, etc. I will advise him to come and hear the advice of Your Excellency. Please tell him your opinion openly, then let me know and I will support it without hesitation.

            The good Marquis Volpe-Landi⁸⁷ gave me to read a copy of the letter sent by Your Excellency to the Honorable Cahensly.⁸⁸ To tell the truth, these two gentlemen were deeply grieved by having ascribed to them ideas they never had. They asked me to answer you on their behalf in the conviction that my word may be more effective with Your Excellency.

            Dear Archbishop, allow me to say it: a real tempest in a teapot has been stirred up regarding this matter. Aside that it was not, nor could it have been, the intention of these excellent gentlemen to infringe in the least upon the rights of American bishops, I can assure you they have never dreamed of asking the Holy See for a double jurisdiction! Their plan was very simple: to obtain that the different European nationalities had a representative in the American episcopate, and not a foreigner, but an American citizen.

            Is it not what the great wisdom and practical knowledge of things that so much distinguish them had already suggested to the American

Bishops? Is this not the system being now followed? Are there not German Bishops in the United States? You also had Bishop Persico,⁸⁹ who was even a native of Italy. Even now, if I am not mistaken, don’t you have a bishop in some way Italian? Considering the issue in this light, as it was the case, Your Excellency may very well see that no difficulty could ensue. I rather think that this approach would have been very useful to the Episcopal Body. In fact, since Bishops have to take care of all Catholics under their jurisdiction without distinction, they would have had from these representatives exact and certain information about customs, aspirations and needs of the respective nationalities. Providing for them would have been easier; the masses would have been more satisfied; religious would have derived a much greater advantage. There would be other arguments, but since the Holy See saw fit to intervene through the letter of Cardinal Rampolla⁹⁰ to His Eminence the Archbishop of Baltimore,⁹¹ nothing else is needed.

            This much I wanted to tell you not only to comply with the wishes of the above mentioned gentlemen, but also that Your Excellency, should you so desire, might use your high influence to straighten things out, especially with your venerable Colleagues in the Episcopate.

            Renewing my thanks and recommending myself to your prayers, I remain

Your most affectionate and devoted confrere and friend,

Gio. Battista, Bishop of Piacenza