MR. OWEN LEWISasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If his attention has been called to the following statement in the "Pall Mall Gazette" of last week—
We hear again of Russian persecution in the diocese of Chelm. After the massacres which took place there two years ago many of the priests of the United Greek Church were expelled from their parishes, and their places were taken by Russian Popes. The peasants, however, continued, though secretly, to practise the rites of the United' creed: and in several villages of the diocese the inhabitants do not appear at Divine Service and even refuse to allow the Pope to christen their children or bury their dead. At Chulczyce the Pope, finding that his church was always empty, and that his place was a sinecure, complained to the Governor at Chelm, who sent a body of police to the village with instructions to 'persuade' the inhabitants to be more attentive to their pastor. The peasants proving obdurate, a body of troops was sent to enforce obedience; a great number of the malcontents were killed and wounded; and it is stated that the Government has given orders for transporting the whole population of the village to Siberia, as was done in the case of several other villages in 1874. At Lamazy, in Padlachia, the peasants were equally refractory; the church has been closed; and the Roman Catholic curate banished;and, if he can inform the House whether there is any truth in the above statements?
§ MR. BOURKEWe have not received any report of the statements mentioned in The Pall Mall Gazette in regard to the occurrences which took place recently at Chulczyce; but we have statements in Reports which were sent to the Foreign Office last year and the year before of a very similar character to those mentioned by the hon. Member.