HC Deb 23 June 1890 vol 345 cc1646-7
MR. T. M. HBALY

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has been called to the letter of the Most Rev. Dr. O'Doherty, Bishop of Derry, in the Freeman's Journal of the 20th instant, in reference to his statement that The Prisons Board were most anxious that the Bishop should nominate a clergyman (to be chaplain of Derry Gaol), and they requested him to do so, but up to the present he had taken no action; whereas his Lordship asserts that, al though elected Bishop on 2nd October and consecrated on 2nd March, he never since, directly or indirectly, received any communication from the Prisons Board; can any explanation of the discrepancy be given; what were "the evil effects of the action of the Roman Catholic Bishop" of which he complained; and did Sir Lintorn Simmons, while in Rome, or any other English official, make any representations to the Ecclesiastical Authorities of the Catholic Church upon the action of the Lord Bishop of Derry or his clergy?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I have not seen the letter referred to. Apparently, the Bishop trusted to the Freeman's Journal report. I mentioned the vicar capitular. There is, therefore, no discrepancy. It was presumed that the new Bishop would be acquainted with business affecting the diocese brought before the locum tenens who presided over the See. I am glad to think that the failure to appoint a chaplain may be due to this opinion being erroneous. The matter has been now formally brought to the attention of the present Bishop. The last question should be addressed to the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

MR. T. M. HEALY

What does the right hon. Gentleman refer to when he speaks of evil effects?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I stated before that the evil effects of the failure of the Roman Catholic Authorities were that a great number of prisoners of that religion are deprived of the religious services of their Church.

MR. T. M. HEALY

Will the right hon. Gentleman apologise to the Bishop for this statement?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

It is not necessary to apologise to him; if he will read the account of what passed in the fuller report in the Times, he will see that the only attack, if it can be said that I made any attack, was that either he did not consider himself bound to know what took place while his predecessor was in office, or, having made himself acquainted with what had taken place, he did not take the necessary steps to appoint a chaplain.

MR. T. M. HEALY

The right hon. Gentleman says he does not road the Freeman's Journal; does he expect the Roman Catholic Bishops to read the Times?