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A Debate on the Roman Catholic Religion

Saturday, January 21th, 1837, Twelve o'clock, M.

BISHOP PURCELL rises--

My friends, in order to meet one of the last allegations of the gentleman,
namely, that the Catholic church has a law, making Protestant
children illegitimate ; I know of no law to that effect, which admits
of the least practical difficulty ; but I will tell you where it is
still in force, and imposes civil disabilities and disqualifications of the
most odious character. It is in a Protestant country. And, here, let
me say, once for all, that I judge too highly of the character of Scotsmen
and Englishmen, and know too well that they detest these laws
as much as 1 do, to mean anything disrespectful to them,