“Has not Mr. Desaulnier said, in your presence, to my people and myself at St. Anne.
“Sign this act, and if the bishop does not take away his sentence of excommunication, I will say to him: ‘It is not Mr. Chiniquy, neither his people, who wish a schism; they have done what religion and honor commanded them; it is the bishop of Chicago who makes the schism.’
“What have we gained by taking that public step? Nothing, but to be cruelly and shamefully betrayed.
“Was not Jesus Christ betrayed only once by Judas? Do not then expect that we will be stronger than the Son of God. The bishops of Canada, by their emissary, have already betrayed us, of which you have been witness. The people and missionary of St. Anne do not feel strong enough to present their cheek again to the smiter.
“In spite of the clamors which rise around us, we are convinced that we may be good Catholics, without submitting to that degradation twice.
“The bishops of Canada want you to speak. Very well! My dear Mr. Brassard, I, also, implore you to speak. In the name of the friendship which has united us for forty years, I implore you to tell the truth. Did you not, after reading the document which the bishop of Chicago commanded me to sign, as the only condition of peace, say to me:
“‘My dear friend, you can not sign such a writing without lying and dishonoring yourself forever?’ And behold! to-day you cry to my brethren to destroy and abandon me, when you know that the position in which I stand is but the result of my refusal to sign a most infamous, lying and degrading document.
“These things, and many others which you know, would serve wonderfully to open the eyes of the people upon the awful abuse of power of which certain bishops are, every day, guilty. This would aid to unmask certain modern divinities who pretend that we cannot go to heaven without their permission; who preach that it is not the blood of Jesus Christ, but a certain passport, of which they hold the patent, which assures us a place among the elect of God. A sentence founded upon a public lie, and which was resisted, can not constitute a schism. Christian men who, like the Catholics of Chicago, Kankakee and St. Anne, resist iniquity, may be condemned by men, but not by God.
“I was not suspended on the 19th of August, and so, I could exercise the holy functions of my ministry the following morning and after. It is the church which assures us of this, through her greatest theologians. As it is not enough to say: ‘My God! My God!’ to be saved; so it is not enough to cry: ‘You are lost! you are lost!’ for one to be lost. The Son of God, who gave his life to save man, gave us a thousand proofs, that the salvation of our soul has a foundation more certain than the capricious will of a sinful being. He has given to no one the power to save or condemn, according to his pleasure. If some bishops and priests believe this, it is not the faith of the people of Chicago, Kankakee and St. Anne.
“I will tell you again, my dear Mr. Brassard, that if, in order to obey the bishop of Montreal, you should strip me of the little honor which surrounds my name in Canada, I shall still never forget the good you have done me. Yes! command my friends to betray me, to trample me under their feet, to turn away from me in horror: Never will you be able to weaken my sentiments of respect and gratitude for you!