"Renewing my most sincere and affectionate wishes for your
happiness and welfare, I send you, my dear Dean von Döllinger,
my kindest regards, and remain, with good-will and unshakable
confidence, always
"Your greatly attached King,
"Ludwig.
"February 28th, 1870."
On the 18th of July the same year Pius IX. announced his dogma
of Infallibility. A few weeks afterwards the thunderbolt of
excommunication struck Ignaz von Döllinger. It is greatly to King
Ludwig's honour that he still continued to support him. On the 28th
of February, 1871, he sent him a letter in which, among other things,
he says:
"My dear Dean and Councillor of State,
Dr von Döllinger,
"I cannot let your birthday to-day go by without sending you my
best and most affectionate congratulations--giving you a sign of
my particular vigilance. My country and myself are proud of being
able to call you ours. And I am glad to dare believe that you,
as the ornament of science, and in your tried attachment to the
Throne, may yet for long, as hitherto, continue your activity
for the good of the State and Church.
"I need hardly emphasise how heartily glad I am at your firm
attitude in the Infallibility question. Very painful is it to me,
on the other hand, that Abbé Haneberg has submitted in spite of
his convictions. I daresay he has done it out of 'humility,'
In my opinion, it is a very perverted humility when a person
officially gives way and bears outwardly a different opinion from
that he has in his heart.
"I rejoice that I have not been disappointed in you. I have
always said that you are my Bossuet; he, on the other hand, is
my Fénélon.... I am proud of you, true rock of the Church! With
assurances, my dear Mr Dean, of my continued good-will, I remain,
with my kindest regards,
"Your greatly attached King,
"Ludwig."
The King later was in the habit of asking Döllinger for information
regarding religious works, and several times sent messengers to him
to require his explanation of certain passages.
Johannes von Lutz, the son of a village schoolmaster, but early well
known as a prominent lawyer, had become Prince Hohenlohe's successor as
Premier. He also was persecuted by the Catholic Church party. Ludwig
ennobled him, creating him a baron, and always protected him. When
the majority of the Parliament opposed the Government in 1883, he
sent him the following characteristic autograph letter:--
"My dear Minister von Lutz,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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