Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1850-07-15
ROME AND TIE POPE.

= lllfIehts 81 ne SloCkUp1eiS.
ROME AND TIE POPE.
. When We contiast Rome rs she is, with Rom,
as she was, we have a Gloomy picture. Rome
has successfully been the mistress OF the arts, Tho
seal oil civil power the queen of arms, the heat
fof The Church. Now she is entitled 10 no higl
I distinction. Her people are ignorant, her govern
rmcnt is pfopped up by foreign bayonets, her arm,
/ have been paralyzcd with French bullets, and al
that IS let Of Rome is the name Of being The head
[ofthe Church. The substance of this has fed
HE name only she retains It's true, that the
Pope and his cardinals arc the rulers of Rome;
] but the power Of Pope and cardinals is not stuff
cicnt 10 reduce the people Of Rome 10 submission
THE importation of French arms the existence of
Il French arnv the power of the French, are the
basis, upon which rests the Pope and his govern
4 mcnt.
The present posture is an indication Of an OBJ
liberation Of that fatal course, which, IN ancient
,dayg, gave churchmen power in The States.-
Rome is the only country in the known world,
where the chief ruler is alike the civil and rel-
'gious governor, where the council Of the Church
ls the parliament Of the nation. We, therefore,
IN bile we deplore The condition Of Rome, re-
oice 10 see the only union OF church and state
fast crumbng into decay.
The union of Church with State, is an evil OPP
land Church. The State suffers from the tyranny
.of the Church the Church from the corruption
lof the State. The purity Of the Church, the free
dom of the State, arc the very quinlesSence OF
I their prosperity. The purity oil the Church,
.heightened INTO sancty, constitutes that irrcsist-
iible influence which religious sentiment and re-
.hgious practices exert over man. But the direct
tendency of the ntrigues of the State is to cor.
srupt the Church. And when the corruption Of
suc Church cnSues, then the influence of the
iChurch is gone and religion, OF necessity suffers.
land while these intrigueS are cornphng the
IChufch, they are running the State. The Church
sbcing corrupted, the people become impure
4 The ordinances Of the Church and The doctrines
! Of The Church fail to exert any influence. The
next resort orchuIchmen. therefore becomes the
! power Of the State. Opposition superscdes ar
5gument force persuasion. The consequence IS
I that the government Of The State loses It's free
! lom, and, therefore, presses down upon the peo-
/ pie with all the power OF tyranncal government
I aud even Of religious despolism.
For these reasons we are glad TO see the Ro-
Imam people ready to strike the last blow, and de-
strov the civil power of the Pope. We are not
3among those who believe that the Catholic Church
Ii, of necessity, tyrannical. We admit that this
L Church has been iyrannical, but, in making this
admission, we do not design to reflect upon the
EtHHrCn. liaQ OtIcf lllulCUCSj pOSScSSCu III tHC
same age, the same power, the result would not
!, have been varied in a single iota We are OBJ
ccting to church governments as such and not as
THE government Of any particular church. The
spowcr of the Pope is the power of the Romanlsh
sChufch, and if a departure Of this power can be
reflected 10y civil agencies, we should hail the day
las glad one. We had hoped, that before now,
the civil power of the Church would have
I been annihlacd. We had every Ground upon
! (which to base this expectation. If the govern
I mcnt of Rome is vested in the Pope, then people
1 land government desire that the State and
sChmcL he distinct. France, however, has IN
5cryencd; and this intervention and the present
] conlliion of the Roman government, are the alb
solblng questions of Europe. Rome nor the Pope
has but little to fear from France. She may force
submission for awhile, but the end must soon
l come. Its, indeed, quite strange that a pre-
blended Republic should be forcing tyrannlca
rule upon the people of Rome in opposition to the
! wiShes Of ruler and and ruled Well may Euiopc
/ lcnoance her, aud surely Amcnca should repu-
Sdiate such repubcansm.