Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-12-13

currence Of the Chrstendom Of Western Europe,
in all these terrible forms with resstless power
This Is no exaggerated statement Of the claims Oh
Romanism and its head, however starting ana IN
credible II may be TO most persons 10 TINS country
During the period between the lstand the TIN CEN
tury. there were FIVE bishops, whose dioceses were
Of so much power, wealth, or dignity, as to have
prompted them to assume the title of patriarchs,
and these were the bishops Of Rome, Alexandria,
Antioch, Jerusalem, and Constantinople; which
claim and title came gradually to be acquiesced IN,
and at length to be universally accorded to them.
These patrarchs were entirely independent OF each
other, and often had conflicting claims and warm
disputes. An obscure council held at Sardis in
SAT, conferred on the bishop Of Rome limited
authority TO direct a re-hearing OF the case OF
provincial bishop; and in 372, the emperor Valen-
tinian enacted decree empowering the bishop OF
Rome to examine and Judge other bishops. But
no supremacy was conceded TO him by the emperor,
or by the other patrarchs, or by the provincial
bishops generally, until near one hundred and nifty
wears afterwards; and prior TO that time, John,
bishop Of Constantinople, in council held In 5SS,
hns assumed the title of universal bishop. Gregory,
called the Great, was then bishop Of Rome, and he
opposed with signal ability and vehement spirit
this usurpation OF him Of Constantinople and de-
nounced his title of universal bishop" vain,
"execrable,' "anti-christian," internal" and
diabolical.' Mauritius was emperor, but Phocas,
an obscure officer in his army scduced the soldiery
and marched upon Constantinoplo to dethrone
him. Mauritius fed, Phocas entered the capitol,
and the emperor having been brought back, he
and his Six were put TO death by the usurper,
who had already seized upon the purple.
The wife Of Mauritius and his three daughters
had fed to sanctuary, to which Phocas despatched
rufian soldiers to drag them hence and murder
them John interposed his spiritual authority, and
successfully resisted these forcible attempts against
~ n IL. H..
paror at length decoyed the women away by sacred
pledges which be basely violated and they in
humanity murdered Boniface was then third Bishop
Of Rome of that name and he, with promptitude
and alacrity, acknowledged the new emperor, and
earnestly besought him for the title and dignity of
universal bishop. Phocas piqued with John for hav-
ipg protected the wife and daughters of Mauritius,
granted the title to Boniface and his successors,
ordered John to discontinue it, and declared the
church Of Rome to be head over all other churches
This was the origin Of Popery, which was estab
lshcd by the arbitrary decree Of one temporal des-
pot who had Just murdered another, upon the soil
citation of a supple and ambitious prelate and it
was done to dcpress another, because he had re-
cogDised the claims of humanity against the de-
nlands Of cruel tyrant The character of this
beginning Of Popery is strongly illustrated in all its
subsequent history.
This newly acquired power Of the Bishop of
Rome, now Pope, was resisted by many Of the pro-
yincial bishops, and some Of the succeeding empe-
r,rs for several ages but by the policy ofavoring
the projects Of the enperors, and bringing their
church authority to sustain Them they at length
were fully established in their spiritual supremacy.
They then began to cast around them for oppor-
tunities to attain the same eminence in temporal
affairs and 1t was not very long before their steady
ambition, great talents and untirng exertions
attended with encouraging success. About the
year 7G0, Gregory II required the bishops and le-
gates to take solemn oath Of allegiance to him.
The Pope, in which the adjurant solemnly acknowl-
caged him US the successor of st. Peter-promsed
by the Holy Trinity :" TO maintain to the last the
purity and unity Of the holy Catholic faith to
mt to nothing contrary to either; to consult in
al things the interest Of your church, and in all
things to concur with you, to whom power has
been given Of binding and loosing and after &C
knowledging the Pope to be his Lord, concludes
with an emphatic imprecation of terrible punish
nlent to bo visited upon his faithessness. In the
beginning of the eighth century began the debasing
custom Of kissing the Pope's foot; il was submit
ted to BY the Emperor Justinan in TO; and has
heen continued to the present day. This was the
drkest period Of the dark ages.
But, before this time, Pope Theodore, who sue.
cseded John in l642, had condemned as heretical
the Monothalite doctrine, and excommunicated
Pyrrhus patriarch Of Constantinopie for embracing
and upholdlng it. Paul having succeeded Psnhus
and not abandoning the new doctrine was formally
excommunicsted by Pope Theodore, and deposed
from all his ecclesiastical powers and dignity, by
the authority Of st. Peter But Paul having died,
Pyrrhus, who survived him, reinstated by the
Emperor to former dignity, and his authority again
acknowledged by the bishops and people Of the
eastern empire. Theodore died in 1649, and was
succeeded by Pope Martin, who speedily assembled
A council at Rome and condemned not only the
Monotholte doctrine, but also the most wicked
type, lately published against the Catholic Church,
by the most serene Emperor, Constantine, at the
instigation of Paul, the pretended Bishop Of Con-
stantipoplen This was the first open attack Of the
Pope upon the supreme political authority of any
country and II wss at once put down, for the
time, by the degradation Of Martin from the Pa
pacy. and his Punishment to distant country in
which exile no died. His fate rendered more mod
crate and prudent his two immediate successors.
In 1850, the emperor, by advice of Agathe, the
Roman Pontin, convened another general council
which proceeded TO excommuncate the Monotho-
Hbe doctrine Of one will Of Ceriet, and Is approved
by Pope Honorius, so long before as 63s; and by
the decree Of this council II was condemned as
heretical, and Honorus as hereto, and both were
snathametized.
For the period Of near one hundred years pre-
yious to the coronation Of Charlemagne in 500, the
western empire had been administered nominaly
by the authority of the emperors, who for some
centuries had reeidcd at Constantinople but sus-
tanned by an ignorant and supcrstitous multitude,
ths real power was vested in and exercised by the
Popss. In 1874, the emperors sent military expe-
dition TO reduce the Pope and the refractory Ro-
mana 70 submission; but the most Of his ships
being being lost in a storm at sea, the expedition
was abandoned. Tho western possessions Of the
empire had been formed into an eIarchy, after the
repeated capture Of Rome by the Goths, the vice.
roy. or erarch residing at Rayenns and from the
failure OF the attempt of the emperor to reduce
the Pope, Rome had more formally but not yet
fully. become subject TO his authority. In TAO,
Lustprand, King of the Lornbards, invaded and
laid waste the territories Of Rome and In this
need, Pope Gregory III, applied to the renowned
Charies Martel for succor. The appeal was FIRST
made 10 his piety to come TO the rescue Of the
successor Of St. Peter, but being disregarded in
that form, the wiley priest then oppressed his am
bltiop and his thirst for dominion, proposing to
renoyncc for himself and the Romans all allegiance
10 the emperor, TO take him AZ their protector,
under the title Of consul upon his undertaking to
defend the Pope and the church.
Those overtures were aoceded to by the iron war
nor, but before they could be carried out he the
- .ho pona all in the courap of this