Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-03-07

and deserved severity from the Roman stand
point, In Brownson's Review for January, 1854,
,pp. 81, seq.)
You doubtless were not aware that Brownson
and remember the endorsement OF the bishops, |
including Francis Patrick Kenrick and tJohn |
Hughes, on the back of his Journal charges Cos
seln with "reading history backwards" with |
" taking startling liberties with the language OF
lustrious pontffs and distinguished doctors !"
with eoneeding that If he is right, Popes Coun.
ellis Doctors and the great body OF the faithful,
for centuries entertained an erroneous theological
opinion and with setting forth "a plausible but
llusory theory-inuented 10 recommend the church
10 her enemies, or TO escape the odin aloays at
tached TO truth BY the ieorld." These are only
few tit.bts; If you viii but read the article for
yourself, you will see how quietly Brownson fays
Gosseln, and how he would be likely to fay you;
should he ever take you in hands. But hear his
declaration upon the main point made in your
speech that without which all the rest is mere
"leather and prunella:"
All history fails to show an instance in which
the Pope, in deposing temporal sovereign, pro-
esses to do II by the authority vested in him by the
pious belief Of the faithful generally received max
inns, the opinion of the age the concession of SOW
ereigns, or the sivi constitution and public laws
of Catholic States. On the contrary, he always
claims to do it by the authority committed to him
the Of the Prince of the Apostles by the
duIHoIlLy VI hpubtOuC miHntIy, ny tuc uutuOIl-
ty committed to him Of binding and loosing, by the
authority of Almighty God, of Jesus Christ, King
of kings and Lord of lords whose minister, though
unworthy, he asserts that he is-or some such for
mula, which solemnly and expressly sets forth that
hia authority is held by divine right by virtue OF
his ministry, and exercised solely in his character
of Vicar Of Jesus Christ on earth. To this, we be-
leve, there is not single exception. Wherever
the Popes cite their titles they never, 30 far as we
can find, cite human title, but always divine
title. Whence is this Did the Popes cite false
titles Were they ignorant Of their own title ?"
A brief account Of the "Gallican liberties" as
they are called, and of relation Of the Popes to-
ward them, may still furtheraid you when you next
undertake to speak in Congress on this question.
The French church from an early period was dis
tnguished by greater sense of independence than
that Of any other country in Europe Certain
limits were set to the abuses Of Papal power by
the Pragmatic Sanction of Louis TX, A. D., 1869,
and by that Of Bourges in 1888, but the so-called
Gallcan'liberties" Of the present day took their
rise in the famous disputes between Louis XIV
and Innocent III, concerning the right of appoint
ing to Hvings, called the Regale. The King sum
moned the bishops to an assembly at Paris, which,
in 1882, passed the following four propositions: /
That the Popes have no power from God to inter-
pose, directly or indirectly, in the temporal con-
Germs Of princes or of sovereign States. ii. That
the authority of general councils is superior to that
of the Pope. III. That the usages Of the French
Church are inviolable. Nv. That the Pope is not
inllbe in points Of faith unless his decisions
attended with the consent of the church.
OF the hubbub which these propositions excited
of the heatises of Lombardus (Sfondrati( Du-
bois and others against them, and of their magnif-
cent and triumphant defence by the Eagle Of
Meaux, !" / must infer that you have never heard;
for your speech implies that the Church always be-
lieved these propositions, at least the first of
~, - hat Oh
know what the Pope thought about them and
mean to tell you. In the brief of Innocent XII
dated April 18th, 1882, you will find the following
rather strong language:
" Per presentes Htferas tradita no6is ab ON
nipotesi Dec ductoritate, improbamus, resci,di-
Ell cassdnns qua istis pestris conaitiis actd
stunt in negoto regalie, cum omnibus indie scouts"
Perhaps you may say that this condemnation re-
fers only to the acts of the assembly concerning
the regale Listen then to Alexander vi in his
constitution entitled Inter multipfices, published
on the 4th of August 1890; Omnia ct singula,
quB tam quoad extensionem juris regala, guam
quoad declaratonen de potestate ecclesiastical, &c
quatuor propostiones in ca contentas acta
ct gesta fuerunt improbamus, cassamus, irrtanus
ct annulamus." &C. All the acts of assembly with
reference TO the extension of the jus regale, and
also the declaration concerning the ecclesiastical
power and the four propositions therein contained,
we do condemn, make void, invalidate and annul" y
| II is not necessary to follow the Gaican church
further; have given enough to show that its
declaration Is, in substance, yours; and that the
| PoPEs HAVE CONDEMNED and ANNULLED IT. This
| condemnation they have never retracted; and to-
| day the Pdpat party In the church Is as bitter
against Gallicanism as Alexander vi was in 1890.
| l have taken the briefs just cited from no Pro-
testant book my authority is Monseigneur Gous-
set Cardinal Archbishop Of Rheims, who
stands higher at Rome than, perhaps, any other
! French prelate. You will find what have given
| you above, and more, in his notes to Befgier's
Dcfionaire de Theoiogie, vol Ill, p. 671, seq. II
you wish TO make further acquaintance with this
eminent prclates writings, you may see copious
extracts from his Obserpafions sur t Premier
Article de Ia Declaration de 1884, in Brownson
for October, 1854 (pp. 4l6, seq.,) to the perusa
Of which earnestly recommend you.
/ have now shown you the true Papa doctrine
set forth in the deeds and writings OF the Popes.
The most eminent doctors Of the church maintain
this doctrine fully; and If space allowed, / could
cite largely from Aquinas, Bellermi, Suarez, and
know not how many more. One passage from Ba-
ronius may help you to see how your position is
estimated at Rome, (for Baronius, can assure you,
is authority there J " All those" says he "who
take from the church of Rome, and from the see
Of st. Peter, one Of the two swords and allow
only the spiritual, are branded for heretics.n As
IL he too had foreseen your unfortunate speech In
which may be rendered, for your benefit, :" the
heresy Of the politicians" Suarez In his treatise
De Prinatu lib. ill.,, cap. 2l,) asks the pregnant
question: I" An pontifx ratione suae spirtualis po-
testatis, possit Christianos principles soum di-
rigere pracipiendo, sed etam cogere puniendo,
etiam usque ad regni privationem C'Can the
pontif, in virtue Of bis spiritual authority, not
merely advise and direct Christian princes, but
also coerce them By punishment even TO the ex-
tent of stripping them Of royal power If need
ber) This question Is answered Automatically.
BeIIarmine maintained, as have said the indirect
temporal power; and Pope Sixtus put him in
in the Index for denying the direct Yet you
would have US believe that the Pope has never
claimed even the indrecti
Il remains for me briefly to set forth the present
state Of Roman Catholic opinion. The Ultramon-
tame doctrine Is heidi, by the Pope; 2, by all
the Cardinals, without exception; 8, by all, or
nearly all, the italian bishops ., by majority Of
the bishops Of Germany, Spain, and Portugal; 8,
| by about twothirds of the French bishops, @, by