The true Democrat., 1855-10-23
For the True Democrat.
Letter III. Capt. Pike vs. Catholicism.

S0Ho. @ 44AS NS9' SotAO4lS40A4s
 To the Appropriated People of Arkansas
 RESPECTED FRIENDS:
 In all my reading and intercourse with christians of different denominations, 1 have not discovered so much unkind feeling and seeming ignorance of Catholic principles, as Capt. Albert Pike has manifested in his apology for the prescription of Catholics and foreigners It is to say the least oft, compound tissue o co., lunany and misrepresentation from beginning to end. devised for no good purpose, and uttered by gentleman, who should have known, eff he knew anything of ecclesiastical history that Catholics in this country, or anywhere beyond the limits of the patrimony of St. Peter, are not required, as a condition of communion with the Apostolic See, to recognize in the Pope, any temporal power to regulate or control their conduct in civil and political matters.
 This is no idle nor ncautious assertion, as I have already proved by testimony of the high est character, and which will, if possible still more evidently appear to all unprejudiced men, who are not disposed to allow their minds to be mised by the bugbear cry of "N o Popery," !" and who shall attentivey read the following abstracts of answers returned by the faculty of the SorbOnne, to some queries respecting the authority Of the Pope, etc. etc., sent by the Ca thollc committee of Great Britain in 178S, to six continental universities, at the express de- sire of Mr. Pitt, Prime Minister of England, and one of the greatest statesmen of that age. After an introduction, according to the usual forms, the sacred sfaculty of the Sorbonne an- swer the first query by declaring that "nether the Pope nor the Cardinals, nor any body of men, nor any other person of the church of Rome, hath any civil authority, civil power, civil jurisdiction, or civil pre-eminence what soever, in any kingdom, and consequently none in the kingdom of England, by reason or vir- tue of any authority, power jurlsd ction, or pre-eminence, by divine institution, inherent in, or granted, or by any other means, belonging to the Pope, or the church of Rome. This doc- trine, the sacred faculty of divinity at Paris, has always held and upon every occasion maintained; and upon every occasion has gid ly prescribed the contrary doctrine from her schools. Answer to the second query: Neither the Pope nor the Cardinals, nor any body of men, nor any person of the church of Rome, can by virtue of the keys, absolve or release the subjects of the King of England from their oath of allegiance. This and the first query are so intimately connected, that the answer of the first immediately and naturally applies to the second, etc. Answer to the third query There is no tenet in the Catholic church by which Catholics are justified by not keeping 1 faith with hertics, or those who differ from them in matters of religion; the tenet, that it is lawful to break faith with heretics, is so re- pugnant to common honesty, and the opinions of Catholics, that there is nothing of which 1 those who have defended the Catholic faith against Protestants, have complained more heavily than the malice and calumny of their adversaries, in imputing this tenet to them | off atc Civan at pariS in thn General Assembly of the Sorbonne, held on Thursday, the 11th day, before the calends of March, 1799. The queries sent to the universities of Salamanca, Alcala Valadolid, Douay and Lou vain, and the answers returned were the same in substance, with those of the Sorbonne, cx. cept the faculty of divinity, at Louvain, who were struck with astonishment, that such ques- tions should, at the end of eighteen centuries, be proposed to any learned body, by inhab- tants of a kingdom that glories in the talents and dscernment of its natives. There are few men in the literary world, who have not heard or read, of the lamented first Bishop of Char leston, who was acknowledged by every true son of Carolina to be the great friend and de fender of southern rights and installations, both at home and abroad The testimony, there fore, of such man as Bishop England, in these evil days of httleness and bigotry, must have great weight with gentlemen of the Pal metto State and tar out side, who know his at tachments to the constitution, and the interest he took in encouraging the most friendly rela- tions between the government of the United States and the court of Rome, which may be told in a few extracts taken from the Y. Vol. of his works; to which the names of the dlstln guBhed parties are affixed and are worthy to be transmitted from father to son.
 BISHOP ENGLAND TO PRESIDENT JACKSON.
 "SIR:-As an American citizen and Bishop of the Roman Catholic church, 1 take the liberty of drawing your attention to the following facts. The spiritual and ecclesiastical supremacy of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome, is an essential portion of the Roman Catholic religion. The said head of the Roman Catholic church hap pens at present to be temporal sovereign, and to have civil dominion in large portion of Italy; but it is clear that his dominion does not extend to this country, nor does he claim to have such power here; al,d # he did so cloina, the Ronan Catholic citizens of Mis Union 'Couht feez heese1ues caled upon efectualy to resist tte sanae."
 THE POPE, THROUGH THE AMERICAN CONSUL
 AT ROME, TO PRESIDENT JACKSON.
 Rome, May 0th, 1929.
 SrR:--Yesterday had the honor to have a particular audience from his Holiness in my official capacity of consul of the United States of America in Rome, and am happy to inform you that the antcipatons 1 expressed in my letter of the 11th April last to you proved en- tirelv correct His Holiness received me in the most benign manner, and expressed the most favorable sentiments for the government as well as for the nation of the United States of America, because the Catholic people there enjoy the same protection as the other citizens of different creed, and have no disabilities ac- cording to law. His Holiness desired me par ticularly and repeatedly to assure in his name, the government of the United States, that he will never interfere in politics, and that in any case of misinteligence between governments he will do all in his power to lead them to peace. He requested, also, that should ex- press his wish that the citizens of the United States, protesting the Catholic religion, may in future meet with the same protection they have found to this tme"
 PRESIDENT JACKSON, THROUGH THE SECRETARY
 OF STATE, TO THE POPE.
 DEPARTMENT OF STATE, ,
 Washington July 20th, 1929.
 After acknowledging the receipt of the con- sul's communication the secretary proceeds to say:
 You will accordingly seek an early opportuni- ty to make known to the Pope in terms and manner best suited to the occasion, the light in which the President views the communication referred to, and at the same time, you will as- sure him that the President recprocates, in their full extent and spirit the friendly and li- beral sentiments entertained by his Holiness towards the government and people of the Un- ited States, by those which he entertains to- ward the government of the Apostolic See, and the people of the States of the church; and It IS the Presidents wish that you should, upon the same occasion, offer the congratulations to the holy father upon his recent succession to tbs tiara, not from any hereditary claim on his part, but from the preponderating influence which a just estimation of his talents and virtues na- turally had upon the enlightened councils by which that high distinction was conferred and which afford the best pledge that his pontifi- cate, will be wise and benefcient one. You