The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-09-01

~ Read OIL the Papa church over the leTts-
latien Of the civil authorities Of governments
hns zst<acted much attention, and given ri5r
70 nany labored discussions in this country
within . lev years past.
Stsnp orators, politicians, newspaper edi-
tor, tsfsssmen and divines, have ogitatcd
The public mind upon the question. History
has bsen tansacked for examples articles Of the
church, decrccs Of councils, bulls Of the
Porcs, and all kinds Of documents have been
srrayed on either side Of this much vcxed
question, without any general concurrence OF
opinion after all.
BY way Of aiding the public to 3 conclusion
on the matter, we refer to the recent action
Of the present head Of the church, which fur
nishes An unequivocal and practical solution
Of the disputed point as 10 the claim Of the
Pope, by the Pope himself. The evidence
thus furnished, il will be seen, is no meta
physical exposition Of doctrine, but an au-
thoritative proclamation in relation TO exist
ing Affairs.
And in this action of the Pope, il will be
seen he proclaims higher law than that en-
acted by the civil governments, and distinctly
abrogates and declares null and void up
on his own superior authority, the laws Of
Sardinia and Spain.
The correspondent Of the London Tones
gives an account of the difficulties between
the Church and these Governments in which
the civil government in the exercise of its
authority had encroached somewhat on the
ecclesiastical arrangements in reference to
Nunneries and Monasteries,
In regard to the law Of the picdmontes,
Government, fer regulating or supprcssing
these establishments, tho Pope SAYS:
ssWc say with sorrow. not only that the
Piedmontcse government has not TENT eur. ei-
thcr to the supplications of it's bishops or our
exh0rtati0ns, but making new and more Sc
rious attacks on the church, on our authority
and on that Of the Apostolic See-opcnlv de-
spising our reiterated protests and our pater-
~ warnings has not feared to approve
sanction and promulgatc the law on religions
house,"
ssWe, therefore, again raise orr apostolic
voice IN your august assembly, and wc blame
anew, we condemn, 9iad decidrc n,H and Of
no eject, the Tar ADORE mentioned, and oil
and each Of The acts aud DEGREES phich hare
taken place in Piedmont 10 The dcfrtimeu Of
religion, o. The church, Of oar auth ortiz.
and Of the rights o. the Holy lSee--acts and
DEGREES OF which smoke with sorrow in our
allocution Of the 22d Januarv last We arc.
besides, Obliged to declare, with the most pro-
found regret, that all those who il Piedmont
have not feared to propose, approve and sane
ton the said measure, and the law against
the church and the rights of the Holy Soc,
that all those also who are employed by them.
who give support, counsel and adhesion. and
who execute their orders, have incurred ma or
accommodation and the other ecclesiastical
penalties and eensures enacted BY the holy
canons, the apostolic constitutions, and the
DEGREES Of general councils, particularly those
Of the Council Of Trent"
In speaking Of the affairs II Spain, his Ho-
Illness says:
claws have been passed, which, TO the
damage OF religion, destroy the first and soc
ond articles OF the concordat, and which or
der the sale OF the property of ehe church. -
Various decrces have been published, by which
bishops arc interdicted from comforting So
cred orders; by which virgins consecrated to
God are prohibited from admitting other NO.
men into their institutions; and BY which Lay
chaplaincies and other pious institutions are
to be completely secularilzed.''
'sWe, Therefore, in rirfue Of our apostolic
authority cefisure, abro9ate, and dectdre
Uithout uolue and ,cittouf fore, null and ot
no effect, for the past and ihe. future, The sad
tagsend DEGREES. Lastly, we, with all our
power, warn the authors of all these auda-
cious acts, and we cxhort and supplicate them
to consider seriously that those who do not
fear to aflict and torment the holy church Of
God cannot escape the hand Of the Almighty
Such are the positions and the claims Of the
Pope, not in past ages only, but in the pres
ent age, during the present summer.
This action of the Pope relates to religious
mattseup and ii. only abrogates laws, that were
easss5fby hose civil governments, affecting
religion. But laws passed-hy any govern
ment establishing freedom Of religious wor-
shiP'alsc relate to religion, and MI laws in
any matter restraining church authority in
relation to the holding of property, or tlr~a.-
tablishment of the rights Of the church, relate
equally to religious matters. And in addi-
ton thereto, it is universally acknowledged
that the principles Of the Catholic Church
vest the supreme authority upon spiritual
subjects in the head of the church. and By in
evitable consequence, he must he the sole
judge as to what laws and constitutions or
policy and principles Of govcrnmen, affect re-
ligious interests. So that. in our judgment,
the practical claims of the head of that
church, and the logical deductions from it,
acknowledged principles, cover very wld,
field al Legislation in human affairs.