The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-03-15

else TO be stigmatized by your more orthodox
brethren, as halfway Professionals"
Let us begin, then, with Gregory VIZ The
whole aim of his pontihcate, as stated by the
Roman Catholic (Galican) historian Oupin
"was to bring all the crowned heads unier his
subsection, and to oblige them to hola their
Kingdoms as iefs of the Holy See, and to gov
ern them at his discretion. ~ Dupin, TX, As.
might fill up this whole letter with passages
from Gregory's bulls and epistles, yindlcating
this very Divine right" which you so boldly
assert he never claimed. Did you think that
your speech was to blot out all history? Or am
I. with the same charity that have extended
TO YOU heretofore, to infer that you have never
even read SO much of the life of Gregory as to
learn that his name was not Ganganelh, that
YOU have never so much as seen his act excom-
municating Henry w, from which l extract
the following:
ut has pleased thee, o Peter, Chief of the
Apostles, and does please thee, that the people
of Christendom Christians popatl,as) COM
rnitted specially to thee, should render obedi-
ence to me. In this confidence, for the dignity
and defence of Thy holy Church, in the name
of Almighty God, the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, L depose from imperial and royal ad-
ministration King Henry, son of Henry, some
time Emperor, who too boldly and rashly hath
laid hands on thy Church. l absolve all Chris
tan subjects to the empire from that oath
whereby they were wont to plight their faith
unto true kings for it is right that he should
be deprived of dignity who doth endeavor to
diminish the majesty of the Church. - Conc.
Rom. III. APP. Binium, rii 484
Gregory used even still stronger language in
his letter to the Bishops, accompanying the
above act, and especially in one written from
I Tivoi, Aug. 25, 1916, to Bishop Hermann, of
Metz, who had informed him that his authority
in the premises was questioned. In that letter
he grounds his right upon the Scriptures; upon
the power of the keys given by Christ to Peter,
and from him descending to the Popes and
upon the usages of his predecessors. He calls
| the opposite doctrine madness" and folly ]"
(ipsania ct .fatuitas.) Want of space hnders
me from giving more ample citations; though
they are needless, except for such persons as
have never looked into the controversy.
| The doctrine established by Gregory, land
maintained by his successors with greater or
less strictness from that day to this,) is, that
| the Pope is Christ's vicegerent and representa-
tive in the administration of human affairs and
that "the deposing power is inherent in him as
head of the spiritual authority, as the guardian
and Judge of the law under which Kings and EN-
perors hold their crowns, and have the right to
reign" this last is the language of Romanist
writer, not mine.) BY this authority, Paschal
III, in 1899, deposed Henry "; Innocent III,
in 12lO, deposed Ohio "; Gregory X, in
1899, accommodated Frederick 1t Nand
absolved his subjects from their allegit ne;
Innocent ~ in l245, pronounced senten of
deprivation against the same Frederick III !;
Boniface VIII, in 1902, Numbered forth against
Philippe lie Bel of France, the famous bull
IMAM Sanctam, containing the most ex-
travagant assertions of the power of the Holy
See; Paul III, in 1886 and 1888, deposeS and
damned Henry VIII, of England, and absalved
his subjects from all oaths of allegiance Plus
V, in 1870, uttered bull against Queen
Elizabeth, in which, "out of the funess of
Apostolic power" he deprived the said Qaeen
of her pretended title to the Kingdom and
released her subjects from "all manner of duty,
dominion, allegiance, and obedience" The list
need not end here; but l am tired of citing facts
known to all mankind-except yourself.
/ might quote the precise language of each
of the above Popes, in each case grounding
their jurisdiction upon Divine Right. Take the
following from Innocent III, as specimen ::
Petrus, sic,a plenitudine, sic ct tatitndine
proeminet unicersis, quto ricdrius est suius
cujus est terra ct plenitudo ejus, orbis terrarum
ct unirersi qui habitant an 60. +. Romanassf0n
t.ter, qni non puri homi',is, sed peri Del ticem
gerH M teyris,-,a0n humdna se1 diUina 1rotius
passage for you; it declares, as you see, the
true Papal doctrine Of the superiority OF the
spiritual over the temporal power, and the au-
thority Of the Pope over both, in very strong
language. But if you need it stronger, you may
find it in Bonifaces IMAM S0nctdm above
ferred to-
eve are taught by the words Of the evangel-
lists. In his power there are two swords, the
spiritual and temporal. For when the Apostle
said, 10, here are two swords, namely, in
the church when the Apostle spoke, the Lord
did not say, 1T is not too much but, 1t is
enough Certainly he who denies that the
temporal sword is in the power of st. Peter,
badly attends to the word of our Lord, saying,
Put thy sword in its sheath Both swords,
therefore, are in the power of the church;
| namely, the spiritual sword and the material
sword but the one is to be exercised by the
church, the other for the church; that IS the
property of the priest in the, hand of kings and
soldiers, but at the nod and sufierance of the
priest for it behooves that one sword be SUBJ
ject to the other, and that the temporal author
ity be subject to the spiritual power.
"For, truth bearing witness, the spiritual
power can appoint the earthly power, and judge
it, if it be not good for this the prophecy OF
jeremiah truly states of the church and power
of the church. Behold l have set thee over ma
tons and Kingdoms, &C., which follow There
fore, if the earthly power devates, it is judged
by its superior but if the supreme power de-
viates, it can be judged by God alone, not by
man.
moreover, we declare, affirm, define, and
pronounce, that it is altogether matter of ne
cessity to salvation for every human creature
to be subject to the Roman Pontif.' x Corpus
Juris Canonici Ed Boehmer, Tom. III, p.
l,l39.)*
1t is not necessary to dwell upen the contests
| to which this bull gave rise, or upon the eva
sions to which Boniface subsequently resorted.
In Philippe lie Bel he found a master, a. you
will learn from any of the books of history re-
lating to the period, if you will only consult
them The Pope wrote to the King" We aroutd
hare thee to know that in things spiritual and
temporal thou art subject to ST and the
King replied to the Pope We could hare
thy consumn,ate folly to know that an temporal
things are are subject TO no MANI The au-
thenticity of these polite laconisms has, it is
| true, been denied, though upon insufficient
grounds. But be that as it may, the bull IMAM
Sanctam remains to be explained away" lin
Mr. Brownson's language) by the Bossuets, the
Gosselins and the Chambers, who rashly i'm
pugn the Papal authority =" in temporals"
.The last clause is peculiarly potent in the original:
Porro Ron,aai Ponhfei O',i human0 cedt.ng
deeiara,ns deus, deiniurs ct proa,eatantD onur'no
| de necessitate saltis"
Scire volunus, quOd spiriiuaibus ell emporali-
| bus nobs p"
scia, ,ua msxrna faui,as in iemporolbus seu,
subesse."
TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK.
OBITUARY