Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-01-18

Mr. Editor ;,-Fro16 your well known love
of fair play and equal jlstice to all, am led
to believe that you wa not refuse me spare
corner in your valuz4|e Journal, in which
may insert my protesl laeaiast a gross wrong
sought to be done 10 81 religious body over
which I preside in thu 1ceEion Of the State,
by editors of certain po acal complexion whose
papers freely circuIn9 Aefe. The following
cxtlacsss which Is f1;z =, zEo1A = perie3ieal of
this description 20 which my attention has
been called by f6end, contains a paragraph
against which / have just reason to complain:
- The mad, point Of controeezsg as, that
all ,Popists an tsis country are Subjects Of the
Pope, achich Pofentates asserts that tie Ronlish
Church has d right to dissotre the tie Of sub
jcctfon- and the oath Of fidelity. and therefore
Papists are most dangerous and Enthusiastically
suIjctss"
This paragraph comprehends within it as
many untrue Statements as lines. They may
be singled out and noticed in the order they
are placed as follows
Untruth No. t. an Papists are subjects
Of the Pope The only subjects Of the Pope
whom know are the people living in the I'o-
man Territory in Italy, under his immediate
temporal sway: but if the editor, or whoever
writes for the paper. mdans to say that Amer
lean Catholics. or the Catholics Of any other
country in the world. with the exception men
toned, are subjects of fae Pope, that is, that
they owe hin civil obedience or any temporal
allegiance whatever. he does us gross INJURY.
The Catholics of America owe no allegiance
or civil obeissance. fealty or homage to any
other authority under the sun than TO that of
the American Government and Constitution
which they stand readyto defend, at the haz-
ard of their lives, agoaast al Traitors, do
nsestic or foreign
Its true, we acknowledge the supreme spir-
itual authority of the Pope, in matters purely
spiritsal-but this, in no wise, interferes with
the temporal allegiance due to our civIi ru-
lers : no more than THE Acknowledgements of
any supreme spiritual jtdicature, Cor what is
called the g Higher Law,') in any Other
Christian denomination, in the United States,
interferes with the civil duties and allegiance
due by their respectiye members to the Gov
ernment of this country Nay, even not SO
much. The Supreme spiritual authority ae-
knowledged by Catholics has never come in
conflict, and never will, with any of our in-
stitutions. II has slerer ntefdted ruth any
question Of ase dtsg. It has never ATTEMPTED
to organize any oppesissan to SLAEERY or
to sunder the northern portion of the church
ed question The spiritual authority of the
church and the temporal authority of the land
are perfectly distinct, Independent. yet in bar
mony, each keeping within its sphere There
is no more danger of their coming in collision
In Catholicism than in Protestanism. The
only exception would be, if the Government
should enjoin ANY CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE
LAW OF Con, and then, other denominations
as well as Catholics, should be prepared to
say: . 1t is better to obey God taan men"
Untruth No. = g Which Poeatate asserts
that the R0nist Church has the right to DIS
solee the tse Of srJjection and the oath Of il
deity" This unfounded inputation is bor-
rowed from the prosecuting annals of England,
and it is this very charge that, for a long time
forged and rivetted fetters on the Catholic
Church under British rule. The light of
truth at last broke in on bigoted England,
thanks to her enlightened Statesmen, the
Burke's, the Canning's, the Gratton's, the
O'Connelrs, and emancipation was the result.
In reply to the false charge, that Catholics
owe any temporal allegiance to the Pope, or
owe any inter1eraace on las part 'esth Their
s,corn jielef5ty to the Government under which
they live, / viii bring forward such authority
as must satisfy any man who does not want
to stultify himself on this subject
Before Catholic Emancipation was granted,
the British government Instituted most
searching inquiry-and the highest Church
Dignitaries of the Catholic church were sum
moned to Parliament in 1925 and there sub
ieeted to the scverest examination before Sc
lect Committees of the House of Lords and
Commons. The result satisfied even bigoted,
,,crsecutinq Eaglarld and the chains of slavery
fell off from the bodies of seven millionsof hui
man beings born to be free The following
were the answers of the ilIustrious Bishops
DOYLE and Murray, to the questions put by
the scrutinizing committee, Lord Viscouni
Palmerston in the Chair They may be con-
sidered the roice of the Catholic Church.
In point of fact is there any interference il
temporal matters BY the PopeY DR.. Doyle
NoNE, that know of.
Do the Catholics hold that the Pope has any
right to interfere in temporal a1airsy DR.
Doyle. No, lie has no temporal authority II
Ireland
Is it in the power of the Pope to absolvt
Catholic people from their oaths Of allegiance
DR.. Doyle. II isaot.
DR.. Murray. Arch Bishop of Dublin wa:
then examined.
VIII you be so good as to explain to th'
Committee what is the nature and authority
of the Pope
Answer by DR.. Murray The origin of the
authority of the Pope we hold 10 be from Goa
who established head of the Church whlci
he wished to appoint on earth; the nature Q
his authority is that lesis. the executive power
of that church his oiiceis to watch over ane
enforce the observance of the canons he Is
| besides the centre of Catholic unity, the grea
| link that holds together all the different part