The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1855-11-08
catholic Provincial Council.

\ Provincial ,'onncil 0l catholic bishops
was hcd rcccnsh ~ ri. louiA II wa the lrst
touncit of ti,c character over hrid wet ol the
MississIppi River Among those prsTa Nas
lscv Nishop tgErlS. OF II. Paul
An aklt,ss WAS issued by the bishops. which
Is highly spoken II onr portion N II W tcl
induced 10 publish, u Il contains the ma4t
pointed aHl the moat authoritative cuntru,iit
tion Of Know Nothing slnsler wbieh has
hsn extensively us,vl I" influence clcc,ions W
hasc ne, with
II riatts to ID, temporal poNrt of the I'opc.
aHd the allegiance shel, II Is pussrt,,l IL due to
him ~ all ciyil ~ we'll ~ ocrlcziadirnl ,nail,aa
by nrmhcr4 of that Church The suhon.d
emphatic denial Of this chnrg,. coming trnn
the Archbishop amd bishops IN Council aO-'ui.
hiol, viii wc ir,st, fu%ycr hereafter put NJ
rest The scnsc''.s anl mniicioaa G,lslio-l The
extract Is hs hlloNs
Unwililngly dc We allhle 10 the frivolous
aud unworthy preicsts which are alleged by
The enemies of the church. IN Justification Ut
their hostility. You are held up ,o tha sasp
cions aud hatred of your fellow citizens, as
persons holding doctriWs md recognizing
principles Incompatible viii. your obligations
as citiscns OF this iicpublic' We need 10,
tai you. brethren, thai the Church impoaa
upon you no obligations ineompntible With
your allegiance ,o the Government under
which you live, or that your religious princi
pics are The bct guarantee your country can
have, tl,ai. hereafter "a heretofore, yoa will be
found faithful t0 your duties ns citilens while
you are jealous of your obligations as Chris
tians. Sou know jbni al power Ia from Tod
that society " constituted on u Divine baais
that every oiionse against the laws ol yont
country Is an ofirnsc against God aud thai,
consequently. you are to o~y, not only ior
The purpose oi avoiding the punishment which
the magistrate nficts on the tralsprcssor. but
from tie higher motive Of coDscIcDce Nor Is
this obligation weakened OF frustrated oi ia
effect by the paramount obligation oi ol,sery
| ing the Divine law. You know that while
rendering 10 Caesar what Ia Caesars you must
| give to God what lie necessarily demands
/ Al who profess The Christian religion acknow
ledge this principle. But While others aro
left to the suggestions of their own individual
conscience OF To the direction Of some purely
human tribunal, 10 ascertain what conscience
requires, IN the event Of RAJ OF apparent
collision between their duties ~ clti1sds and
~ Christians, y0o have an authority 10 guide
you, which the promises 81 Chris, show 10 bc
a certain means of avoiding mistake abd
/ which. even 10 those who 10 not recognize its
Divine character. must, " calmly reviewed, be
REGARDED ~ .DI't than The dictate u the Ia.
diyidual reason, aud lnorc worthy of conf
dencc than any other tribunal on earth. Human
! legislators may err; they may forbid what
tho Law Of God commands they may com
taaud what the iaw Of GDd fyrhiis. When.
ever such departure iroY .!fy!l ssl ji.lics
iiaa must remember the tano4Pic, tf,a initiate
thc example q !t4a. epss,Yes, aud r,s't.!?'r;y
GoJ rather than :r9i.. 3be s.,Ibeplty tjbs
more than the application of priG.,,pie which
is admitted, NJ well by ttosr who reject hcr
authority. as by her most taiibfal children
II 10 only by an entire Misrepresentation of
thcsc principles and by confoundipg things
c,acntislly different, that the enemies oi the
Church can represent her IA hostile 70 the
weltbeiDg ~ society, OF her children ia an.
worthy oI tbe bIessing of cviI liberty The
exploded ealunny VI "a divided allegiance,
Which a'oij. II "a said. Catholic eau, consist,
emily with th'.ir principles, give the Govern.
pent of their country, "a now seriously renew
ed, a. II IL had not already been seia,ai by
every kind of argument, ~ well ~ by the vs..
timony Of history anil experience We are
mortihej 20 be obliged 10 rcipie charge
which argus extreme ignorance 81 extreme
inalicc 10 those who prctr IL. We owc no
temporal allegiance 10 the bishop u komc.-.-
We recognize 10 the Government under which |
We live, the po~cs established by tod for the
regulation u society, supreme 10 all that con
Germs ttse civil order. AID always TO 'e 0ecyci,
whenever ia requirements ar not obsi0bsiy
opposd ~ the Law u God. We maintain,
indeed. the superiority Of tbs spiritual over
the ampotal order We p,aIptaiD that the
temporal ruler Is b,uBd 10 conform his enact
ments 70 the Divine Law. We maintain that
the Church Is the Supreme Judge u al qnes-
lions concerning faith and morals, anil that. IN
the dettminati0a oi such questions, the TO
man POntin, IN Vicar Of Jesus Christ, eonsti. !
tuta tribunal, IRON which there Is NO appeal. |
aDj 10 vbDe award all th children II ibc
Church must yicid ohdicbcs n this aplsaf
incptnIatitIe with The albgiaBoc ~ owc to the
Civil Ruler, u cau he only IN tbe niIhb I"
thoA shD ignorc the rights 0i cmscicnce, 90
sapp.s. that IN tte most difficult AMI Inomf1i- 1
tas question:. eona,ruo haa no certain rile !
10y whlci. Il, h. gusi,i anil who, IN denying the |
taratOmn' oiIigsifop df God Law would ~ |