New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-16
THE NEW CATHOLIC GODDESS.

ter ficm Pope Plus IN, concerning the lately es.s5
lished dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin Mary. In this document, after giving the his.
tory of the doctrine in question, His Holiness pro-
ceeds to define II as an article OF faith, as follows:
Far mole it was right that as the Only Begotten
had Father in Heaven, whom the serapnim extol
three times holy, so he should have a Mother the
earth who never should want the splesdor of holt
Less. And this doctrine, indeed 80 hlled tue minds
ard souls CT our forefathers that marvellous and SIM
ruar form of speech prevailed with them, IN which
they very frequently called the Mother of God mmtc
ulate and entirely Immaculate, innocent aud most in
nocent spotless, holy, and most distant from every
sain of BID, ali pure, all perfect the type and motel
of purity and innocence more beautiful than beauty,
more gracious than grace, more holy than holiness,
and alone holy and most pure in soul aud body, who
has surpassed all perfectitude and oil virgnlty, and
has become the dwelling place OF ali the graces OF The
Most Holy Spirit, and who, God alone excepted, Is
superior TO all and by nature fairer, more beautiful,
and more holy than the che rubin aud seraphim; she
whom all the tongues of heaven and earth Co not
suffice to extol No one is ignorani that these forms
OF speech have passed, it were spontaneously into
the monuments of the most Holy Liturgy, and the
Offices OF the Church and them aud abound amply;
and ,iI ce the Mother of God is invoked and named
in them as spoess dove Of beauty, as rose ever
oon iig and perfectly pure, and ever spotless and
ever blessed and il celebrated as innocence which
was never wounded, and a second Eve VINO brought
forth Emmanuel
at is 10 wonder then if the Pastors Of the Church
and the faithful people have daily more and more
gored to profess with 80 much pe'y and fervor this
Coctrice OF the Immac ulate Conception of the Virgin
Mother Of God pointed out in the Sacred Scriptures,
according 10 the judgment Of the Fathers handed down
10 many mighty Testimonies OF the same, expressed
aid celebrated IN so many Industrious monuments of
reyeitd antiquity and proposed, and with great pety
confirmed by the greatest and highest judgment of the
Church. that nothing would he more dear, more
pleasing TO the same than everywhere to worship ven.
crate, invoke and proclaim the virgin Mother OF God
81
snce nj times the Princes of the Church. Ecclesias-
tics and even emperors and kings themselves, have
earnestly entrea-d of this Apostolic See ha. the n
macula,e Conception of the Most Holy Mother OF God
should be defined as dogma of Catholic faith Which
entire aues were renewed also in these Our tines aud
especially were addressed 10 Gregory XVI Oar pre-
cecessor of hsppy memory, and to Ourselves, not only
by Bishops, but by the secular clergy religious Or
dtIs, and the greatest princes and f.snfu peoples.
Therefore, with singular JOY OF mind, veil know
ing si ,hese things, aud seriously considering them
scarcely had We, though un worthy been raised by
NY erious dspeDsation of Divine Providence to the
exalted Chair of Peter. and undertaken the govern
melt Of the whole Church, than, following the ven
GRAFTON, the pety, and love We bad entertained for
the Blessed Virgin from Our tender ye.rs We had
nothing at heart more than TO accomplish all these
things which yet were among the ardent wishes Of
the Church. that the honor of the Most Blessed Virgin
should be ircreased, and her prerogatives should
full maturity We appointed special congregation of
the WEE n. n. S. X. Cardinals, illusrious by
their piety their wisdom, and their knowledge of the
sacred sciences; and slso selected Eccesisstics,
both secular and regular well trained in theological
discipline that they should most carefully weigh all
thoee things which relate to the Immaculate Concsp-
ton of the Virgin and report to Us their opinion.
And although from the enireatie, lately received by
for at length defining the immaculate Conception
Of the Virgin the opinions Of most of the Bishops of
the Church were UNDERWOOD; however, We sent En-
cyclic Letters dated at Gaeta, the I'd day OF Febru
sry in the year s49 to eli our Venerable Brethren,
tba NJ ha world
having ffsred prayer 10 God they would signify to
Us, in writing, what was the pety and devotion of
their focbs toward the Immaculate Conception of the
Mother Of God; and especially what the Bishops
Themselves thought about promue spg the definition,
or what they desired, in order that We might pro-
nounee Our supreme Judgment a. soemny as
possible.
Certainly we we're fled with no slight consols-
ton when the replies of Venerable Brethren ca ne
to Cs. For with incredible joyfulness gladness,
ara zeal, they not only confirmed their own singular
pieiy and that Of their clergy and faithful people to-
the Immaculate Conception Of the u oct Bless ed
Virgin, but they even entreated of Us with COM
mon voice that the Immaculate Conception OF the
Virgin should be defined by Our suoreme judgmen,
and authority. Nor, indeed were We hled With less
10Y when the Wv F.FS.N.S.R.E. Cardinals of the
Special Congregation aforesaid and the consulting
tteooe iaDs ch by Us, after dilgent examination
demanded from Us with equal alacrity and zeal this
definition of the Immaculate Conception OF the Mother
Of God.
"Af eIward walking ip the illusuious footsteps of
Oul predecs ssors and desiring 10 proceed duly and
properly, We proclaimed and held Consistory, In
which We addressed Our Brethren, the Cardinals OF
the Holy Roman Church. and with the greatest con-
ISOLATION of N nd We heard them entrest OF Us that
We should promulgae the dogmatic definition Of the
Immaculate Conception Of the Virgin Mother OF God.
Therefore, bsvDg fuil trust in the Lord tbs, the
oppoIiune time bad come for defining the immaculate
CoIce p,ion Of the Virgin Mary Mo be of God which
the Divine words, venerable tradition the perpetual
opiI ion Of The Church. the singular agreement OF
Catholic Presies and Faithful and the signal scs
and constitutions Of Our predecessors wonderfully
illustrate anu proclaim having most diligently
weighed al things and poured forth 10 God sssiduous
aid i.ry art prayers We resolved tia; We should
longer delay 10 sanction and define BY Our supreme
authority, the Immaculate Conception Of the Virgin,
and thus satisfy the moot pious desires OF the Cath
elo world and our own piety toward the Most Holy
Virgin, and, az the same time 10 honor mere and
more the only bsgotien Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
since whatever honor and praise is given 10 the
Mother rebounds 10 the Son.
Wherefore after We had Increasingly. in h1niiity
and fasting offered Our own prayers aud the psbhc
paws Of the Church TO God the Father through bis
Son, tha, lie would degn TO direc; and confirm Oar
mind by the power Of the Holy Ghost and iuipored
the sid Of the entire heavenly host and invoked the
Psrselete with sghs, and he thus inspirn T. 10 the
honor of the holy and undivided Trinity to ths glory
and ornament Of tbs Virgin Mother Of God 10 tue ex
atston Of the Catholic faith and the increase of the
Catholic religion, by tle authority Of Jesus Christ
Our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul
We declare pronounce, and dedne that the doctrice
hch holds tnsi the Blessed Virgin Mary at the first
instant Of her conception, by singular privilege an1
grace of the Omnipo,ent God IN virtue Of the merits
Of Jesus Christ the Savior OF mankind preserved
immaculate from al STAN Of srgiDa ain has been re-
-, - Cd avI srrnF a