True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-06-25

SuSSSSo' AH0 y IL U " circumstance
which introduced celibacy among the
ministry at that time was, that it became
customary to elect monks 10 the pastoral
charge Of churches, so that the monaslic
life began 10 be reg rded as preparation
for the ministry, and as monks had vow.
ed celibacy, the matrimonial state was
discouraged among the clergy, but could
not be generally suppressed even iu the
Latin church, until the time of Gregory
VII. in the llth century.
The natural consequences of this per-
version of Gods appointed laws, soon
became manifest in the appalling scenes
of corruption and licentiousness, in which,
according to contempol aneous Catholic
writer's. monks and nuns, priests, bish.
ops and popes were alike implicated
I At an early day after the introduc.
ton of celibacy it became customary fol
the priests to keep single females in ,heil
houses as professed religious sisters
To suppress the disorders thus introduced
by these pretended friends of celibacy, il
was found necessary tnprohbit The priests
from having any females in their houses,
except their own mothers and sisters
But horrible to relate, from a decree Of
the Concil Moguntie, A. D. SSs, we
learn that some Of them had children by
their own sisters By a canon of the
Concil Enhamense, A. d. 1909. it is ex.
pressly asserted. that some of them had
not only one, but even two and more
women living with them that their vol
uptuous indulgences constituted their
principal object Of pursuit in life; and
that they did not blush to be engaged
with prostitutes, even more publicly,
more Ostentatiously, more lasciviousIy
and more perservingly than the most un-
principled vagrants among the iaity.'
Hundreds Of thousands of young fe-
males were enticed into their nunneries
under pretence of spending their life in
religious seclusion. The nunneries were
almost invariably in the immediate vi
cinily Of the institutions of The priests :
and in different instances, where these es'
tabllsments were torn down, subteranean
passages were discovered conducting from
the one to The other !-Clemangis, ;
distinguished French Catholic, who stud
led at Paris under the learned Gerson
and lived about fifty years before til.
lime Of Luther, gives such a description
of the nunneres as cannot be repeated al
large before this audience. After emu
merating various particulars, he adds
What else are these nunnerles thar
houses of prostitution so that in our day
for female to take the veil, is the same
as publicly to offer herself for prostitu
tion.T Geo. Cassander. a Catholic wri
ter, born few years before the Reforma
lion, testifies that scarcely one could bt
found in hundred of the priests who
was not guilty of illicit commerce will
females. 'S* Many of the popes were
among the most licentious and corrup
men to be found in the annals of lu
man debauchery, II and Pope Paul III
even licensed brothels, Tor regular sun
fo money.tt
Such according to the testimony o
Romish writers themselves, was the con
dition Of the church prior to the Refor
nation ! What gratitude is not due from
every friend of virtue or religion, tha
these corruptions have been banishet
from at least large portion of the Chris
tian world. What Gratitude is due from
every father and mother, that our eye
have been opened upon the corruption o
these nunneries, that our daughters ar
no longer sent thither to be sacrificed t
licentious prizes is With what gratitud
should we cherish the recollection of III
glorious Reformation and how faithful
should we labour by the dissemination
of the word Of God and of the spirit {
piety among our fellow citizens of all de:
criptions to resist the progress of poPer
amongst us
H Tim. 3:2; see also Titus l;9.
Matt. S:l4. Luke 4: 3s.
The decree Of the Council of Trent explc
ty decides, that priests forgive sins judicial
aud not declaratively.
'Gavin's Protestant, Vol. H. p. 7le.
%*Pro,estant, Vol. ii. p. 7ls also Murdock
| Mosheim, VOL H. p. II.
II Examples of such popes may he found
MGavins Protestant, Vol. ii.p 81. %.
e t. In the third year of his papacy, Pa
, III. granted bull for publicly licensir
: brothels, and gave an indulgence for the ca
mission of lewdness. provided the man pai d
certain fine to the holy see. and the woman
: yearly sum for her license, and entered !
p name into the public register. In the days
!. this pope, there are said to have been Is O
:, = such women in Rome. Protestant, vol i.
II l4l.
o "S,cratiS Hlstor, Lib. i. chap. 8. This CO
II brated man had one of his eyes bored out
% the prosecutions, and so much war he estee,
- ed and beloved by the emperor CONSTANT
3 that lie is said often to have kissed the extiu,
l. ished eye.
ir I The paragraph included in n was omit
,r in the delivery.
r The MULIEREs sUBlNTRoDHcTAE. See Ge
VI ler. vol. l., and Mosheim, vol. i.
E. Canon 10, Mansi xviii. p. 81. See Ge
ler's Hist. vol. ii. p. ll2.
10 5,,Gieseler's History, Amer. ed, 1886. Vol
,e g7sl gisiS' O~A'' LEI n'A''''''' Dec also pp'
II, ~" The testimony reported by
hl Committee of Investigation, confr
ce BENToN's averment that the attack VI