Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-03-16
The Pope,s EneteIIeaI 1etler.

| We give below the larger portion oi
the Pope's encyclical letter of the 9Th
December. The Londoa Times, IN ita
remarks upon the extraordinary docu
rneni, says "of all the aIlocutions and
other apostolic messages whieh.he has
yet launched against this evil world,
none approaches in faluous presump-
ton this last inyestiye," and the Star
declares that " 50 0utspokeuAhd thor
ough-going a denunciation Of oil the
principles Of enlightenment, liberty, and
progress has not been delivered Tor cen
tnriea. Piss TX writes:
To our venerable brethren, all the pa
triarchs, primates, archbishops, and
bishops in communion with the apostolic
ses--we, Plus TX, Pope, send greeting
and-eaF apostolic blessing.
AS you are aware, venerable brethren.
We had scarcely been raised 70 the chair
of 80. Peter above our merits BY ghe
mysterious designs Of Divine Proyi-
dence, than, seeing, with the most
profound grief Of our sonl, the
horrible storm, excited by evil
doctrines, aud the very deploral,Ie
Injury caused especially BY 80 many ef-
rors, 70 Chria.ian people, In ACCORDANCE
With the duty Of oar apostolic ministry,
and following in the glorious footsteps
OF our predecessor, we raised our voice
by the publication Of several eneyolicAls,
consis,orial letters and allocuticns, and
other apostolic letters, We have con
denned the principal errors Of his sad
age, re animated your almost epiacopal
vigilance, warned and exhorted npon
various occasions, all our dear children
10 the Catholic Church, to repel and abb
solutely avoid the c0tllagion OF 20 hor.
rible q plague. More eventually ia our
lirst eneyelieal Of the 9th November,
1876, and addressed 10 you, and in our
two allocutions Of the 9th December,
1884, and the 9th Jane, lsG2, 10 the con
sistoriea, we condemned the fnonslrons
opinions which particularly predoninaae
IN the present day, To the great preiudics
Of souls, and to the detriment Of society
doctrines which not only attack the
Catholic Chnreh, her salatary iustruc-
tion, and her venerable tights, bat also
the natural unalterable law inscribed by
God upon the heart oi man--that Of
sound reason NHEA
But although we have not hitherto
omitted to prescribe and reprove the
principal errors Of this kind, yet the
cause Of the Catholic Church, the safety
OF the souls which have been conhded
10 us, and the well. being 81 human So
oiety itself, Absolutely demand that we
ahouh again exercise oar PASTORAL so-
licitude % destroy new opihions whach
spring out of these sama errors as from
so many sources These false aud per
verse opinions are the more detestable
as they especially tend to shackle and
tarn aside the salntary force that the
| Catholic Church, by the example OF her
] Divine Author ard bis order, ought freely
70 exercise until the end of time, not
only in regard to each individual man
but with regard to nations, peoples, and
their rulers, and to destroy that agree.
ment and concord between the priest
hood and Government which have al
ways existed for the happiness and secu.
rity of religious and civil society. For,
as you are well aware, venerable breth-
ren, there are great number Of men in
the PRESENT DAY who, applying to civil
society the imnious and absurd prinei-
pie Of naturalism, as ID is called, dare 10
teach that The. perfect right ef-pahlie
society and civil progress absolutely re-
quira q condition Of Tie human society
constituted and governed without regard
to oil considerations of religion, as If Il
had 10 distinction between true religion
and heresY." Aud, contrary 10 the
teachings of the Holy Scriptures, Of the
church, and Of the fathers, they do moi
hesitate 10 affirm "that the best cohdi
ton OF society ia that in which the power
of the laity is not compelled TO inflie
the penalties OF the law upon viola,orl
of the Catholic religion, unless required
by considerations of public safety" Ac
tuated by an idea of social government
so absolutely false, they do not hesitatl
further to propagate this erroneous opin
ion, very hGrtiul to the safety Of tbs
Catholic Church and of souls, and deia
rum by oarrRredecessos SregorY XVI
OF excellent memory, vizs Liberty b
: conscience and worship Is the right O
. every man--A right which ought to b
proclaimed aud established by law il
) every well constituted State; and tha
+ citizens are entitled to make known an
!, declare, which neither the ecclesiaslica
4 nor civil authority can limit, their COZ
: victions, of whatever kind, eithe
!. By word OF mouth, OF through ih
press, or hy other means But IN maxim
these rash assertions they do not n
feet, they do not consider that the
preach the liberty of perdition (St Al
= gustine, Epistle loo, al 1861 and tbs
"if il Is always frea 20 human cow.
T. ton 10 diseuss, mea will never be wan
ing, who Dare 10 struggle against Il
9 truth, and to rely upon the loquscity
! human wisdom, when We know by Il
y example Of our Lord Jesus Christ ho
- faith and Christian sagaeity ought
T. avoid this. very eulpable vanity. e
". Leon, Epistle 1874, al. lS3, 5. 2 Be
edl
M Since, also religion has been banis
O., ed from civil government, since the do
trine aud authority of divine revelatiC
"s have been repadiated, the idea in
As. mately connected Herewith OF iusti
=. and human right is obscured BY dar
Sc, ness and lost sight Of, and in place
e. true justice and legitimate right bru
A. force is,snbstituted, whieh,has permit
ia. some entirely oblivioos Of she plains
Es principles Of sound reason, to dare
s., proclaim Hthat the viii Of the peop
manifested BY what is called public opi
- ion or by other means, constitutes
preme law, superior TO all divine a
human, right; aud that accomplish
facts ID political affairs. By the n'
fact OF their having been accomplish
have the force Of law" But who d
not perfectly see and understand q
human society, released from the ties
i, religion ana true Justice. can save