The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-12-08
The Pope and the Catholic Church.

Dr.. johnson, although one of the pillars Of
the English church, was accustomed &C. speak
of the Roman catholic church with great re
speot as the Odd church. from which ali the
various dissenting charisslan scots have de-
rived their orr gin. Undoubtedly the present
is critical period in the history OF catholic
ism, but it has seen periods as critical before
and survived them. Dryden in mis- poem Of
Hind and Panther speaks of the Roman
church under the image of "a milk.white
hind" and as "tattened TO de-" The Pope
has from the days of Charlsmagne been a
temporal sovereign well as the chief bish-
op and spiritual shepard of his communion.
Protestsnss affirm that it was the fact of the
Roman bishop having his episcopal seat in
the moss important city in the world, that
gave him the primary of the christian church
originally, and not any special gift from on
high. The patriarch of Constansinople, while
that city was the capital of the Roman en-
pire, was the most important bishop In
the empire, and for long time dispu-
ted the supremacy with the Pope and
the Greek church. even when the Roman
pontitf might be called the hsad of chris
tendon, remained schismatic and sep
arate establishment. The temporal sover-
eighty of the Pope dates back farther than
that of any reighing house III Europe. 1t
has bejn regarded as the keystone of the old
European system, and undoubtedly 1t is
Even protestant dynasties have always re-
speosed it and been ready in an emergency
to uphold it. 10 was Russia and England that
rsinstalled the Pope in Rome after his COM
pulsory detention in France by the first Ma
poleon. They replaced him on his spiritual
and temporal throne and Greek and protest.
ant English soldiers fred salute in his hon
or. But the time seems to have arrived
when the Pope's tenn poral sovereignty, which
has endured so long, must come 20 an end
IT cannot be supposed that the present Pope
will be party to diminution of the preroc-
atives of the chair OF 81. Peter. He accord.
ingly refuses TO surrender his temporal sway.
Undoubtedly the possession of a country of
his own, of territory under his control con
tributes much TO the Independence of the
Pope ae spirital ruler. But at the same
time it cannot be doubted, but that good cath
olics throughout the world would support him
wherever be may choose to take W his bode,
when the states of the church have beeh made
part and parcel Of the kingdom of Viosar
Emanuel, in q manner BETTING his exalted
position.
There are two religious tendencies at the
present. dsy-ons setting towards the old
church and the other in the direction of~rs-
tionalisul and the extreme right of private
judgement. Those who are delighted with
the matsri al progress of the time and believe
that science and knowledge of nature will
finally lead to millenisi state of things on
This planet, defy the enlighted human reason
90 all-suffieient 10 work out the fortunes of
the human race. In fact the aggregate hu-
man reason of all ages and nations stands
for such as the deity. On the ether hand,
chose who regard man as fallen and only to
be restored through supernatural agencies
those who place faith above knowledge, ere
inclined to seek for peace in religion of au-
shorty and dogma, which will not subject
itself to the varying currents of opinion. but
regards not the spirit of the age at ell, when
that spirit comes in collision with its articles
II faith - settled by the Council of Trent