The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-05
THE CHURCH OF ROME.
The Pope,s Answer to DR.. Cumming.

The POpe'S Answer Ia DIR. Cumming.
To the Editor Of the Daily KeDs.
BY the desire of the Archbishop, forward
to you the enclosed translation of letter adj
dressed to him by his Holiness in reply to the
letter of the Rev. DR.. Cumming. Believing
that it may be interesting to some of your
readers, the Archbishop places it at your dis
posal for publication. am, ETC.,
w. A. JOHNSON, Secretary.
No. York place. W., Sept. 20, 1862
Pope PiuS TX to oar VeHerd6lg Brother
Henry Edaodrd, ArchbSShOp Of WestB1iHSter:-
Venerable Brother, Health and the Apostolic
Blessing We have seen by the newspapers
that DIR. Cumming, of Scotland has inquired
of you whether leave would be given at the
approaching Council to those who dissent
from the Catholic Church to put forward the
arguments which they think can be advanced
in support of their own opinions; and that,
on your replying that this was a matter to be
determined by the Holy See, he has written
to us upon the biect.
Now, if the inquirer knows what is the
belief of Catholics with respect to the teach
ing authority which has been given by our
Divine Saviour to His Church, and therefore
with respect to its infallibility in deciding
questions which belong to dogma or to morals,
he must know that the Church cannot permit
errors which it has carefully considered,
judged, and condemned to be again brought
under discussion. This too, is what has
already been made known by our Letters.
wiz, The Letters Apostolic of September 13,
1868, addressed ''To all Protestants and other
non-Catholics. y For, when we said, ''it can
not be denied or doubted that Jesus Christ
Himself, in order that he might apply to all
generations of men the fruits of His redemp-
ton, built here on earth upon Peter His only
Church-that is, the ones holy, Catholic and
apostolic Church, and gave to him all power
that was necessary for preserving whole and
inviolate the deposit of faith andfor delivering
the same faith TO all peoples, and tribes, and
nations, we therefore signifed that the pri-
macy both of honor and of jurisdiction, which
was conferred upon Peter and his successors
by the Founder of the Church, is placed be-
yond the hazard of disputation. This, indeed,
is the hinge upon which the whole question
between Catholics and all who dissent from
them turns, and from this dissent, as from a
fountain, all the errors of non-Cathoics flow.
For inasmuch as such bodies of men are
destitute of that living and divnely- -estab-
hshed authority which teaches mankind espe-
cially the things of faith and the rule of
morals, and which also directs and governs
them in whatever relates to eternal salvation
so these same bodies of men have ever
varied in their teaching, and their change
and instability never cease. If, therefore,
your inquirer will consider either the OPT
Mon which is held by the Church as to the
infallibility of its Judgment in defining what
ever belongs to faith or morals, or what we
ourselves have written respecting the pri-
macy and teaching authority of Peter, he will
at once perceive that no room can be given at
the Council for the defense of errors which
have already been condemned, and that we
could not have invited non Catholics to dis
cussion, but have only urged them ''to avail
themselves of the opportunity afforded by
this Council, in which the Catholic Church,
to which their forefathers belonged, gives a
new proof of its close unity and invincible
vitality, and to satisfy the wants Of their souls
by Withdrawing from a state in which they
cannot be sure of their salvation" If, by the
inspiration of Divine grace, they shall seek
God with their whole heart they will easily
cast away all preconceived and adverse opn-
ions, and, laying aside all desire of disputa-
ton they will return to the Father from
whom they have long unhappily gone astray.
We, on our part, will joyfully run to meet
them; and, embracing them with a fathers
charity, we shall rejoice, and the Church will
rejoice with us, that our children who were
dead have come to life again, and that they
who were lost have been found. This indeed
we earnestly ask of God; and do you venera-
ble brother, join your prayers to ours.
In the meanwhile, as a token of the Divine
favor and of our own especial benevolence,
we most lovingly give to you and to your
diocese our Apostolic blessing.
Given at st. Peters, in Rome, this 4th day
OF September, 1869, in the twenty-fourth
year of our Pontifcate. POPE PrUs TX.