Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-07-17
Plus X.
The POpe's GsnRsnts On his e~n Rslsn
The History Of Twenty Five Years. {
From the Liverpool POstl ,5 81

On the 18th instant Cardinal Pa
trizi in the name of the Sacred COl-
Ieop presented congratulations 30
pSpe Plus IL. on his entering on the
twentv.fifth year of his pontiheate.
The T;1iid OIttOlicq publishes the fOi-
lowing reply made by the Pope: "a
/ thank the sacred College for this
new proof Of their affection and love,
and, whilst you say that the present
pontihcaie has been signaliZed by trlb-
uiatiOns and by glories, l will say
frankly that the present pontiicatee
was a its commencement encountered
hvan effort of ofenemies of God for pOllti-
cal emancipation, to introduce subse-
uueutlv religious emancipation. II
was useless in these first fervers Of the
movement to cry out TO the unthink-
ing, incnnsiderate people Popule
mas, gld te 6eattpn diciHH ipSi te Sc
,lticunt." The emancipation was at
tempted and accomplished; and the
revolutionists obtained their end.
After political emancipation came re-
ligious emancipation, in whose name
was perpetated what isknown to every
one-spoilations, usurpatiOns, prisons,
exile, and everything penal for the
church and her ministers. However,
to these evils worse succeeded, and
our country, repeating the blunders
Of other nations, advanced their false
doctrines, and even, though, as on a
former occasion, incense was not
burned to the Goddess of Reason, IL
was upheld, and is still upheld, that
reason should not submit to faith, and
that learning should not be guided by
the hand of religion; and, as natu
raj consequence, a thousand other
errors are being propagated, and find,
unfortunately, following and follow
ers. They are embraced by all those
who are fOoIishly daZZled by the beau
ties of the world; by all those who,
that they may abandon themselves TO
it, live TRANQUILITY under the tyrrany
OF certain names; by those who work,
think, and discourse according to the
Journals which they read and the
circles they move in; who adore and
veuerate what is called public opinion,
following its principles even when
they are contrary to justice, right,
reason, and truth. And why all this?
The first source of these errors-nOt
the only source, but the first-is ignO-
rance. Permit me to relate two
occurrences which happened to
me some years ago. l win be
very brief, because I don't wish
10 incur The blame of wearying
my audience, as sometimes happens
in some corner of the world when GER
tain orators speak. On two different
occasions there came to me two dis
tinguished peTsOnages, who occupied
a most distinguished position in the
State 10 which they belonged. The
first, after q short conversation, an
nOunced to me, to my great consola-
ton, that he was a Catholic, and
moreover that, being a Catholic, he
believed in hell; however, that the
hell in which he believed was not as
it was commonly understood, but
place in which God condemned sim
ners to perpetual melancholy, and
nothing more. The other, who came
shortly after, spoke with me on certain
laws and principles Of the Church and
Of religion. As we couldn't come to a
clear understanding, he broke out into
this classic blunder: al know" he
said, the religion of Rome and of a
part of Italy is different from the reli-
giOn of the rest of the world; for in
Rome you have the religion of st.
Peter, and elsewhere the religion of
st. PAUL." and then he added, with
iu-adiusted' eruditiOn, =" preciSelysLOn
this account God showed to st. Paul
the sheet filled with unclean animals
10 be eaten" | congratulated him on
his time being occupied in reading the
Acts of the Apostles, but added that !
the vision was not made to St. Paul !
but to st. Peter-that the two Apos- |
ties were in perfect accord, and |
both brought round the conversion OF /
Rome and the world; and Paul wrote |
10 the Romans and bOasted that he I
was a Roman citizen, and with Peter 4
he was martyred in Rome, confirming |
with MS blood the same faith preached /
in Rome and outside of it by the !
Prince Of the Apostles. Now, | say, !
why all this? ! repeat il, dearest !
brethren, because Of Ignorance princi- !
pally. And whose duty is it to dis |
sipate this ignOrauce-whOse to elimi- !
nate certain preiudices which, pene-
trating even TO the highest classes of
society, produce therein evils without
end? 1t is my duty, it is your duty,
venerable brethren, since both you
and / have been placed by God as
sentinels TO watch day and night over
the safety Of Zion" ISalpeT nlurOS ttoS i
cOnstitlH custOdes; tOtT die, tOtd ROcte,
IN ,1erpetlHOH non t0ecbuJlt." 1t be-
hooves Us to teach the people their
duties; 10 Us it belongs to dissipate
the errors which gather on this earth,
and to direct so many, even, perhaps, !
good people, but who do not know, !
from the position which they occupy, ]
the truth of certain principles or the /
existence Of certain facts. Wherefore, |
having invoked Gods assistance, j |
will say in the first place /
that amongst the sentinels posted by
God, for the custody of his City OF |
Sion, that is to say, the church, there ]
are some who fOTegO the greatness of /
their dignity, and who even abandon /
the hOnOred insignia Of their high de- /
gree-that they may assume certain 1
customs and manners that will suit /
them better to mingle with worldly /
people; there are sentinels who think /
that they can approach the world, and /
pretend to love it under very specious /
but vain pretexts, but the great st.
Leo SAYS to them: "I1dcelli cum nluyldO,
ylisi 0matOTe5 mtgldi hd6ere non pos
slg,t." Those who hold out a friendly
hand To this world, in order to negO-
tiate conventions with it, forget,
though the Apostle st. John tells US
very clearly, that the world does not
know Jesus Christ: "1fimd,ts cum
non c0gnOrR." And il the world does
not know Jesus Christ, or pretends
not to know him, how is it possible !
to do homage to it or seek its favor?
Or is it the world that has beautified
our souls with the sacerdOtal charac-
ter, with that character which, as
and you hone, will shine brilliantly in
heaven when God shall call us into
the presence Of His glory? Was ii the
world that enriched our souls with the
other sacred favOrs? Was il the
world, in fine, that, separating US from
the rest Of men and placing us over
them, endowed us with gifts Of wis
dom, understanding, counsel, forti-
tude, knowledge, piety, and the fear
Of the Lord? or was it not God him
self VINO poured out these heavenly 4
treasures into our souls? TO Him,
therefore, let Us offer our thoughts,
our affections, our work, and our
gratitude. But l will conclude these
with a heavenly benedictiOn,
which l impart to you with all the
of my heart; and first,
bless these first ones of whom / have
been speaking, and raising my hands
10 heaven, pray that God may look
On them with an eye Of mercy, and
the blessing with the grace
IF light, to the end that, cropping
about as they are amidst obscurity
and darkness, they may find an exit
rom that confusion TO witness once
gain the beauty and splendor of
ruth. l bless the second class, and
hey are those that hesitate, wsver-
ng IN dttGs parties, end cannot