Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-03-02
WHOLE NO. 27S7.


the mother house. Then he is
assisted in another way. John
A, the butcher, can hardly charge
the friars as much as other peO-
pie. Nay, will not the desire to
stand well with them, and the en-
treaties of his wife, always a par
tlsan of the priests, induce him
very frequently to send them
presentsg So that food is proeur-
ed very cheaply, sometimes gra-
tuitously. At Easter and Christ
mas, and the festival of the pa
tron saint, the monastery is over
run with gifts snd presents. All
these things reduce the income of
the ParOehus, who, but for the re-
ligfOus, might reap the entire
beneficence of the people.
The report respecting the life
OF country monks is anything but
favorable. Taking one specimen,
the Dominican house at Braccia-
no, we find a number of young
men under the laxest discipline,
having constant intercourse with
the outside world, familiar with
women, prone to loose converse
ton, and suspected of still worse.
This testimony is given by the
physician attending the convent.
There are exceptions to this,
which may be taken as a rule; |
shall note them presently. But
if the friars who live by a ruls
grow thus lax, the case of the sec
ular clergy is not so favorable. /
speak with the greatest caution,
and only adduce such facts as
were proven to the satisfaction of
the Roman Court, and which may
be witnessed by every traveller
in the Pontifcal States. The
celibacy of the clergy has at all
times given rise to great abuses,
A Roman priest will unblushing-
ly tell you, "Celibacy is not chas-
tity." Anything but marriage is
tolerated. So, it is not wonder
full that, all through the dioceses
of AlbanO, IFrascati, Civita Vee-
CHA, ete.-indeed, throughout all
the outlying cOuntry-the priests
of any means live openly in con-
cubinage. The arch-priest of
BraccianO has nine children
These always pass as nephews
and nieces. | remember a wit
meeting one of these country
priests who was blessed with six
of these questionable nephews,
and Oecasioning the greatest
amusement by saying, padre B.,
/ suppose your sister must have
had an extraordinary devotion to
you, your nephews are so like
yOu." And once afterward he re-
marked that it was now literally
true of the Church that ''the cell
! bates had many more children
than those that were married. y
Certainly a strange rendering of
Isaiah liv., I. 1t was also found
that the priestly example in this
particular was sedulously copied
by the peasantry. The deficient
sleeping accommodation, generally
one bedroom being the only re-
sort for all the family, gave rise
to strange and revolving crimes.
Ostricism does not follow disgrace
as in England and America. A
girl may live amicably with her
neighbors who is open to more
than suspicion. Education in
most of the country parishes is
neglected. There is a school, but
so long as the children are not
driven to it, they evade it. Unless
boy is to be a priest, little care
is taken of his education. The
estimate formed by the people of
the clergy is very low. The priest
does not in the least care for this.
He regards his profession as a
means of livelihood. If he has
qualms of conscience about his
own errors, he seeks to atone by
rigid observance of his religion.
For, to be religious, is not with
an Italian necessary to be moral.
The ex-Queen Isabella was always
regarded as a most religious wo-
man, in spite of Senior Marfori
and two other gentlemen for she
gave aims literally, regularly at
tended mass, wore the ehemises
of Sor Patrocinio, and was eounte-
nanced in her ''eeeentricities," as
he called them, by Monsignor
Claret. So, a priest in Rome will
earn quite reputation for piety
and devotion by assiduous atten-
ton to his external religious du-
ties. That other theory adopted
by cardinals and defined ecclesi-
astics is also adopted by their in
feriors; that is. the man and the
priest are two distinct characters,
and what is done by the man does
not affect the status of the priest.
Frequently cardinal, besides be-
ing a prince of the Church, is a
of high rank. Then he
considers himself at liberty to do
freaks as a nobleman which are
very unbecoming to a CARDINAL
The vulgar mind, unfortunately,
is apt to regard this as a distinct
ion without a difference. The
persons concerned would say,
Idnt pis pour eur.
(COntinued.)
The human heart is a marvel