The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-11
MORNING DECEMBER III 1870.

THAT BRING GLAD IDlN6S OF GOOD |.
FORMING DECEMBER Il, 1870
Letter q the Holy Tathsf y q 1iiAsys =
0sRaany. NJ 4
Pope Pins q. Ninth = or vsnsr.sa,I bssshsss
q Vemevatlsss BrotAssN - Health aud. Apostoais
Benedictt0ns Amidst the heavy afiifctfons by
which wicked men have Allied oar. cup Of hit
terness 70 the brim, with detesteble crindex
treading nnder foot not only thsssavs of 70.
, iigion, but also of natural justice and right,
we have teceived great and mneh desired con,
ISOLATION from the zeal for The hosse q God.
thoiic faith, which you, rable brother, 70.
. gether with most Of the Bishops Of Germany,
have shown At this cs1nmniops time, asfwe
dressed to your focks, which have boon sentt u
as by our venerable brother, Peter Francis,
Archbishop Of Damascas, onr Nnpcio to the
your pastoral duty, have with one accord, met
together In the city Of Fnlds, and taught the
faithful intrnsted to your care the obligation
e9 ss Hoa
and Apostolic Church. of believing and con-
Tossing with firm faith, g revealed BY God, the
as n
sessions of the 9th day Of April and the 18th
of July, as well a. the antagonism between the
principles Of the Catholic religion and stao az
saying that the doctrine de2ned by this holy
Vatican COuncil ID not contained An the DE-
vine scripturea .Aud traditicnss nays that ii q
As these schasssaEae.l 81 ~ epipionS1
have caused inch q ssGlI
as we were 1f a q Any 81 NJ 81 In
1 sary in order to meet these dangers GET sz3&s
starting up. Our consolation would have been
I'D
letter signed with the names of all our ven-
| cradle brethren, the bishops of Germany, to
the greater weight of the same You have given
| that those preates whose names are wanting,
understand, as clearly as we ourselves do, the
| duty upon sacred pastors of teaching their
focks the truths defined by the Holy Gcu- |
menical Council, in order that the faithful
under their charge may be kept away from
poisonous pastures, and fed with the whole |
some food of Catholic doctrine. At this time |
there are in those parts especially certain |
children of pride, calling themselves Catholics, [
who not only with secret artifce, but also
without shame, oppose themselves to this doc
as to venture in publishing pamphlets and
journals to rise in rebellion against the au-
thority and DEGREES of the Gcumenical Coun-
Gil itself, and especially the doctrine of faith
defined solemnly and without appeal, touching
the infallibility of the Roman Pontif when
speaking er cathedrG, and they endeavor to
drag others down into the same rebellion and
destruction.
Like all who have at any time scattered
schsm and Leresy, they falsely boast that they
are clinging to the ancient Catholic faith in-
stead of upsetting the foundation and ground
work of Catholic faith and teaching. For al
Though they confess that Scripture and Ira
slition are the sources of Divine revelation, yet
they refuse TO listen to the ever living doctri-
nal authority of the Church, clearly in
Scripture aud Tradition, and diyinely institu- |
ted both for the perpetual guardianship and
infallible explanation and declaration of the
dnn fI han al dom n To in int nuhl
Tradition. Thus in their fallible and deceitfnl
knowledge, without authority, nay contrary
to the authority of this divinely instituted
Mdgstertum, they make themselves judges OF
the doctrines contained in the sources of
revelation. For what else is it, when,they have
the hardwood to say that doctrine of faith
defined by us with the appreciation of the Sa-
cred Council is not a truth revealed by God,
aud necessary to be believed with Catholic
faith, because they themselves allege that, az +
cording to their understanding, they do not
find it in Scripture aud Tradition AS if that
was not the order of faith ordained by our
Saviour and ever retained in His Church, that
the mere definition of doctrine ought to be held
as most certain proof sufficient in itself and
adapted for all the faithful that the doctrine
defined is contained in the deposit of revela-
tion written handed down by tradition.
Such definitions of doctriue necessarily are,
and always were, the Interchangeable rule both
for Catholic faith and knowledge, and it is
their highest Office to show that the doctrine ID
is contained in the sources of revelation IN the
very sense in which it has been defined. ,
These same men, as far as in them lies, COM
pass the destruction of the Church and the Ca
tholic faith, by presuming calumniousy and
without reason, to say in their mischievons
writings-as you have taken care to show in the {
Pastoral Letter from yourself and others of our {
brethren the Bishops of Germany, to your dear {
iocks-that there has been wanting something,
either in the definition itself, in the prom IL
cation of the DEGREES of the Council, and par ,
tieularly of the dogma of the Infalibility of :
the Roman Poutif, in order to establish the
full weight and piepary authority of the
Council. They cannot indeed de-
ny to this Holy Gcum"ncal Council the as '
sstance of the Holy Spirit in the infalible {
character of its definitions, except on prin- |
ciples which are altogether at war with intal-
lIbility of the supernatural order; nay, more 9
than this, with the essential character of the I
Catholic Church. Every one knows that on
siEiilar preteuces the definitions of other
Councils also have been objected to by those
whose errors they have condemned, as is shown 7
by the notorious calumnies brought by schis- Z
matics and heretics of later times, to their own (
and the spiritual ruin of very many Q
souls, against other Gcumenical Councils, and
those of Florence and Trent. 4,
How we hold such wrong doing of I'M !
worthy SONG, and the dangers which they es-
pecially bring upon the imprudent and mex ,
perienced and unwery youth, without deep
grief of heart and bitter tearsf They unduti-'