The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-21
The Rlunder Of Rome.

eAS4SAtA 1850 lbSSbf o. aAgtS9SSAA
that It excitcs less attention than the
opening and earlier proceedings Of that
august body. The dogma was adopted
on Wednesday by u vote Of four hundred
and fifty to eighty.elght. It will soon be
promulgated In st. Peters with a pomp
becoming this browning event Of thepres-
ent Pontifcate. It Is reported that an at.
tempt will be made to bring over the dis.
senting fathers, TINT the vote may be
unanimous in form. Bnt the opposition
las been so bold and strong that it is not
likelytobe conciliRted into anything more
than acquicsOence. ssaa t'sr, 'Di; Gy.ai
The libCraI party in the Roman Church
will not submit to this triumph Of abSO'
lutism without some mental rebellion.
Open, resistance and y division of tie
church will hardly be expected. But II
must DO a sore trial 10 liberal minds in
that church, who arc sincerely attached
to 1t, to SEQ it thus srlrrendering It's liberty
and booming itself to q perpetual conflict
with the hopes and the progress Of the
human race. There will always DO, "a
party, especially in free countries, who
will stand Tor the liberties Of the church
against this absolutlsln, into whose hands
they are now given to be bound hand
and foot. But they will make an. i'm.
potent struggle. A great council. as
nearly ecNmeniCNl us possible, has de:
cidcd beyond any immediate prospect Of
repeal. md probably. for all tue future Of
tic Roman Church, That the Holy See
shall be In the place Of God, and its word
shall be final and supreme, The decision
Of one nm IN the Vatican Is 10 outweigh
All the traditions 0ftlie Church, oil deci;
SionS, even Of the highest councils, all
opinions Of tic most learned theol ogians,
and the Universal judgment Of the chuch
IN any country and in every age. Apow-
or lns been given to tic Pope not to be
reclaimed, and which will be used, Of
course, only 10 centralize and confirm
itself more and morc-de destroying all indi-
viduaI and all church liberty Such n
proceeding Is contrary 10 the ideas and
spirit which prevail everywhere else In
modern society. Indeed, this action is
taken aVOwcdly In antag0ntsm to the ten
denotes and course of civilization. 1t is
grounded on the theory that ecClesias.
tical .AbsOlutisme Ia the only salvation
of ut IClst the Catholic world. There
Is M intrinsic alaur(ity and iniQuity
in pronOuncing any man infallible inmat.
terS of religion. But the consequences Of
it in strictly Catholic cOuntrieSwill be
very lalnenlabe indeed. Liberty, intel.
ligcnCe, and NIL the good things which
flow from them will haVetllG church set
more tirMIy,Lhan over against them. The
people will suffer- The power of, the
church will be more mighty upon them,
and more mighty 10 shut out all light
except that which the church gives 10
be sure even, this can not last forever, light
will penetrate. Liberty will breathe It's
inspirations even under such ribs Of death.
And the tighter the bonds the more viz
lent Lhe revolution nlaY be- But the
whole policy Of this reactiOnary. move
ment, Of which tho declaration Of Papal
intallibility Is M incident, is to suppress
I'LL tendencies toward knowledge, freedom,
revolution. The power Of the head ofthe
church being more absolute, entirely 50,
all its dread forces will DO put in action
10 control not only It's own officers but
civil governments. so US TO hold the poo.
pie in hard spiritual and intellectual bond.
age. XXX ...-rs ,.,.,.-. ......
In free countr les like this We suppose Il
Is generally admitted tllut the. Roman
Church must lose ground by this step.
Ecclesiastical is rs rcpugnant rs political
absOlutism to our people. It isContrary
to our temper And infAllibility is too
absurd for our intelligence. A church in
this country address itself in some
measure to lncn't understandings. 1t
must respect human rights. It must be
in some sort sy1npathywith the prevail
ing tendencies and interests But u
church which commits It's beliefs and its
doctrines, its rights and tile very break Of
It's lite to The keeping Of foreign Prince,
and requires that every COnveTt'Ahd every
adherent shall believe that this same
foreign master Is inlalliblc, on penalty Of
eternal perditiOn, Is not in favorable
position to win an intelligent and free pe0'
Die. Tue dogma must be ignored and
conveniently explained away. Otherwise
it stands aS IL grand obstruction To any
trlendlinGSs, much. more, any attraction
towards the church which Is going to
stand or fall by it.lilr- a,aa.. I.,-.na
There arc curious skeptics, who will he
asking precisely when this intalllble con.
ditiOn OF the Holy Father begins. Is Pho
Mono the first depository selected by the
Holy Chest Tor this privileged or have all
his predecessors, even those pronounced
hcrGtics, had this infnllibllity dormant, and
now lust discovered IN this present year
Of grace? lIas the Holy Father been in.
Ialli6le for the last twenty years or more
since Ills name niysterioGsly emerged in
the c0nclayc Of cardinals, or did he begin
10 enjoy that degree Of knowledge and
ecclesiastical privilege. the moment q ma.
iority of the venerable fathers in st. Pc.
ttrs Ind pronounced their pAcsty III favor
OF tue dogma? or must lie wait for tho
access Of the Holy Chest and the divine
authority, until the guns Of San Angelo
shnll thunder II in the e,lrs or expcctant
Rome! This we leave to caSuists more
curious or more, learned than I'VE, The
conclusion probably %ill'Be tint It is real.
" not 50 much a gin OF the Holy Ghost
ns a p0littcal convenience, which Is con.
terreA BY ecclesiastical authority, and that
It will begin rs sOOnas the uxigency arises
for Its assertion. 1 StraN =
4 short war.
Fumthr Philadelphia North american.