Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-08-30
The Logic of Infallibilitv.


1t falls out with something else
When they hide one part of the
monsters nakedness another il I'M.
mediately exposed. The Pope's in
fallibiity, it is said, only extends to
moral and religious questions. But
it has been difficult, if not impossible
In many cases, to distinguish be-
tween matters which are claimed To
be purely religious and those
which belong to politics and govern.
mont. Is the Holy Father infallible
in discriminating between the fnnc.
tons, rights and duties of the church
and state?
If he should issue his bull anathe.
matizing our common schools as the
nurseries of Satan, would not this be
purely religious measure, and is
not his infallibility bound to save the
souls of the faithful ? Ought not
the hereto to be punished in some
way or other2 Is this a matter OF
purely religious concern, or sh,,rld
his Holiness decide the answer be.
longs to himself is his judgement
thereupon final and infallible I?
But the divines and logicians hsv,
been hopelessly puzzled in finding
some proper support for the doctrine,
Has the recent Ecumenical Council
made the Holy Father infallible. or
has it only discovered and published
TO the world doctrine which was
always true from st. Peter down to
Plus TX? If the Council itself was
not intallible, what does it's opinion
and Judgement amount to if infalli-
Ole, are there two tribunals possess
ing this attribute, and what would
DC the consequence of disagreement (?
Archbishop Purcell Of Cincinnati
has lately attempted to clear up the
doctrine, but we think he has involv-
ed 1t In more mystery and fog than
ever. The Archbishop attempts to
answer such questions as these !:
Suppose the Pope should turn out a
hereto suppose he should deny the
existence Of Purgatory, or even repu-
date his owninfallibility, what then
Why, the learned dignitary says he
would at once cease 20 be Pope, in
tact, cease to be Catholic that is, he
would certainly cease to be infalli-
bic; so we reach at once the lame
and impotent conclusion that the
Pope, like ourselves, is infallible un-
TIL he fails. But what tribunal is
there behind and higher than the
rope to determine when, where and
to what extent he may have erred ?
II we admit the possibility of error
IN the Pope, there must be some
power to Judge Of that error; other
wise, the Catholic world must aban.
don its reason and become wholly
subject to its spiritual head, even
should he turn out hereto.
Radicalism and retrogression in
the present age, are driving each
other to extremes. The EcumenicaI
Council represented the reactionary
forces of the century it was the
backward whirling Of the curren.
near the shore, while the great cen
trail stream is moving in the direc.
ton of intellectual freedom and prog.
ress. The Council in 1870 has pro
claimed a dogma that their prede-
cessors even in the dark ages would
have rejected with contempt. This
is the natural result of the close
hand to hand conflict between truth
and error, freedom and despotism.
which every day is becoming more
intense and general. Each party
must clear up and define its funda-
mental principles, and concentrate
around its fixed base and central
idea.
There can be no doubt in reference
to the ultimate victory. The non
use OF the right of private judgement
on religious and moral questions re-
suits in the intellectual and moral
weakness of the nation, community
or people that, tamely submit to
priestly authority in the most i'm
portant of all concerns. Power men,
tai and physical is essential to ma
tional existence, and that nation
will be the strongest where the peo-
pie think for themselves, and toler-
ate no limitation to free inquiry on
any subject.