The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-01-01
NUMBER AZ.
The Redemptorists and the Dsanitions..

In. Inc Provincial of the English Redemp-
florists, the Rev. FIR. Coffin, has published.
oy request, an instruction, entitled 'sHEAx
THE CHURCH" 1t is in fact ON "the true
Pcsition OF those who should refuse to sub
NIT to the DEGREES of Doctrine of the Can.
eral Council $" and is a very simple. prac-
nc G.cai instruction upon this important topic.
! ~ Is all the more valuable as coming from
tue representative of the traditional theolo-
gy OF st. Alphonsus, and as embody ing the
.nos1 approved rule Of conduct to be OBJ
served In the Confessional. The followiur
extracts are sample of the ProvincialS
pam and simple manner of instruction -
ana should you, my dear Brethren.
hear it objected that, before the DEGREES
were solemnly published by the Holy Faith
ing Of the doctrines contained In them. be-
cause they considered such definitions in
opportune, You must remember that ND to
.ne present moment not one single Bishop
has publicly refused his assent to the Doc
t nias; aud supPosing that one or another
ms assent, such Bishop would be also,
simply hereto. Such an event would
not DC without precedent, for, to cite enc.
instance, Mt the second General Councik
A. d. 3ol, there were present $50 Catholic
blsmops, assembled to condemn the errora
oI Macedonius, Bishop of ConstantinopIer.
VINO denied the Divinity of tile Holy
ih0st. There were also present thirty six
Bishops OF the Macedonian sect who were,
unwilling to make the Nicene profession
OF Faith, and therefore left the Council be-
fore it's close.
"In one word, tbese who, k,,o,niuo whara.
she Council has decreed aud defined. viii
fuiiy refuse to submit to it's teachiur, who
presume to be wiser and more enlightened
than the Church of God, are herefics !; they,
separate themselves by their own free act
from the Church of Christ, and thereby
make themselves incapable of receiving
the Holy Sacraments. Aud this is true q
every member of the Church, be he Bishop
or Priest, man or woman. be they ever 90
learned, or in other respects worthy Of es-
TEEN and confederation.
land here might end; bat it may be
well to state two practical conclusions from
what have now said.
1.-The irst is this: Should envy person
who wilfnhy and consciously refuses to-
submit to the teaching of the present Cen
self to Priest in the Sacrament of Penance-
FOG the purpose of Confession, such q one
would be bound to declare the state of his
mind with regard to these DEGREES Of Faith.
Did he not do 30, he would be guilty of de-
ceit and sacrilege in his Confession, and
bis sin would come under the category OF
lying to the Holy Ghost and shonid he,
after such a confession, approach the Holy
Communion, he would be farther guilty of
an unworthy and sacrilegious Comm union.
For as long as he remains in this state Of
rebellion against Gods Church, he is as in
capable of absolution as any Protestant or
other hereto.
"My second conclusion is this: ANY
Catholic Priest, knowing person who
comes TO confession to him to persist in this
state of rebellion, who should dare to pro-
nounce the form of Absolution, would bo
guilty of treason to our Divine Lord and
to his Holy Church, and would likewise
sacrilege.
"And to suppose n case which, thanks
be to God, is not likely to occur, and with
out going beyond the sphere of my own
Jurisdiction, should one Of the Fathers un-
der my control inform me that it was his
intention to give absolution to these rebel
lious spirits, should feel it to be my dnty,
inasmuch as all the Fathers, though they
receive their faculties to hear confessions
from the Bishop of the Diocese, exercise
these faculties subject to my appreciation
and permission, to remove him at once
from the duties of the confessional, and
from all public exercise of the Holy Minis
try.n