Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-07-23
WHY We oppose ROMAN CATHOLICISM

There have been but few events hap
pening since the war concerning which the
country has been so deeply agitated as the
recent Catholic riot in New York. The
earnestness and promptness with which
the CHRONICLEtoOkh hold of the matterhas
10y some been attributed to our partisan and
sectarian prejudices. The charge, if true
of Us, is true Of nineten Of our readers,
who sympathized very fully with US in our
feelings on this subject. In justice to them
We feel called upon to state some reasons
why we shared the common Indignation
and alarm.
Thespiritand theory of our govcrnmentis
that the people are the source Of all power,
the foundation of all authority. We have
opened cur doors to subjects of every
foreign government aud extended to them
a hearty invitation to become citizens of
our republic. Coming as they have done,
andare still doing, from every cline bring
ing with them their own religions, retain
ing their national customs, speaking their
own Language and cherishing to some de-
gree at least their first love Of home and
Fatherland, it is necessary for our own
safety, national harmony and power, that
we should exact from them all, a full, free
and patriotic recognition Of the superior
merits and virtues of our government.
We accord to them willingly, full free
dom Of conscience, abundant privileges for
religious organization and zeal, free speech
and thought, but demand unconditional
and unqualified recognition Of the supreme
authority of our Government. We give
them freedom in all its largeness, but we
exact allegiance to our civil authority
This we must have, or our heterogeneous
population becomes a source of extreme
national 1ceakncsS rather than power and
union. @
Any Church which has for its founda-
ton stone doctrine at war with this great
vital principle of our government, we be-
lieve to be Incompatible with our instftu-
tiOns, a standing menace to civil and re-
Hgious liberty, and dangerous to the theo-
~ of our great Republic We believe the
Roman Catholic Church. in the spirit and
theory Of its present Government, to be
hostile to civil and religious liberty in
America, and hence we oppose it, not from
sectarian prejudices, but from patriotic
principles.
Let US examine its ORGANIZATION but one
moment to see il wesde ia Injustice. we
understand the Church to recognize the
Pope as its supreme power both in tempo
raJ and spiritual matters We know de-
signing ones often controEert this, but the
fact is that way, The whole dogma of In
fallibility,. rs recently promulgated, of ne
eessity rested upon this theory. If the
Pope, in the exercise of his infallibIe pow
1er, comes in conflict With the temporal pow
er, what is thedogma worth to the Church
if he can not override it? If every TEN.
poral, Prince ca nulHsy d is DEGREES, what
is his InfallibiIity worth to him?
The very ationof such a super
natural attribute, implies sovereignty ovel
the STATE as well as the Church. But VIZ
are not left to Speculation on this point
The CathoEc 1F655td, the recognized organ
of the Church IN America recently said:
awhile the State has rights, she has then, ouIl
III Uirfe aud " The pa IllSs@o7l q the superior
authority, and thGt butterfly can oHty be e[
pressed through the-Chssrch-that IS, through
the organic law. infallibiy annQDuced and un
changeably Asserted, REGARDLESS of feniPorG
consequences.
The Civiya Catotiot, published under tht
very eye Of the Pope, recently said:
at is mistake to supposo'thht the spiritual
sword belongs 10 the ehuHeh, and that che tenn
poral sword, which Furnishes o1enses against the
church, belongs, not to her, but to the prince;
alone. This Is opposed to the dogtnatic degree
which it is.said,. beth swords belong to the
churehs the spiritual is. welded BIZ the church,
the temporal Tor the church. The former is
welded by the priests, the latter rests in the