Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-12-11
The Vatican DEGREES and Civil Allegiance.

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The Vatican DEGREES and Civil Allegiance.
Nothing has recently caused greater
sensation in English politics than pam
phlet published ly Mr. Gladstone, ex-Prem-
Ter Of tie British cabinet, on the DEGREES Of
the Vatican Council, and especially that Of
paIal inGl.ibili;y, as affecting the civil
allegiance of the subject Mr. Gladstone
addresses hi, ezpo>tuiation directly to Eng
lisa Catholics. and in it lie declares that the
DEGREES in question are at war with modern
thought and ancient history; and that mo
one can now become q convert to Rome with
out f1rleiting bis moral and mental freedom,
and placing h.s civil loyalty and duty at the
mercy of another" lie recalls the repudia-
tion Of the doctrines row promulgated by
the church, by the English and Irish Catho-
lie clergy before Catholic Emancipation in
I-2g. lie allows no weight to the distinction
which confines the Pope's infallibility to
matters Of faith and morals, since morals in
clude the whole field Of human activity, and
he maintains that, be the Pope fallible OF
infa.lib.e. the Council exlctS absolute and
entire obedience to him, and points out that
under this claim large number Of matters
Of the umost civil importance have in every
Catholic country been declared To be Of
ecclesiastical concern. lie demands, con
seqleutiy. from English Catholics that if the
Pope shall make any claim On those who
adhere to li- communion that Will in any
way Impair tie integrity Of their civil
allegiance" it shall be theoretically re-
padia,ei. By way OF showing that his fears
are not cAimerieal, Le points to the struggle
in Germany aud tie one impending in Aus
tria. and asserts that tie papacy would not
engage in conflicts Of this kind, if it had not
in view an attempt TO recover. by force, the
temporal power in Italy.
\ hundred and sixteen thousand copies of
the pamphlet had been sold, at last accounts,
and it wa, still in great demand. Ofcourso
it has called out some rejolnderS. Arch
bishop Manning has briefly replied, declar-
ing
! That the Vatican DEGREES have in DO
iot or little changed either the obligations
or the conditions OF civil allegiance.
>. That the civil allegiance of Catholics |
isas undivided As that OF all Christians. and |
Of all men who recognize divine or natural |
moral law.
). That the civil allegiance Of no man Is |
unlimited and therefore the civil allegi- |
ance Of all men who believe in God. or are |
governed by conscience, is in that sense |
divided
He also declares that he and his flock are |
a. loyal as Mr.. Gladstone, and deprecates
tie stirring up Of the strife, which, he says, !
is going to bring down great public and
private ca.amiiie~ on Germany.
Lord Acton, learned and able Catholic
noblcman, has written an extended letter,
which j. virtually an endorsement Of Mr..
Glai=tone'~ position.
Another Catholic nobleman, Lord Comoys.
has taken up the same line. He regrets that
Mr.. Gladstone should, as matter Of polite
nes>, have applied such word As bloody"
to the reign Of Queen Mary. though he ad-
mit> it TO be true. With this mild reserya-
ton lie adopts pretty much all that Mr..
has written. He goes on to reply
to DR.. Manning, and remarks that though
it is not likely that the present Pope will
adopt against Queen Victoria the course
pursued by former Pope against Queen
Elizabeth that Is, giving his sacred sane
ton to an attempt to asSassinate her-''there
Is NJ telling what edict might be issued by
he author of the Syllabus" He adds
'quarely, that the effect of the new dogma
IF inlalli5ility mas been to place before Eng
ish Catholics the alternative of Withholding
heir allegiance to their sovereign on the
one hand or risking their salvation on the
other.
Monsignore Capel has also taken part in
he controversy, but he merely repeats in !
mother form that every Catholic has a right t
o think what he likes as long as he does !
lot 20 against what has been laid down by /
he Pope. His words are that every Catho- 4
c '' has a perfect right to discuss undeci led (,
uestion-, but always subject to the suppress
ed frmness in his mind that he would obey
-hatever the Church should declare Y
On this side the water, Bishop Gibbons, d
Richmond, Va, has entered the discus f
on. He afirms that the declaration of the Il
ope's infallibility, does not in the slightest c
egreel alter the relation existing between e
lie temporal and spiritual powers The de- Il
milton Of inlallibility, be says, strictly con- a
neS the papal prerogative to faith and 81
orals and he declares that Catholics have OIL
lfered too much in the sacred cause of y,
berty to raise their hands against it. Of
Harpr's Weekiy, and most Of the Pro- CO
slant religious papers. sustain Mr.. Glad 3 3
ones view of the case, and instance the Il
position of the Catholic clergy to the COM g
on schools, in this country, as showing he
at the papal authority extends to temporal re
alters. The controversy causes not little e. :.
in both the religious and polit- d
al worlds, and the end is not vet. sa
pt