The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-09-20
Words Of the Holy Father.

| Translated for the Freeman's Journal
AT an audience recently granted by the
Holy Father to a deputation of the " Pious
Work" against the proclamation of holy
days in Rome, an organization which forms
branch of the Society of Catholic Inter-
ests, an address was read by the President
of the branch, to which the Holy Father
vouchsafed the following reply:
To, the Pharisaical hypocrisy which
| reproached the Apostles for violating the
| law of the Sabbath because they rubbed a
few heads of corn in order to obtain little
grain for their food, to this exaggeration of
hypocrisy has succeeded q contempt for the
Christian law for the sanctiication of holy
days; r,
| this. Many men labor and cause others to
| labor, troubling themselves very little
| about the prohibitions of the law. Many
Others have work done to defy the law
itself. The former may be said to be &C.
tuated by a greed for gain; the latter
yield to spirit of diabolical unbelief. The
first are under the shadow of svarice. the
latter under the pressure of impiety.
The greed of gain evinces a contempt
for the law of the Decalogue and for the
development which the Chnrch gives this
law. The other shows a desire to burn in.
cense before the altar of impiety. And in
our days it seems that the only means of
maintaining power consists in declaring
oneself an infidel and contemner of the
law.
"B But you, you who have the power,
listen PrGbete aureS qui continetts multi
tudines ct placetis uobis in turbts nationun,:n
If you now delight in the proclamation of
holy days, in the spoliation of churches. in
the exiling of the ministers of the affairs
and in SO many other abominable anti
Christian works, you must also appear
before the divine tribunal to be there sub
jected to judgment that will be very
hard, precisely because you to day admin.
lister and command: Judiciun durissimun,
lis gui prGsunt, .1iet." And if the clergy ia
in any place slack in discipline, and in any
manner led out of the right road, the errors
and sins of this small number of the minis
ters of the sanctuary will fall upon you
who have opened cloisters and ENCOURAGED
apostates, on you, who refuse to initiate so
many personages in past ages, who were
the protectors and not the prosecutors of
the Church.
CHOW think of it, will tell you that,
within the last few days, I have been Of
fered the photograph of painting in the
in which is represented an EN-
peror who is offering the Pantheon, that is,
the Temple of Agrippa, to a Pope. 1t is |
the Emperor Phocas offering the Pantheon |
to Pope Boniface w., and the Pope receives
the gift with evident signs of satisfaction.
This fact relates to period nearly twelve
hundred years ago.
"The Holy Pontiff decided that the tenn
pie should be consecrated to Christian wor-
ship. But, as the Romans manifested
some repugnance at adoring the true God
n a place where they had seen the worshin
# the false gods of blind Paganism, the
oontif filled the church with the remains
# holy martys, and desired to dedicate il
o the Queen of Martyrs herself; this ia
he reason it is now called the Basilica of
'ancta Maria adj Martyres. And thus has it
ONE to pass, that Christians, under the
protection of the Queen of Martyrs, and of
be Martyrs themselves, enter with conf
ence into the temple transformed from the
alse alteration of idols to the holy invoca-
ion of Martyrs and their Queen.
As in those days, we have seen, from
me to time, in succeeding ages, churches
'unded or enriched by the great men of
he world. Now, in more places than one, .
loughts and actions have changed men 9
ow despoil, oppress, and seek the destruc-
on of everything that belongs to the :
hurch, and the destruction of tie very y
hurch itself, if such thing were possible.
he scouTge seized by the hand of God,
hich will be cast into the fire, has been =
ken db aquilone. Thence it insinuates Z
self, and penetrates into one hundred =
ferent places, and everywhere finds ele- :, =
ents that work, think and speak in the y
me manner. d
amid the furies of so great storm let ~ !,
call upon the Lord to increase our faith, q
renew our strength, so that we may sue y,
ed in securing our salvation. And rest p
sured that He will answer NoIite timere;
,e ego UobiScum sum. Pr
sc In the meanwhile, persevere in the dr.
tristan undertaking in which you are th
W engaged. Strive to counsel and propa- de
te not only an abstinence from servile M
'rks, but also the ssnctifcation of holy @ de
Us, the assisting at the Holy Sacrifice, tn tn
, raising of the mind to God, the reading Lii
instructive books, the hearing of the str
vine Word, the performance of some pr
rk OF charity, without all this prevent VIC
; the enjoyment of some innocent recre- tin
on. tir
CourageOusly pursue the Christian as, as
rk, and pay no attention to certain oOi an
nts by which it is sought to interfere ca
IL SOou WOTksI ana ae times 60 prevent wi
m by m0aDn 0f and ridi0ula