The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-11-29
Temporal Authority.

Temporal Authority.
1t is surprising what vague and Incorrect
IDEAS people of great intelligence sometimes
permit themselves to entertain on very grave
subjects. This is exemplihed in the contro
versy now going on in England between
Archbishop Manning on the one hand and
several most distinguished writers-nota-
bly, Gladstone-on the other. They Insist
that the Vatican DEGREES imply an
invasion-that they are indeed an actual
absorption-of the temporal power. An
able writer in Macmillan's Magasine-ad-
vances, as good Catholic doctrine, that
''The Pope is the Vicar of Christ the
temporal sovereign is the Vicar of the
Pope" To this Archbishop Manning re-
plies that the Catholic doctrine on that
point is as follows:
al. That the Pope is not the Lord of the
whole world.
"2. That the Pope is not the Lord even of
the whole o Christian world.
| poral jurisdiction over temporal princes by
| Divine right.
He adds:
| Therefore it is untrue to say that the
temporal sovereign is Vicar of the Pope"
The author says again, as being Catholic
doctrine: "the temporal prince derives his
authority from the Pope" And the Arch
bishop replies "The authority of the
temporal prince is derived from God i'm
mediately to civil society and, m,eaiante
societate, from God to the temporal prince.
His Grace goes on and develoPes the sub
ject in the three following propositions {:
..,A r..
both ordained Of God, the natural and the
3. That of these two the supernatural is the
8. That in it's exercise the natural is limited
and directed by the law of God.
} Can anything be more reasonable than
} thisf 1t amounts to saying ~"you must
obey the temporal powers where theil
commands do not conflict with the com.
mands of God, but, if they do 80 conflict
you must disobey them and obey God" Can
any reasonable man deny the correctness
f of this doctrine Do not all Sects that
pretend to a religion, claim that we must
obey God rather than mani
No one can doubt this, but the difficulty
comes in at the question "where is the
seat of the spiritual powers 2" Protestants
claim it to be in each individual. Every
man is his own expounder of moral law
and must judge for himself when the laws
, of man conflict with those of God. Catho.
, lies leave this power to the Church.
But, it is objected, if the spiritual power
is higher than the temporal, the former is q
q tribunal of appeal from the latter and
really absorbs it. Not so. Although
higher it is not in the same order. It is in
f different sphere altogether, and is only
higher because its sphere is higher. Il
cannot infringe upon the temporal sphere
because lower than it's own; it has merely
o the prerogative, as being the higher, of de
O fiuing the boundaries of each and keepint
a its own sacred from the invasion of tn,
lower.
f All! yes, says q doubter, but tina
g power to define the limits of it's own juris
4 diction gives it the chance to usurp that o.
it's neighbor. And here is just where the
whole mistake is made. The Church claim
q such power by virtue, only, of her infal
y libity. If she should make a mistake a
to the true limits of temporal power, soone
i or later the common sense of mankinC
b would detect the error by some irreversibl,
a test and the claim of infsllibility woulC
| vanish forever. No, there can be no danger
Z from an error of the Church in this re
gard, except to herself.
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