The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-01-17

| that he has lived to tie end Of February
and January. But you waut to make him
pay for three stamps, instead of one. Here
will come to stop. There are facts Of this
| to be drawnf This. that you have not en-
riched Italy by robbing the Church. But
If you have not enriched her, have You, at
least, honored herf -ga Iig
is THE sPoLrATroN OF THE CHURCH JUST IN
PRINCIPLE f-HAs TIE CHURCH RIGHT
TO POSSESS ~~
/ shall not dismiss this sad subject with
out proposing one last question, general,
and hingiug on q principle. Many, pro-
badly, Mr.. Minister, will smile at this
vindcation of q. right which has never
opposed the encroachments of force. But,
for the honor of humanity, there are some
lofty truths which should not be lost
sight of in the world and let my protest
seem as importunate, and superfluous as it
may, will make it. shall cay NO more
Of yonr engagements, of your promises.
But l wish to speak to you on the
nature Of things and eternal justice. Had
you the right to take from the Church what
You have taken from herf No, you had
not. In spite of the sophisms, which are
invented to justify every usurpation, We
must hold and proclaim as immovable this
truth, ME-. Minietcr, that the Church, of
herself, from the fact of her divine iustitu-
u
possess; an essential right. natural and
divine at the came time, which governments
are bound to recognize, and guarantee, with
provident laws and protecting regulations,
without ever having right TO paraly re it,
destroy it, aud, much less. confiscate it for
their own advantage. The Church has a
right to possess. Why Because she has
a right to exist because she already exists,
and some one, greater than you has insti-
tuted her. Whoever has q right in this
world to live. has the right to possess
property; these are two rights, essentially
coreiative. Do not answer, that the
Church is spiritual society. Although
the Church be spiritual, in her divine insti-
tuition, yet, she is not suspended in mid
air, but is founded on the earth, and for the
inhabitants Of the earth. Teach all nations
Preach the Gospel to eUery creature.
She is in the world, and for the world.
She is composed of men. For her mission,
for her works, for her worship, for her
for her clergy, che has need Of
means, without which she could not meet
the necessities of her existence and the
slightest reflection will suffice to make one
acknowledge that only the right to possess
can insure for her, with security, those re-
always be insecure, and her existence mis-
erably dependent. Yes, to deny the
Church the right to possess is to deny her the
right to exist. And, in fact, it is precisely
this radical and impious negation which
we encounter at the bottom Of those sys-
tems, which are hostile to ecclesiastical
possessions. In spite, however, of all the
sophfsms, ancient and modern, this is the |
truth, the undeniable truth. And facts
confirm these principles. The right is SO
much the necessity of things, and it is 30
true that, since she exists, she can, aud |
onght to poesess, that, in fact, she has, at all
times, and in all places, possessed. /
1t lS b0VOl0 n nOuht. that nndar ho
Pagan Emperors, the Christians, the
Christian Churchs, and especially the
Roman Church, had property which was
recognized and respected. Mother and
mistress of all Churches, the Church of
Rome was, from that time, and long before
as she should have been, the |
'ichest in means, the most potent in action.
ind the most generous in liberality. Mon
aments and most iilustrioas deeds, recall to
mind how the Roman Church, being under |
he. necessity OF meeting . multitude of
,ut also considerable lands. The history
II the foundation Of all the Churches in |
europe, aud throughout the world, proves |
hat no great Christian community thrived /
which did not and should not possess
property, more OF less extensive. Excep.
ing during the fury of prosecutions, the
Imperors and Pagan magistrates not only
ecognized the right of the Church to pos
ess property, but sometimes protected it
gainst the injustice and the violence of
lsurpers. Thus, when Paul of Sam
sata, under the protection of Zenobia,
in remaining in house in Antioch
pite of the condemnation of q Council,
AureliaD, in answer to the complaints of
he Christians, ordered that the house
hould be consigned to him, to whom the
Bishops OF Italy and the Pontif of Rome
addressed their letters thus, even by the
'agans was the right of the Church to
property recognized, and it was 80 notori-
US, too, that the distinguishing mark of
rue Christians was the communion with
he Church of Rome. Lampridtus, in his
fe Of Alexander Severus, narrates in detail
ow this Emperor caused to be restored to
be Christians, for the practice Of their
'orahip, location, the possession of
'hich was disputed with them. Who, in
ne, does not remember the famous decree,
, which Constantine aud Licinius ordered
to give back to the Christian Churches all
nat which belonged TO them onufaid qua,
d Ecclesia ye0te elsa faeriat persinere-
buses, fields, gardens; in a word. all the
of which they had been de- j
BOILED in the last pereecu tio1a 9--TEuse. | =