The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-08-13

power in executing its DEGREES; it de-
nounced as damnable the assertion that
the Popes have ever been guilty Of usur-
patton in assuming authority over prin-
ces and governments it prescribed
freedom of opinion and worship as errors
not to be tolerated, and proclaimed it
rank heresy to advocate reconciia-
ton of the Church with modern civiliza-
ton. In short, PIUs TX. defantly ar
rogated to himself every power which
any and all of his predecessors had at
tempted to exercise, and notified the
Government of Christendom that all
Catholics owed higher allegiance to
him than to them. The Governments
of France and Portugal prohibited the
! publication of the Letter and Syllabus.
Austria passed a series of laws which
practically ABOLISHED the " Concordat "
of 1855, and this led to conflict be.
tween the imperial Government and the
Catholic clergy. The Pope took ad-
vantage of the occasion, in secret Con-
sistory, to again solemnly denounce lib.
erty of the press and conscience as
works of the devil, while his clergy in
Austria commanded all Catholics iu
that country to set the laws al defiance.
Aiming to regain lost or suspen ded pow
er, the Pope issued his Bull in 1869
converting a General Council of the
Church, none having been held since
1868. That Council ended by decree.
ing the infaIlibility of the Pope as an
article Of faith.
To what does all this tend? From
the days of GEoGoRY VII to PIUs TX.
the Papacy has sedulously taught one
doctrine 1.-The elevation Of the spiritual
over secular power. This right is Claim
ed to be of di0ine origin, and is not as
serted as a conSeq uence Of the spiritual
power Thus, hILDEBRAND, in excom-
municating HENRY ~, uses the Ian.
guage, "E.c pdrte omnipoteat'S Del"
According to the Pontiti, kings and
princes are bound to kiss the feet of
Chrst's Vicegerent He has right to
depose emperors. His sentence can be
annulled by none, but he can annul the
DEGREES of ALL" The same arrogant
language was addressed Pope BoNIFAcE
to PHILIP LIZ BEL, of France. We
would have thee to know that in things
spiritual and temporal" said the Pope,
" thou art subject to US" Though the
whole range of the Papacy, from HID
EBRAND to PIUs TX, the so called sue.
cessors of ST.. PETER have been untiring
in enforcing the doctrine Of temporal
sovereignty, of their right to rank as
King of kings and Lord of lords
The Ultramontane doctrine of BEL.
LARMINE is really and truly the faith of
the Romish Church. Said BELLARMINE
" The Pope as Pope, although he has no
merel y temporal power, hath, neverthe-
less, in order to a spiritual good, the SUI
preme power of disposng of the temper
al concerns of all Christians, And
again: The Pope has redeemed the
clergy from the obedience due to prin-
ces therefore, kings are no more the
superiors of the clergy" BARoYIUs,
another of the fathers Of the Roman
Church, uses this language " All those
who take from the See of st Peter one
of the two swords, and allow only the
spiritual, are branded for heretics.
BRowNsoy, speaking for American Cath.
olics c:Gofces this doctrine of the Ro-
man I',"archy as follows The spirit
ual is not only superior to the temporal,
but it is sovereign, and furnishes its
law" Again he says: The Church
bears by divine right both swords, but
she exercises the temporal sword by the
hand as the princes or magistrates
The temporal sovereign holds it subject
to her order, to be exercised in her ser.
vice, under her direction" Aud again
" The power of the Church exercised
over sovereigns i'll the Middle Ages
was not unsurpation, was not derived
from the concession of princes of the
consent of all people, Jut ,oaS, and Is,
held by d,1iae right, and whose resists
It rebels against the King Of kings and
Lords of lords.
This is the position maintained by
Plus IN, this the doctrine taught every
where by the Jesuits, and enforced by
The Roman Catholic clergy. A few
years ago the Cioilta Cattolica, a jour.
lal published at Rome under the auspi-
,es of the present Pontiff, made the fol-
owing declaration
Petty politicians may conclude that
he Church has lost her power because ,
The does not enlist artillery, cavalry,
md infantry; but the truth is, that the !
artillery, cavalry, and infantry of the
Catholics are in the hands of the Church
nasmuch as in her hands are the mind,
he reason, and the power of every true .
catholic. :
Too true and yet politicians laugh at 9
'ur fears and deride our assertions. =
Why is it, we ask, that public men and Q
journalists are SO obsequious to and :
pologistic of the Romish Church? Why r
5 it that we find them constantly court d
ng that politico-religious organization y
whose power and influence they are so {