The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-10-15
Priestly Allegiance.

A friend has suggested to US that certain
non Catholics, and among them persons of
great intelligence, hold very erroneous
views as to the civil or political status of
the Catholic clergy. If Catholic hears it
alleged that his clergy are schemipg politi
clans and active partiZsns, he probably re-
plies that this ia easily seen to be an error
from the fact that great numbers of priests
never vote at sll. Hereupon he is answered
that most of the priests are of foreign birth
and cannot vote without being naturaliEed,
md that they cannot be naturslized be-
'c&nse of their allegiance to the Pope, which
they would be required to renounce.
So foggy q superstition as this is not ex
actly creditab!e to the good seuse of those
who entertsin il. In the frat place, if
there were any such allegiance it would be
universal, and no priest would dare to re
nounce it. Ought not q smart child to be
able to reach that conclusion without he'll
Certainly, and then it would be easy to find
out if any foreign born priest has ever been
naturalized. The result would show many
of item who have enrolled themselves as
citizens of this country. IF, then, they ever
owed civil allegiance to the Pope as 50 ch,
what became of it
But why is it supposed that civil al
legiance is due the Popei There is not q
word to that effect in any catechism, theo-
logical treatise, canon law The idea
must have originated in the power which
the Pope has of absoiving subjects from al
legance to their sovereign for good cause.
But when thus absolved does their ale
glance revert to him 7 Or is his power
based on a higher degree of civil allegiance
to which he has a right all the time 1t must
have been on some such theory as these
that the conclusion was reached, but how
illogcally!
The Pope decides in certain contingen-
cies that the people no longer owe allie
glance to their rulers, not because he wills
it 30, not because he originally gave their
allegiance to those rulers and can therefore
take it away, but because he, as supreme
disciplinarian of the Church and director of
coBsciences, must decide in the last resort
whether or not in good morals and in con-
science sufficient cause exists to dissolve
the allegiance of the people. He virtually
decides that the prince has forfeited the
, feslty of his subjects. He has no more per-
sonal dominion over the matter at issue
than judge has over the vast interests
which sometimes come before him for ad-
judication. According to eae decree 81
Court pTincipality may be given or taken
away, bat IN no case does il vest in the
judge.
! The idea of civil allegiance TO the Pope
on the part of either pIiest or !aymsu il
based on nothing bot idle, unQuestionipI
assumption. l. is unworthy the serious
consideration of a sincere man. TDere ar,
some tWo hundred millions of Catholics il
the world, and none of them apparent,
know any thing about it. Either they O.
know or they do not know of such ale
, glance. If they DO, aud deny it, they ar
I all. without exception, arrant liars and b =
pocrites. Besides that, the whole of them
: men, women, and children, learned an
J unlearned, quick or witless, of tb
1 present generation and of those past-al
must be and have been gifted with prefer
7 natural cunning to keep from betrayiEg til
8 secret in some way by which it could b
definitely fixed as fact. If, on the othe
8 hand, these millions of Catholics are them
3 selves kept in the dark about this allie
: glance, and know nothing of it, of what US
. is it, and of what harm3 What q gauz
= bugbear with which to frighten q grea
natoni