Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-19

power In that case would assuredly not have
| lost the august and holy eclat which it for
merly possessed from religion, and which
| alone renders the state of obedience noble
and worthy OF man. There would not have
| been so many of these revolutions and wars
which have desolated the earth by rapine and
murder, and so many kingdoms at one time
| hourishing, but now fallen from the hight of
their prosperity, would not lie crushed under
the weight OF such grievous miseries. We have
| an instance of the misfortunes caused by the
reputation of the authority of the church In
the peoples OF the east, who, having broken
the mild bonds which united them to the
apostolic see, have lost the splendor OF their
| ancient reputation, the glory of science and
art, and the dignity of their empire.
THEIR SERVICES TO ITALY.
Now, these precious advantages which the
| apostolic see has expanded all over the world,
and which are evidenced by the most illus
trious monuments of every age, have been es-
pecially felt in this country of Italy, which
has received much more abundant benefits
| from the holy see on account of its natural
situation. 1t is certainly to the Roman pom
| tiffs that Italy ought to attribute the tang1-
| bic glory she has achieved, and the greatness
which has distinguished her over all other
nations. Their authority and paternal care
| have often preserved her from the attacks of
| her enemies. and have given her the encour-
| agement and halp necessary for the full main
tenance of the Catholic faith in the hearts OF
the Italian people. These merits of our pre-
| decessors, not to mention any others, are at
tested by the history of the times of st. Leo
the Great. Alexander III, Innocent Ill, st.
Plus ", Leo Y, and other pontiffs, by whose
| care and under whose auspices Italy escaped
the total ruin with which she was menaced
by the barbarians, conserved intact the an
| Gent faith, and in the midst of the dar kness
and barbarism of an ignorant age developed
the light of science and the splendor of the
arts, and kept them in dourishing condi-
ton. They are testified as well by the
| holy city, the seat of the pontiffs, which has
| only being the strongest citadel of the faith,
but still more of having gained the admira-
| ton and respect of the entire world In
becoming the asylum of the fine arts and the
home of science. As the greatness of these
facts has been transmitted to the eternal re-
membrance of posterity by the monuments of
history, it is easy to understand that alone a
hostile mind and an outrageous caiumny
could, with the object of deception, pretend
/ by speech or writing that the apostolic see
| has been an obstacle to the civilization of the
people and the happiness of Italy. If, then,
all the hopes of Italy and the entire world
are based on force so favorable to the we'll
being and usefulness of all under the author
ity of the apostolic see, and under the fast
bond which unites all the faithful to the Ro-
| man pontitf, we are aware that we ought to
have nothing so much at heartias to maintain
intact and In Its integrity the dignity OF the
chair of Peter, and to draw more closely to-
gether the members and the head-the sons
and the father.
THE TEMPORAL POWER.
Therefore it is that in order to maintain
above all, and to the best of our power, the
rights and freedom of the holy see, we shall
never cease to use every effort to preserve the
obedience due to our authority, to remove the
obstacles which interfere with the free exer-
| else of our ministry and our power, and to
obtain the reinstation of that position of af-
| fairs in which the dictates of divine wisdom
| had formerly placed the Roman pontifs.
And it is neither by passion for ambition
nor desire for domination, venerable breth-
rem, that we seek this restitution, but solely
| on account OF the duties of our charge, and
| by the terms of the oath which bind us. In
| addition, we are actuated not only by the
consideration that the temporal power is
necessary to US in order to defend and pro-
| tect the full freedom of the spiritual power,
but also because it is clearly shown that in
the sovereign temporarily of the holy see is
involved the public we'll being and the safety
of human society. Consequently, in virtue
| of the duties of our mission, which obliges
us to defend the privileges OF our holy church
| when the temporal power of the apostolic see
! is in question, we cannot avoid renewing and
confirming in these letters all the protesta-
lions and declarations that our predecessor,
Plus TX, of holy memory, has on many
occasions made and reiterated as much
against the occupation of the temporal
power as against the violation of the rights
| of the Catholic church. But at the same time
we address ourselves to the princes and SUI
preme heads of the nations and ask them ur
| gently by the august name of the Almighty
God not to reject the aid which the church
offers them at time when it is so needful
| for them to receive it. We ask them to draw
near in an amicable spirit of concord and
peace to the source of authority and safety,
and to become united more and more with
| the holy see in the bonds of deep love and
| respect. May it please God that they shall
recognize the truth of what we have said,
| and be persuaded that the doctrine of Jesus
| Christ, as st. Augustine says, ''if it be OBJ
served is the great safety of the country it.
self" and that the public peace and safety as
| well as their own are contained in the securi-
| ty of the church and the obedience given to
| it. May they devote their thoughts and
| their cares to to the relief of the evils with
which the church and its visible head are af
hicted, and may it be finally brought about
| tered on the ways of peace and justice, may
enjoy happy era of prosperity and tran
| qulllity.
THE DUTY OF THE CLERGY.
| Besides this, wishing that the concord of
| the entire Catholic flock with the supreme
pastor should be strengthened day by day,we
address to you here an especially affectionate
appeal, venerable brethren, and warmly ex-
hort you by your sacerdotal zeal and pastoral
vigilance to in1ame the love of religion in
| the hearts of those intrusted to your care, so
that they may be attached more closely and
intimately to this seat of truth and Justice,
| that they may receive all its doctrines with
| the deepest submission of spirit and will,
and absolutely reject all the opinions, even
the most widespread, which may be opposed
TO the teachings of the church. Remembering
man cheat you by philosophy and vain de-
ceit, according to the tradition of men, &C.
cording to the elements of the world, and not
according to Christ" Roman pontiffs, our
predecessors, and in particular Plus TX, of
holy memory, in the council of the Vatican,
have never omitted, when it was necessary,
to reprove the current errors, and condemn
them with apostolic censure. Following in
the footsteps of our predecessors, we confirm
and renew all those concentrations from our
apostolic see OF truth, and at the same time
we fervently pray to the Father of Light to
grant that all the faithful, fully united in the
same feelings and sentiment, may think
and speak in accord with us. It is
your duty, venerable brethren, to devote your
assiduous cares to scatter afar in the field of
the Lord the seed of your celestial doctrines,
and to cause the principles of the Catholic
faith to penetrate early in the souls of the
faithful, so that they may push their roots
deeper and be preserved in that shelter from
the contagion of errors. The greater the
efforts of the enemies of religion to present
to inexperienced persons, and especially to
youth, teachings which may obscure their
minds and corrupt their hearts, the more
must you labor zealously for the success, not
alone of good and solid methodical educa-
ton, but especially to make the teaching itself
conformable in science and discipline TO the
Catholic faith, especially in philosophy, on
which depends in great manner the just d.
rection of other sciences, and which, far from
tending to destroy the divine relation, is
likely rather to smooth the way for it and to
defend it against its enemies, as has been
taught US in the example and writings of the
great Augustine and other doctors of chris
tan science.
TUE (tJJTprrI AMI TIE