Daily Republican., 1878-11-20
Ca,hoiic,. RepIy "a M.,h.dis..

lible apart from a General Council =,
answer yes. NJ" adds, "or in othe
words can he declare new dosm
without the sanction Of a Council =
Omit the word nhr and answer again
yes. There Is no power In the Pope o
Church to make new dogma. To un
derstand this non Catholic needs SOM
explanation. The dogma of the Immac
ulate Conception was defined only II
1854, and the dogma Of the Pope
Infallihility, at a still later pefiot
in the Vatican council. but Meth
er Of these dogmas was new. They
had always been taught and acted OF
in the church though often contest.o
by individual priests or Bishops, ant
sometimes by religious societies. Unit
authorativrly defined each Catholi,
could, without incurring the guilt o
heresy, hold ali opinion on either side
though his opinion, II on the sid,
against the preponderating weight o
tradition, would be deemed rash or dan
gerons. The Catholic faith embrace,
all the doctrines revealed hy Jesu,
Christ. All these doctrines have beer
taught from the very beginning though
many of them not 40 explicitly at first
II was only when the true doctrine OF
discipline was assaiIsd, and danger
to the faithful was likely to result,
that council was held and a definite
decision given. The first instance OF
this kind, VIZ have on record, will he
found In the Acts l5c. In giving their
decision the Apostles II, verse %. spok Z
as men invested with power from
above: "For it hath seen-d good to the
Holy Ghost aud to us, '&c. Then follows
the decision. The second remarkable
one was in the council Of Nice, held
in the year 1876, when Arianism was
condemned and the consubstantiality
Of the Son with the Pather,or in plain.
er terms, the Divinity Of Jesus Christ
was defined. Most Protestants will
admit that the Divinity Of Jesus Christ
defined for the first time in this Coun.
Gil was not a new dogma---neither was
It an additional dogma. The doctrine
after til. council, was the same az
before the council, with this differenc.
only, II had after the council the au-
thority Of the church duly stamped up.
on it. If anyone still persists in main
tanning that every new definition Of
doctrine by Pope or council makes n, "
doctrine or dogma, would refer him to
the action Of the Supreme Court Of the
United States in deciding constitutional
questions. A law may be- passed by
Congress, which on. party will hold to
be constitutional, and another parry
hold to be unconstitutional. II the
court decides the law in question to BIZ
constitutional, will any maintain that
the decision of ths court has made an
addition to the constitution or II the
court decides the law to be uneonstitu.
tional, will any one say that the court
has lessened or changed the constitu-
tion' Equally can the Pope or coun-
Gil decide the disputed doctrine 10 be
true or false without adding to or sub
tracing from Catholic faith. Now any
one Of these underlined doctrines, such .
the Immaculate conception, or the In
falliblity OF the Pope, before its def
nltion, may In the condition Of its pas
sage among the faithful, be compared
To quantity Of unconed gold, in the
early days Of the gold discovery in Cali
fornia, passing from hand to hand.
Til pse skilled in gold, or who could
tell the genuine article, from the coun-
terleit, would readily take it in trade
and others who were not equally skilled
might, without censure, refuse TO take
II in exchange for their goods. When
that very gold reached the mint, and
received the U. s. stamp upon 1t, no
one would or could refuse to take II.
In like mar ner, Catholics before
doctrine has been defined are free TO
believe i: or not, but when the author.
ty which they know to be divine has
spoken they are no longer free. By
his do not mean that they must be-
ieve 1t, whether they will or not.
When God speaks a believer in God is
not free to disbelieve what God says.
as may indeed d.sb.lieve but with
lis disbelief he must bs prepared to
AXE the consequence. If any question
nroiring either doctrine or morals arises
'mong the faithful, the Pope can with
'ut waiting for any council give all au.
hortiive decision, which will be re.
'-ived by Catholics as infallible. This
nfallibility is restricted to questions
II faith and morality, and not ex.
ended to questions of science
history or government, &c. the church
md its head, the Pope, are authorized,
datt. 28th chapter, to teach all that
,hrist taught His apostles. In the
,atholic system, the Pope is recognised
o teach intalllbillty, only when he
'rofessedly, and authoritively address.
3 the whole church on some question
4 doctrine or morals. Casual sayings
4 the Pope, conversations Of the Pope,
TO-, are not deemed infallibls or pos.
essing any binding force on the
hurch.
The next question is, does he, the
'ope, interpret DEGREES that a counsil
nay pass upon : Methodist, in asking
hat question in this form, shows tn al he
oes not understand what a Catholic
ouncil is. Any number Of Bishops
lone cannot make council. To consti
ute council, the Pope must be with
he assembled Bishops, either in per-
on or by deputy, or expressed appro-
al. No decree, passed by any number
i Bishops, has any binding force will =
ut the PoPe's approval, given by him.
off or by his deputy. This is, pre-
nme, what "M." wishes to know.
The next question is, " Is any doctrine