The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-06

by the constitution '-as he understood it."
It is absurd to pretend that the President is
bound to silence by decision which has
not been rendered on a subject which has
not yet been argued before the Court.
An Ultramontane View OF Infallibility.
It follows from the observations OF
Belgian prelate that the Pope is not in
fallible in Belgium if he differs in opinion
with the Catholic bishops of that country.
"The Archbishop of Malines," says the
cable. 'asserts, in pastoral letter, that
the Pope is not infallible except when he
judges questions which rest on the testi-
mony OF God and that Of His revealed truth
or revealed law" That is to say when tho
subject in hand is the Belgian constitu-
ton. and the relations to 1t Of the clerical
stipendiaries Of the State. the 'stesti-
mony of God" and His revealed law" are
respectively SO wide of the issue that the
Pope's infallibility, good on other grounds.
does not apply on these, and his opinion is of
the same value as that of any other misin-
formed person. All this comes from the
Pope's endeavor to soothe the irritation
in Belgium and reconcile the differences
there between Church and State. Bel.
gian prelates and churchmen generally
in that country are somewhat energetic
in their polemics against the principle
of free education. They do not like it, any
more than their brothers in France like
it there or their cousins like it here and
they are fierce against the laws on that sub
ject and against the constitution which
has made such Legislation possible. But
the other day the Pope said of the Belgian
constitution, apropos to this agitation
at is compact, and must be loyalty OBJ
served, and inasmuch as it has given the
Belgians half century of peace / see no
reasons for making changes in it, or even
for desiring them." He further Said
'sThe position Of Catholicism in Belgium
after half oentury's experience shows that
in the present state of modern society the
system ofliberty established in that country
is the most favorable to the Church. Bel
gian Catholics, therefore, should not only
refrain from attacking the constitution.
but should defend it." These are the
words of q practical and capable man,
who looks at things as they are and judges
them with view to his own responsible
tiles as the head of the Church but because
of words like these, and their plain condem-
nation of the recent course of the clerical
element in Belgium, the Bishop aforesaid
says the Pope knows nothing about it hui
manly, and that his infallibility does not
help him. Perhaps the Bishop is right in
declaring what are the limits OF infallibility
He ought to know them. We may, there
fore, perhaps, safely accept his statement
that these limits include only questions
which rest on the testimony of God and His
revealed truth or revealed law" He is very
likely right also in his opinion that the
Belgian constitution and the Belgian laws
are outside the limits. But if they are--if
from the standard of revealed truth and
divine law they are subjects utterly in
different-why should he object to them?
Why should he fret'about them? Why should
he with regard to them go out of the way
to indulge himself in an incivility to the
Pope? Why should he cut up as if he were
a great republican of the most stalwart type
and the Pope was only Hayes? II the
Bishop of Malines and the other Belgian
bishops care for their people within the
limits of their function they can scarcely
go beyond themes that are related to divine
truth and divine law; and if the Belgian
school question is outside these they ought
to leave it alone and set q good example to
the Pope. But il it is not outside these
then it is certainly covered by the shadow
of infallibility, and they must obey. But
it il hard on the good ultramontanes who
made infallibility for their own uses to find
it turned against them.