The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-11-22
Tho Catholic Congress and Secret
Societies.


Baltimore. during the early part ~ Las
week. appeared the following strange r.
pprt Of its views on secret societies
~ProbabIy the most radical thing thu
has transpircd through the assembling o
che first Catholic Congress Is ia regard Il
socielics. II now appears that the bar
Of the Church i 20 be :i:sci sbsolu;cl,
from every secret organization cxcep
tho Masonic order That its objections
10 tho Masonic brotherhood will also b.
raised within twelve months or 20. i
confidently believed
This unexpected and fictitious an
nounccmcnt, going the rounds OF great
portion OF tho secular press, was not q
little astonishing 10 the eyes Of Catholics
and mont Catholics alike. II obtained
considerable crcslenco from the fact that
the Baltimore Sun. the paper which first
made the announcement, hal given an
account Of the proceedings Of the CathO-
lie body, then IN session. in . manner so
detailed and with 80 much seeming &C.
curscy, - TO leave its remarks on tho
matter Of societies with some plausibility.
To this cause, u any rate, eye illnesses
and csr-witncsscs Of the proceedings 1t
Baltimore. attribute the faith. which the
baltimore Suns report received from 50
many American readers. To such,
however, as are acquainted with the
laws Of the Roman Catholic Church
with respect 10 councils, DEGREES, csn0ns
and the like, the ruInor. that the Catholic
Congress had, or It least, would in the
near future approve VI all secret orgAni-
zsti0ns censured or not
caused but passing smile Of pity for
those, who ia boasted century like ours
could be 80 malicious Or ignorant as To-
state or give credit TO . report whose
accuracy implies simple iinpossibility.
Doubtless, ~whcrc ignorance Is bliss lis
folly 70 be wise;7 yet the writer Of these
lines dare not refrain from publicly as
serting and denouncing the report, first
set on foot BY the Baltimore Sun, to the
effect that the Catholic Congress had ap-
proved or would approve Of all secret
organizations, to be absolutely and neces-|
ssriIy false ard groundless. The Catho-
lie church through her head, the Pope OIL
Rome, has, time and again condemned
she Order Of Freemasonry. The first OIL
.och coDdem nations vas made By Pope
Clement Kill, in the Constitution sln
Enlnenle.7 April 21sh. l728 This Con-
1lituoloa wae confirmed aod renewed byI
Beoedjct XIV, s. The CooseIlution,
''Psovjloa,r Nay 1Glh, 1861, and By Popo|
P'vs VII, 81 he Constitution. 'sEcclesI- |
lm : Jesu Chrjsto,s Sept. 18th, 1921. |
Pope Leo Kill, In the Constitution,
Quo grsviora,' n arch 18th, 1925. united
III the scts and DEGREES Of bis predcces-
B0rs. whereby Frccmasonry had been
t; and he ordered that all sucI,
acts and DEGREES should forever remain
In force. Pope Plus Will, in his En-
cyclica. @Tra.iitio.r May 2lst, 1870. Greg
crv XVI. (EncycI. -Mirari,r Aug. 18th.
1891 y Plus IX. (Eucycle, ~Qui pluri-
bua.7 Nov. 9Th. 1916; All0cution. "MuI-l
liplices inter-" Sept. 18th, 1865, Etc. J
made declarations and condemnations or
; similar nature. Moreover. only five
years ago. on April Goth, 1854. the now
|cigning Pontitf, Pope Leo KILL, issued
% cncyclica. in which Freemasonry and X
all other Orders add Drothcrhoods OF II
similar nature and tendency. were most
positively and emphstically disspproved.
Even the American Catholic Hierarchy.
assembled in tho End and 3rd Plenary !
Councils, held ct Baltimore, denounced
and Gil other societies.
who cnjoin secret, so TO be kept. that \
i shall not he divulged to the authority
Df the church. or who exact an oath or \
promise Of blind and absolute obedience. =
Now does II not seem extremely Iaugha-
bic 20 suppose for Q moment, that AZ
Catholic Congress of Iaymcn. though II
represents eight millions OF Catholics.
|hough II represented al the Catholics
81 tho world, would adopt resolutions.
.hereby the DEGREES Of Popcs and Coun-
ais are set 70 naughts To speak plsinly,
Catholic Congress OF laymcn, does
never meet to enact laws. or to pass de- |,
'recs. or TO establish constitutions for
he Church Of Rome. The American
Catholics assembled in Congress for the
purpose OF manifcsting 10 the world I,
heir loyalty to the country OF their
'hoice and TO the church. whose faith
hey profess but they had no authority
2 enact laws Of discipline, or 70 Law
Town . system OF methods for future
procedures. Now, II they had
no authority 70 enact ecclesiastical laws
d any kind. they certainly had mol
authority to repeal those already cstab-
49, t@t.~tt tt1- ~ tEsWkN UfIIEEs UIO-l
'laimcd BY Popcs and Councils. Such ~
curse would be totally and essentially
orcign 10 the doctrines 81 the Church oil
Rome, for, according TO her dogma. only
he so-called sEcclcsia docens,r the hicr-
lrchial body Of the church. has the mis-
ion TO teach doctrines and to lay down
anons and laws. L
Thus, viewing the Catholic Congress-
md it, results, even the radical ono
mentioned BY the Sun. from q meta
or rather doctrinal standpoint.
he report that Catholic laymcn had set
side the DEGREES condcmnin9 secret So
'ietics, j. as ridiculous and foolish A. II
false. Laying all this aside, authentic
~ Of The report arises as a question or
oct. Did the Catholic Congress over
'tep the limits OF it, authority? Did n
'eally determine. that Catholics would
be permitted 70 enter the secret societies.
condemned ~ The last PIcnary Council ?
II 90, does the platform adopted by Tho
Congress. grant such permission Of de-
riarc that such permission should 81
No Fan 49, 80 49, M.L--l