Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-15
OLD pouTR1NE REAgsERTED.

The Pope has issued a new and very
lengthy encyclical, which formed the topic
of sermons in several Catholic Churches in
the East on Sunday We are told by the
dispatches that it is "the most important
document issued by the present Pope" and
that SIT will interest Protestants as much
as Catholics, because it defines the duties
of the Catholic to the State" Assuming
the brief synopsis sent by wire to be ac-
curate, there is nothing new discoverable
in the encyclical Its chief interest is
found in the fact that the Pope deems it
essential that he should not allow his
pontifcate to expire without reasserting
the doctrine that the Church is before and
superior to the State. That "the native
land has to be loved because in 1t we re-
ceived mortal life, but more ardently the
church should be loved, because to it we
owe the immortal life of the soul; because
it is right to prefer the welfare of the soul
to the welfare of the body" The Pope
says:
If the natural law ordains that Catholics
should protect with particular affection the land
in which they are born and reared, with greater
reason ought they to be animated with similar
sentiments toward the church, the city OF the
living God, from whom she has received her
constitution.
If the laws of the State are in contradiction of
the divine, if they command anything preju-
dicial TO the church or are hostile tot the duties
imposed by religion or violation of the person
of the Supreme Pontif the authority of Jesus
Christ, then indeed it is a duty 10 resist them
injury to the State itself for every ohense
against religion Teeoils on the State.
The administration of the church government
is difficult and gives rise to numerous conflicts.
The church approves of all governments that
respect religion and the divine law, and is in
different to parties.
To seek to engage the church IN the quarrels
of parties and to attempt TO make use OF us sup
port to triumph more easily over adyersar1es, IS
TO commit an indiscreet abuse OF religion.
In politics. which are inseparably bound up
with laws OF morality and religious duties, men
ought always in the first place, to take care to
serve the interest of Catholicism. AS soon as
these interests are seen TO be IN danger all
differences should cease between them, SO that,
united In the same thoughts and same designs,
they may undertake the protection and defense
of religion in common and grant an end to
which all things should be referred.
1t is the duty assigned to the ehurch By God
to offer opposition whenever the laws OF state
injure religion, and to endeavor earnestly to IN
fuse the spirit of the gospel into the laws and IN
structons of peoples and since the fate OF states
depend principally on those at the head Of the
Government the church can not grant Its pat
ronage OF favor to men whom it knows to be
hostile to it.
1t seems impossible for the radical
churchman to draw the true distinction
between duty to the church and duty to
the State, or to reconcile obedience to the
civil authority with liberty of conscience.
We may not expect that he ever will, or
that he will depart from the doctrine that
his duty to the State is to be bounded by
the mandates of the church, and that the
church alone is the judge of the friendli-
ness or animosity of the civil to the
priestIy authority. Yet, while he clamors
for liberty of conscience and for the pro-
lection of his religious privileges by the
strong arm of the State, he insists upon
doctrine that, carried to its logical conclu-
sion. would make the latter the mere in
strument and machine of the church; that
would substitute for civil government the
dicta of the ecclesiastic, and thus elimi-
nate free government wholly. But what
ever religionists may think of the question,
this much is certain, that no free govern
ment can exist, liberty of conscience can
not be assured, religion cannot enjoy the
protection of society, unless the civil
power, within the realm of its purpose, is
recognized as supreme and beyond the
possibility of dictation by any spiritual
representatives in the flesh. The Pope
has not, we repeat, asserted any new doc
trine, but he has by reafirmation of an
old one suggested that his church still
holds to its right, whenever it pleases to
assert it, to exercise a censorship over civil
enactments, and to counsel the citizen to
resist or obey them as the church may de-
termine. However, so long as free govern
ment exists, such illumination will not ex-
cite notable interest; but should free gov
eminent begin to decay, the first symp-
toms will be discovered in concession to
the doctrine that the Office of the citizen is
subordinate to the decree of the church.