Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-02-27
THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER.

In the following paragraph from Pope
Leo's last encyclical letter, the doctrine
of the union of church and State is ex-
plicitly recognized and affirmed, and
the church is commanded to take di-
rect part in politics:
1t is a duty assigned the church by God,
to offer opposition whenever the laws of
the State injure religion, and to endeayor
earnestly to infuse the spirit of the gospel
| into the laws and institutions of peoples.
And since the fate of States depends
principally on those at the head of gov
ernment, the church cannot grant its
patronage to men whom it knows to be
hostile to it, who openly refuse to respect
its rights, who seek to break the alliance
established by the nature of things be-
tween religious interest and the interests
of the civil order. On the contrary, it is
its duty to favor those who, having
sound ideas as to the relation between
church and State, wish to make them
both'harmonize for the common good.
These principles contained the rule, ac-
cording to which every Catholic ought
to model his public life, that is to say,
whenever it is lawful in the eyes of the
church to take part in public affairs, men
of recognized probity and who promise
to merit well of Catholicism ought to be
supported and there can be no case in
which it would be permissible to prefer
to them men who are hostile to religion.
The above comes from one whom
every good Roman Catholic must regard
as an infallible authority, and it enjoins
upon all Catholics, as duty, to infuse
the spirit of the gospel into all laws and
refer to the spirit of the gospel as un-
derstood by the Protestant churches, for
it is the Roman Catholic Church of Italy
that is speaking to her brethren in this
country and throughout the world. 1t
means that the church and state must
be one and that Romish authority must |
be recognized as paramount to every
other. "The church cannot grant her
patronage of favor to men whom she
knows to be hostile to her." That is to
say Romanism will not support men who
favor free unsectarian education, or who
oppose the appropriation of public funds
to support Roman Catholic schools. The
line is sharply and distinctly drawn.
Men who expect to receive the support
of ''the church" must agree that it is
their duty ''to infuSe the spirit" of Ro-
manism into all our claws and institu-
tions." Such is the manifest spirit of
the latest commands issued from alleged
''infallibility."
When Pope Leo speaks of the men
who 'seek to break the alliance estab-
lished by the nature of things between
religious interests and the interests of
the civil ORDER" he refers to the conflict
between the church and State in Italy
and France, and he aims to bolster up
the sinking courage of the men who are
fighting for the losing cause of Romanism
in those countries. But it is the claim
Of Romanists that their church is the
same the world over, and his commands
must necessarily apply to his followers
IN America as well as elsewhere, They
must therefore support men "who prom
se to merit well of Catholicism" men
who favor division of the school fund
with Catholics, men who would go iuto
our boards or education and do all in {
heir power to convert our public schools
nto sectarian institutions. This is the
I'D doctrine that the Romish Church
has promulgated for centuries. There
S nothing especially new about it, yet
is recent PRONUNCIATION should cause
he friends of our public school system '
% be watchful. They should not elect {
% any board of education any man who 1
s not known to be in thorough sympathy
With our public school system. 1t mat S
ers little whether he is Republican or :
Democrat, but he should be an honest, l
citizen, thoroughly fitted by
,ducation and moral training, to advance
he interests of our free public school
ystem, and so thoroughly an American a
hat no ground could ever arise for sus-
,ecting him of wishing to "merit well /
# Catholicism" L