The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-15
THAT'S DIFFERENT.

day is the 'clearest and most emphatic as
sertlon of the position of the Roman
catholic church with reference to tn,
state, that has been made in late years anf
1t is such an assertion as the enemies OF
the church have all along held to be the
true position of the papacy In the cur
rent issue OF the Forum Mr.. HENRY C. LIE.
discusses the question of the ability of the
Catholc to be good citizen of the repub
he He treats the matter from an I'M
friendly standpoint. and fortifes himself
with papal enunciations rather than with
the actions of Romanists in this country.
HIS whole argument is to show that the
Catholic cannot bea good citizen. and the
strongest points in support of this position
are gathered in the following extract from
his paper:
The Catholic church is not American or indie
pendent. It looks abroad and not at horne for
usNguidance. When the Third Plenarv council
OF baIUlmore was convoked in 1884, its proceed
lngs had all to be arranged the year before in
Rome with the Congregation of the Propaganda
and when its sessions closed, they were sent to
LEO Kill, who modified them at his pleasure
The bishops who rule the American church are
all appointed by the Pope, for the transmission
OF three 3names by the PROVINCIAL suffragans
~nen a vacancy occurs, is simply advisory and
IN no way limits the papal discretion of selec
uon' Even so trivial a matter as the introduc
ton OF electric lighting in the churches we ore
told has TO be referred TO the decision of the
Propaganda. which a recent traveller describes
as containing no representative Of the English
speaking people save a venerable Irish benedic
tine. Thus the interest of the Catholics in preat
social questions is apt not to be the same as tba
OF the people at large and The faithful are hound
together with key note which is sounded in
Rome. If they 'are branded as tools of a foreipn
potentafe, the brand is elfinficted: and if
they are denied the highest honors of the reruh
nc, Ii Is not through an unreasoning prejudice
out through the instructive popular perception
that they own obedience to higher law than
that which binds their fellow citizens.
The encylcal referred to above was not
then issued, otherwise Mr. LEA would
have been able to present much stronger
case. We-say stronger case, because of
the popular American theory that the
church must be subordinate to the state
Inc latter being supreme in the matter of
mans allegiance in all temporal things
and In matters where the two authorities |
Inc divine and the mundane, NAV come
In conflict. This is the American theory
put LEO IN his latest declaration. makes |
the Catholic church squarely oppose il. In
one place in his letter he saws:
II the laws of the state are in open contra,7ic.
ton Of the divine law, if they contain anvthing
preluoclal to the church, or are hostile to TIE !
duties imposed by religion, violate in the per
son OF lne supreme pontif the authority OF JESUS
ohhlsI' then indeed it is duty to resist them
a tn nha how
Injury to the state itself. For every ofrense
against religion recoils on the state. To love
the two fatherlands-the earthly and the ,
heaFenly-but in such manner that the love
OF Inc heavenly country prevails over that If
the other, and that human laws are not pre-
ferred to the law OF God-such is the essential
DUTY OF Christians, from which spring as from
their source, all other duties.
Liberal Catholics have combatted this
proposition when 1t has been presented in
the past, and have asserted that their first /.
duty was to the state, their first obedience -.
to the laws of the land. They can make ;,
the denial no longer without becoming an
tagonlstlc to the head of the church But :
the Pope goes even further, becoming more
direct and pointed in the assertion of the !,
Catholic position in the event of a conflict :
or dnUagoniSm. he says:
In politics, which is inseparablv boupd nm :,
With the laws OF morality and religious duties =,
men ought always in the first place to take care
o serve the interests of Catholicism. AS soon VI
IS these interests ale seen TO be in danger all o
ullerences should cease between them so that e
lnlueo In the same thoughts and the same de- CT
lgns' they may undertake the protection and 81
License OF religion, the common and great end II
o which all things should be referred. =,
And even this is not all. The Pope does :,
lot mean that he shall be misunderstood &c =, -
o the relations between the church and -
ne state. The latter is to be regarded as
ne lesser in its authority over the mind nj
nd action Of the Catholic LEO continues: -,
These principles contain the rule ACCORDING tn ~
hitch every Catholic ought to model his public y.
fe-that is to say, whenever it is lawful in the LIZ
yes OF the church to take part in public affairs ~
len of recognized probity and WHO nro,nie o. ~ be
erit well Of Catholicism ought to be supported TO
nd there can be no case in which it would be in
ermissible to prefer to them men who are hos WI
lie to religion
Now, The HERALD is not among those lis.
no believe that Roman Catholic cannot ex
good citizen of the republic and a a
.ithful churchman at the same time IF
ANY OF our most patriotic men are Cathc CO.
IS. Catholics have been and are promi- DE-
ent IN the councils of the nation, and their mi
rst allegiance, SO far as utterances and &C co,
ons are concerned, has been to the state wi
ow it would be in the event Of a conflict ha
,tween the government and the pontiff adj
can only guess, as up to this time moth Ha
G has occurred which would enable one thu
say what position the Catholics would no.
he in case of such quarrel. There can no,
longer be doubt, however, as to the raj
sition of the Pope. IN
In this connection it may as well be re- tin
arked that the Mormon people, as well as 10
ose who are waging unrelenting war no,
ION them, will be interested spectators of mo
e reception accorded to the Pope's ency- no,
cal. The Mormon authoritative declara- no,
'ns are all to the effect that mans first z
egiance is to his country. and patriotism sen
part of the Mormon's religion. Yet the
G Mormon church is denounced as an it b
en- organization, and its members for
Q held up to execration because of the off
se accusation that their first duty is to viii
9 church. If this charge were true, and wo
were to be generally held as it is held by eve