Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-11-24
SECRET SOCIETIES.

Roman Catholic Hierarchy of America
In Session In Now York-Not Free
Masons Alone Subject to the ban OF
Observation-Disclosures Fellows. Sons OF
Temperance and All Other Societies
Having Chapiains and Secret Rituals
Forbidden to the Faithful.
NEW YORK, Nov. 1S.-The secold
days session of the annual conferen e
of the archbishops of the Roman Gaia
olic church in the United States begs 2
at 10 o'clock yesterday morning at IT, Z
archiepiscopal residence, Cardinal Gill
bons presiding, as at Wednesdays ses-
sion. All the archbishops or their rep
resentatives were present, as WAS
Archbishop Satolli. the papal delegats.
Again the deliberations were carried OF,
behind closed doors.
The major portion of the time, it was
learned, was occupied in discussion If
the question of the condemnation OF
certain secret societies. The delibera-
ton referred chiefly to the Odd Fe;-
lows, numbering about 5OO.Oo in til .
United States, and the Sons of Tenn
perance, whose roll includes about 20.
600 members. Archbishop Katzer Ct
Milwaukee brought the matter to
the attention of the council, by
presenting the petition of the Germa i
Catholic central society of the United
States, which was adopted at Dubuque,
Ia. in September last, asking the con.
ference to clearly define the designa-
ton ''secret society" in plain and un-
mistakable terms, as some doubt has
been raised in the minds of some of tho
church authorities as to whether tho
societies named come under the ban Of
the papal bull.
In explaining his position, Arch
bishop Katzer said that it is absolutely
not true that the Free Masons are tho
only society forbidden by the church
and that, consequently a Catholic may
join any other lodge or society, except
the Free Masons
He quoted from the injunction of thu,
third plenary council at Baltimore as
follows:
l. That all former DEGREES of the Roman pom
tits against all societies condemned by ths
holy see are to remain in full force accordiny
to the tenor Of the constitution "Apostolicse
Seds. and the meaning of the Roman pontiH.
g. That the Free Masons and thu Cirbonari
are excOmmunicated by name.
B. That all other societies. though not men
toned by name, are communicated if they
are of the same nature as the Free Masons and
the Carbonari; that is, all those societies which
openly or secretly plot against the church or
against the lawful government of the state.
4. That all societies are communicated
which have their own minister or chaplain,
their own ritual and their own ceremonies in
such manner as thereby to become hereto
schismatic sect.
5. That any society which requires its mem
bers. be it under oath or otherwise not to re-
van 70 70 70 ,o$a
clesiastical authority, that is, the bishop and
which binds, be it by oath mere promise
from its members. a blind and absolute obe-
dience, is forbidden under grievous sin. and
that the members of such society that at
least promise to do at once excommuni-
Gated.
g. The faithful. and especially the youth. are
to be taught and earnestly admonished care
fully to avoid all such societies as in the juig-
ment of the bishop of their own diocese in
any way dangerous to fSith and morals: for.
as the instruction of the holy Roman and uni
versal inqusition dated MAY 10. 1884. remarks.
it is we'll to be understood that there are still
other societies which though they do not
clearly belong to those enumerated above THAT
is to societies accommodated or forbidden
under mortal SIM. at least doubtful and
dangerous The bishops, whose chief care it
must be to preserve the doctrine pure and the
morals interrupted, must know that it is their
duty to deter and keep away their fiocks from
these societies.
According to Archbishop Katzer, the
society of Odd Fellows has within
late years attained large membership
from the Catholic ranks on the plea
that they are not Free Masons. and,
therefore, not society forbidden by
the Catholic church.
The council of Baltimore has ap-
pointed the college of the archbishops
of the United States as the only COM
petent tribunal in the matter of the
secret societies, he argued, and it is the
duty of the present conference to de-
termine exactly the question at issue.
The majority of the council conceded
with the opinions expressed by Arch
bishop Katzer, and appropriate action
will be taken before the close of the
conference. so that the matter will be
indlsputably settled.