The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-08-19
SECRETS or THE CONFESSIONAL

the CONFESSIONAL. Inc NOTG0 eIIb WH001
it states that the decision applies with
equal force to the priests Of the Catholic
Church. and that it is wedge which
may be driven further in and eventually
split in twain 'she whole iniquity" of the
Catholic sacrament OF penance. We beg
to enlighten The North little on this
subject. British law recognizes the val.
idity and eanctity of the confessional in
the Catholic Church, but it does not so
regard the imitation of the Catholic con-
fessional by the Puseyites and other off
shoots of the English church as by law
established. The English Judge would
not have the temerity of asking Catho-
lie priest what he asked the minister of q
branch OF the church of England. No
threats of Imprisonment for contempt Of
court would compel Catholic priest to
divulge what is communicated to him by
penitent in the sacred tribunal of pen
ance. The priest would suffer the pen
atty OF death rather than answer ques-
tions bearing on revelations in the con
fessional. Many priests did suffer death
in the past for refusin to answer, and
they would do so to-day if necessary. It
is remarkable fact that bad priests from
Luther down to Chiniquy, who we're cast
out OF the Catholic Church after break
ing their VOWS OF celibacy and leading
licentious lives, have never told the Sec
rets of the confessional, though they
have denounced it as wicked institution
of Rome. These moral lepers knew the
sanctity and efficacy of the holy sacra.
ment of penance instituted by Christ
when he breathed upon his apostles and
said to them: "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they
are forgiven to them; and whose sins you
shall retain, they are retained" There
are other passages of Scripture which
we could quote for the enlightenment of
our esteemed contemporary in proof of
the authority exercised by the Catholic
Church in the forgiveness of sins, such
as the following: "Verily, 1 say unto you,
Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall
be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you
shall loose on earth. shall be loosed in
heaven" but we forbear to enter more
into the question in replying to the
vagaries of The North, which asserts
that 1.-THE confessional has been the most
insidious foe of progress and freedom of
cons cience in: the Catholic Church. :"
Many able and well-intormed Professionals
have asserted the contrary, and have at:
tributed the moral superiority of Catho-
lie nations over Protestant nations to the
confessional. Why is it that Ireland has
such conspicuous record for morality
and virtue as compared with the Scandi-
navian countries? We know that The
North is sensitive on this question. and
SO we will merely say that when Norway
and Sweden we're Catholic they produced
men and women, according to Protestant
writer's, who were noted for thu ir eminent
sanctity, and that was owing to the fact
that they went to confession and received
spiritual strength from the sacrament to
combat successfully the enemies of their
salvation. What a deplorable condition
the Scandinavian nations have come to
since the Reformation was forced upon
them at the point of the bayonet? With
the suppression of the primitive faith
the sanctity of the people vanished and
their morals gradually degenerated until
now they have reached the lowest depth
OF moral degradation in their northern
cline. Had they been permitted to prac-
tice the Catholic religion they would not
have fallen SO low in the scale of moral
ity. The North le again in error when
it says that to the educated Catholic the
confessional conveys but little meaning
and that the illiterate attach to it virtues
which make them an easy prey to the in
Auence of the priests. The priests them.
selves 20 to confession as we'll as the
illiterate, and so dc the bishops and the
rope u1uiSoll. Auc CCukSS5iOAd1 Is HOt d
human but divine institution, and
every member of the Catholic Church,
from the highest to the lowest, both
learned and illiterate, is bound under
pain of grievous sin to go to confession
at least once year. When an educated
Catholic" refrains from going to confess
sion there Is something wrong with him
and he needs watching. He may not be
a ibertine nor thief, but he certainly
does not lead an exemplary life as a
christian. The more educated a person
is the better Catholic he ought to be, and
no man can be good, practical Catholic
if he does not comply with the rules of
his church. A bad Catholic is infinitely
worse than a good Protestant, though
some bad Catholics who have renounced
their faith are recognized as respectable
christians in Protestant circles.