The record-union., 1894-05-17
Monsignor CapeI's Reply to Rev. j. b.
Koehne.

Monsignor CapeI's Reply to Rev. j. B.
Koehne.
EDS. RECORD UNION: Catholics stand
breathless at the astounding statements
concerning their faith and practice made
in Rev. j. y. Koehne's discourse pub
lished in Mondays RECoRD-UNIoN. a
wave of bigotry is sweeping over the Ma
ton at present. Abuse and misrepre-
sentation cannot be accepted as argu-
ments. If fight there must be, let it be
on intellectual lines. TO use an apt illus
tration, so long as the reverend gentle
man looks upon a stained glass window
from without, he will see nothing but
confusion and deiormity; look from
within and the beauty OF design will be
seen and appreciated. 1t is but common
Justice 10 ascertain from Catholics what
is their belief. Acting on this presump
ton | will answer seriatim some OF his
statements.
l. Infallibility of the Pope-"The Pope
claims that he can make no mistake; he
is intallible,' so says Mr.. koehne. We
Catholics hold the Pope can make all
kinds of mistakes, both in his private life
and even in the government ofthe church.
Like the humblest of his children the
Pope may sin, and before he can be for
given by God Almighty he must in
wardly repent, outwardly confess his
sins to minister of the sacrament, and
receive the judicial sentence of absolu-
ton. In the government of the church.
though aided by God and by wise ex-
perienced counselors, there is not prom
ised to him the gift of infallibility, and
he may therefore err. 1nfalIlblllty or in-
errancy refers to very different office OF
the Pope. We hold that the Catholic
church is the sole depositary of Christian
revelation, its sole guardian, and its sole
authorized teacher. In the church The Pope
dicially defines point of Christian
faith or morals, we hold that, with the as
sistance of God the Holy Gnost, he can
not err. This is the Catholic meaning of
papal infallibility. A very imperfect
parallel is to be found in all civilized ma
tions. Over and above the legislative
power a supreme body of judges inter-
pret and define what the law means. 10
this final Interpretation all must conform.
,. Liberty of Thought Among Cath
olicS-Nr. Koehne says: The priest
does not tell hepeople to think for them
selves as Catholics and American cili-
zens, but to think as he Dictates" Ii
this passage refers 10 the doctrines OF the
church, we reply, Popes and priests and
people must one and all receive such
doctrines without questioning. Their
logical position is this: Christian revela-
tion is not the output of reason. 1t con-
tains truths beyond the comprehension
of reason. To it reason alone could never
have attained. 1t,was in the fullness of
time that God was pleased to manifest SO
much of his mind. That such manifesto
tion did occur a reliable unerring witness
is needed, and an equally unerring
teacher is necessary for its meaning,
otherwise it is not revelation TO the in
dlvidual. Such Catholics claim the
church to be. Her duly commissioned
ministers go forth to proclaim Christian
truths. In this way the child and the
adult, the ignorant and the learned rest
their faith on the same foundation. On
such truths received, the disciples eX-
ereise full thinking power. Witness the
magnificent works OF dogmatic theology
produced by her children. The treatises
OF ST. Thomas Aquinas, sustained by the
philosophy and logic of Aristotle, show
what development OF thought was IN the
thirteenth century. And in our day the
thinking power OF the children OF the
church is witnessed by the works of that
her fold in the last half century-Brown-
son, Newman, Manning, ct. George
Mivart, Paley, Coleridge, Bartf, Lilly
whose names are known wherever the
English tongue is spoken.
3. No aid TO Protestant Churches.-"N \ o
one ever. on the contrary, heard OF a
Catholic aiding TO build Protestant
Church." OF course not. Catholics hold
there is but one fold and one shepherd,
into which and under whom all must
come. They trace the life OF that one fold
from the first Pentecost day. They look
upon all other so-called churches as sects,
having. indeed, many excellent and holy
members, but having nc claim to be the
Church OF Christ. How, then, could
ftat4 70. 2 ba
support or spread of such sects? Pro-
testants who believe the many Christian
churches are but so many roads 10 heaven
can without any violation OF conscience
give TO the spread of all. But even they
would refuse 10 contribute to the erection