The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-29

ceased 10 inculcate the doctrine OF the
Bible, that the powers that be are
ordained Of God. and that therefore allie
glance and loyalty TO the duly constituted
government under which they live Is the
imperative Christian duty of all Catholics.
III they resist the ordinance, they pur-
chase to themselves condemnation. Leo
XIII. has distinctly enunciated this doc
trine In his public utterances. 1t is
clear, then. that the Church fosters loyalty
10 the republic In American Catholics,
by making II for them a matter Of con-
science towards God. She STRENGTHENS
and preserves the authority of the gov
INT by placing it under a divine
sanction. Could II possibly have a more
powerful aegis thrown over IL?
But how does she teach that the powers
that be are ordained OF God? Not imme-
diately, by a direct revelation of his will
as to the form Of the government, or as
TO who shall be it's head. She does not
believe that God has ever revealed 1t to
be his will that the Roman pontiff should
be the supreme civil ruler of the world.
Her doctrine is that he confers authority
upon the civil ruler. not directly. but me-
diately. that is, through a lawful human
agency, and that that agency Is not the
expressed Will OF the Pope Of Rome. In a
republic like ours. she recognizes the will
of the people as the fundamentally
through which he ordains for us the
powers that be.
But does her actual conduct tally with
her professed principles? Let our late
civil war answer this question. Ii is a
fact, as deplordble as it is indisputable.
that the political issues out of which the
wal came split the ~nOn-Catholic churches
into Northern and Southern branches,
entailing upon them a legacy OF furthet
division and separation. The Catholic
Church alone remained silent upon
the question OF allegiance either
10 the Union or to the Con-
federacy. And this because, ac-
cording to her ~unchanging teaching. the
matter In dispute was beyond her juris-
diction. one TO be settled by the American
people for themselves. She left each
American Catholic free TO take either
side he pleased. The question which
government he preferred had absolutely
no bearing upon his loyalty to the church.
Archbishop Hughes went to France to
prevent the recognition of the Confeder-
acy by Louis Napoleon. Father Ryan
stayed at home and worked and prayed
for its success. The Church had not a
word of censure for either Of them.
1Al IA Nulu Uf Y A'dtAAihSf 10 NV my
claim whatever on her part to any tenn
poral dominion inconsistent herewith?
Well. 1t might be, If, to use your words.
she claimed the right to temporal SOW
ereIgnty over a great part Of the earth.
But she Gains II over only a very small
part of II, and that for two good rea-
sons. one is that a limited temporal
domain is a necessity for her; and the
other Is. that she has a good right 30 1t.
1t is a necessity because without 1t, as
Leo XIII. has repeatedly declared, the
Sovereign Pontiff cannot properly dis
charge the duties Of his office as her
supreme teacher. The spiritual ruler of
three hundred millions of people, scat
tered among all the nations OF the earth,
annot be himself the subject Of another
ruler. The least reflection. to say moth
ing of actual experience. will show how
The interests of the worldwide Catholic
communion must inevitably suffer disas-
trously, if it's chief pastor ever be-
comes the obedient subject OF a Prince, |
who might wish TO use him as a tool 10
carry on mischievous political intrigues, or
20 further his own ambitious or revolu-
tionary designs. or who might choose TO |
forbid or to hamper his free communice-
ton with every part Of the Church. You
lpuISell FURNISHED a NtflhliiS Hiusti dfiVh |
Of this, when you described the cruel ef-
forts Of Bonaparte 10 bend Plus VII. TO
his will. The temporal sovereignty need
ed by the Pope. and claimed by him. Is
simply immunity from any such undue
influence, or control or dictation on the
part of any civil ruler. For such a
sovereignty an exceedingly small terri
tory might suffice. Were II possible. which
II is not. for the Pope to be really free
while confined to the Vatican, he might
rule the Church with no other domain
than its grounds and buildings.
AS 10 the matter Of a just title to any
such domain. the right Of Plus TX. to the
possession of the little States Of the
Church was assuredly as old, as just, as
indisputabie as any vested right upon
earth. Apart from its origin, undisputed
possession by his predecessors for ten
centuries gave him an undoubted title to
this temporal domain. That title has
not been relinquished from any convic-
ton that the claim TO it was u~nfounded.
Nor has II been relinquished, as YOU i'm
ply. because an experience forced upon
the Church against her will has proved
that she best discharges her spiritual
functions when 'dissociated from all re-
lation to temporal dominion" In fact, ii
has never been relin1uished at all. The
head Of the Church has never ceased 10
asert her just right still TO that of which
the Piedmontese army dispossessed her
by force of arms, and to protest against
it's being trampled I'm the dust.
II is doubtful whether so just a right
can ever be trampled upon with COM
uIete impunity. Men reap what they
SOW. A quarter of "A century ago, the
world applauded when Victor Emmanuel
str,pped a helpless old man OF a little
patrimony, his title TO which had been
respected by all Christendom for many
centuries. To-day many thinking men
fear that the world is fast %riDening to a
dreadful harvest. Of which the fruits Will
be a reckless overthrow of social order. |
a ruthless trampling upon all law. and all
human rights. Nowhere has seed been
sown more openly and defantly, from
which such a harvest would come as It's
natural fruit, than around the walls Of
Rome. in the September Of 1870.
a CATHOLIC.
C"A Catholic is mistaken at least in
one point regarding our article. We did
not say that "the Church. after the con-
cordat with Bonaparte, continued. as she
had done during the middle ages, to
assert her right to temporal sovereignty
over q great part Of the earth, We
were far from saying this. The idea In