Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1894-05-05
The Catholic Chnrch aud the Bible.

had no 1nVentlOu 10 elOp WIhub6. AOo |
remember that in my first answer to
Rev. Y. ID. Lewis stated that every as
sertion he might make would be chal-
lenped. Surely you do not wish me to
break nv word? With your permission
fhenI propose to speak on the different
subjects which my opponent dregged in
for the purpose of filling the holes In his
argument
Should any of the Reverend gentlemen
| in this city be anxious to take up the
| sword which struck lirom the hand ol
| the Baptist warrior, l shall be glad to
| meet him.
When my opponent (he is now dead,
/ NAV he rest in peace) asserted that Cath
olics were forbidden to read the bible |
I brought such overwhelming ev-
idence that this was q base calumny,
that soon he did not dare TO open bis |
mouth again on the subject. When Mr. |
Needham sometime ago told bis hearers |
at the First Baptist Church that worn
ont little story about the Irish priest
| failing The Bible from q boy, lac was 1
| eirnnlv walking in the footsteps oil hev-
Il d. Lowis who told rs that Catholics
| nav for absolution. And suppose that
story was truef Wo1ld any decent
Christian allow children to read the Old
Testament? Perhaps this practice a.
| mon0st our separated brethren accounts
for the frightful immortality of the
| Young. Even the Jews were. forbidden
| TO read the whole Testament before they
| were thirty years old; and with ali these
facts staring them in the face some peo-
< ple will persist in endangering the inno-
= ceDce of these little ones of whom Christ
8 said: "He that shall scandaiize one Of
If these little ones that believe in me, 1T
h | were better that a mill stone should be
hanged about his neck and that be
should be drowned in the depths of the
It sea.-Matt. 1876.
b With the New Testament there is no
Pr such danger, and hence Catholics are
v. not only not forbidden to read it, but
n rather encouraged to do SO. Our Bibles
3. can be bought everywhere. In New
o. York there are at least three publishing
n houses that print Bibles The Bible
now lying before me was printed in
Ireland. Catholic country. In my libra
~ I have besides a German and 6
French Bible. Would they be printed
=, with the appreciation of Bishops If peo
III ple did not read themr Open any Cath
81 Ole Bible (there are plenty in this city
oe and read the second page; it will opel
your eyes unless you are one OF those
whom our Lord says: "they have eye
and see not"
read for himself. "The following letfe
list If His Holiness Plus the Sixth to th
at Most Rev. Anthony Martini, Arch Bisl
ity op of Florence on his translation Of I'll
Holy Bible into Italian, shows the ben
at which the faithful may reap frol
their having the Holy Scriptures in Il
vulgar tongue.
IL. POPE Plus THE SIXTH.
ian
.ina Beloved son, Health and Apostolic
ID. Benediction At q time that Va
will number lof bad books which grossly q
.es- tack the Catholic Religion, are circul
ted even among the unlearned to {
great destruction of souls, you jud
exceedingly well, that the faithful shou
Ess he excited to the reading OF the Tic
Scriptures; for these are the most abu
dant sources which ought to be left op
to every one, to draw from them puri
will of morals and of doctrine, to eradict
at the errors which are 80 widely disseE
81. mated in those corrupt times rhis
lOU lhave seasonably effected, as you deci'
Ially Inv publishing the Sacred writings in
elled Language of your country, suitable
)nal every ones capacity especially when y
ont shew and set forth that you have add
ng . Explanatory otes, which, being enc
with tracted from the Holy Fathers, precl'
sec every possible danger OF abuse.
block Thus you have not swerved either fr
the the laws of the Congregation OF the
ouse dex or from the Constitution publish
L 90 ON this subject by Benedict XIV, t
ten immortal Pope, our predecessor in
first Pontifcate, and formerly, when we
clear a place near his person our excel
IN to Master in ecclesiastical learning
nths, cumstances which we mention as hoI
dded. able to us. We therefore applaud y
D. eminent leaning. joined with your ex
ers. ordinary piety, and we return you
due acknowledgements Tor the be
which you have transmitted to us,
which. when convenient, we will ]
over In the meantime as toke
ls re our Pontifcal benevolence receive
eet u Anostolical Benediction, which to
beloved son, we very eftectlonateiy
stary. pasS, r;ren Of Rome ON the Calends of A
1778, the fourth year of our Ponrih
PHILIP BUoNAAncl
Latin Secretary
parted Isubmit the above official docu
{ 6 80 to the consideration of the reader.
hs and The boast of PrOtestants is
, from Luther gave the Bible to the benie
at 15 Deople. 1t may therefore be SUI
to many to hear that before u
one, some some zUU tonona 1S had already appe
Such. however, is a historical fact
this moreover was done at time
the church had full sway since ever
was Catholic. If at certain time
church was obliged to make ules
cerning reading of the scriptures,
prll u, because heretics forced her to do
Z. Wl- the shameless way in which they II
idiIA III the word OF GOD.
,, three 1t is perfectly clear then, that
Ter ana adversaries say Catholics are fort
mourn to read the Bible or even discou
cen the from doing so, they tell falls
Tton OF supported by no arguments
VI nlS sOever.
Sunday, This charge is moreover hase(
Masonic false assumption, viz that
er. bound to read the Bible. Now
10 according to our Protestant
49, nothing ought to be believed ant
nc ticed unless there be a warrant Il
the Bible, they must show us whe
a command may be found. Is
command to be found 2 No on
HNsoN has read the Scriptures can tru
!, assert that either our Lord or his
IN. Ties ever hinUed at such genera
maDd.
THE Bible itself clearly shows t
Saviour adopted very ditfereI
to lead men to the knowledge
J. truth. His command was not :
le ao Ian An give Bible" but "Go and pret
pa, tns Gospel" "Go and teach all ne
Sichnonu Evidently then it was the will
!, hlinously Saviour that men were to learn
ne roun- Inns of the Apostles and their su
!, va. vvhat thev should believe and !