Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-12-07


rule better than he had done. Here
was a precedent OF ecclesiastical deposit
ton complemented by royal establish
ment than which II would have been
difficult to mount higher lor surely the
king.maker and the king destroyer is
greater than the king. Charles the Bald
could not Justly complain when, in later
years, he was himself deposed by he
same authority, his subjects absolved
from their allegiance and his crown
presented to his brother OF Bavaria.
Thus the rights Of sovercigns were fall
ing into precarious condition while
ecclesiastical power was becoming cor
respondingly increased In one instance
We read OF a king, Bosom, who ruled
over the kingdom Of Aries by special
ecclesiastical appointment in which the
nobility oil the land had no voice. This,
however, Hallam believes TO have been
forged account, invented to give pre-
text as precedent TO subsequent usur-
pations. Thus IN England IA Ii4i the
bishops OF Winchester presumed to APP
point the occupant Of the throne.
Indeed, we find examples Of pUntifcal
king.making as lar back as the first
union Of Rome with the vigorous young
kings OF the north. pepn the Short
referred his case to the Pope and at his
bidding deposed and hanished Childeuc
III, the last OF the Merovingians, while
he took his kingdom. and Cnarlemagne,
in 500 received the imperial crown from
the hands OF Pope Leo III.
The Pope also exercised unwafrantcd
authority over Metropolitan bishops.
Having established himself as the high
est court Of appeal, he further declared
that each individual bishop was amen.
able to Rome only and encouraged all
to make a direct appeal to the Holy
See instead Of the regular metropolitan.
This blow struck at the root Of ccclesias.
teal equality and gave the Pope unpre.
ccdented and unwarfanted dignity The
principle was stoutly resisted, however,
by them whose dominion was invaded.
Among the strongest champions OF
Galliean freedom against ultra mo tanes
usurpations was Hincmar, arch
bishops OF Rheims, whose influence was
almost equal to that Of any Pope.
At this time, II will be remembered,
civil power was almost Frustrated by the
quarTels Of the sons OF Louis !, 1.-THE
Debonaire) aud though hincmar a bold
aud esteemed statesman, often coming
out best man" IN his struggles with
the Holy See, the latter perceived that
In consequence OF these civil turmoils,
this was a good time 20 establish the
independence aud authority OF the Pope.
The Decrelals Of lsidore, since known
as the False Decretals, were suddenly
announced. They purpoued to be the
DEGREES Of the earliest bishops Of Rome
and claimed supreme appellan jurisdic-
! ton for the Roman See as having re-
| ceiyed that authority from Jesus Christ.
/ The generation In which they were pro-
duccd, seems to have been too ignoran,
to detect the utter historical fraud upon
which they we're based but subsequent
| critics laid It udiculously bare. Halam
says that upon these spurious dectetals
was built the great fabric Of papal supre.
macy over the different national
churches: fabric that has stood after
It's foundation cTumbled beneath It; ior
no one has pretended to deny, Tor the
last two centuries, that the impUsture IL
too palpable for any but the most
ignorant ages to credit
We may gather something OF the
nature OF this gigantic fraud from the
words Of D'Aubigny the historian oil
I the ReioTmatlon: "ln this collection oil
/ pretended DEGREES Of the popes, the
most ancient bishops, the contempt
/ raties OF Tacitus and Quintilian spoke
the bafbarious Latin ui the ninth cen
fury. The customs and constitutions oil
the Franks were gravely attributed To
the Romans OF the time OF the emperoTs,
popes quoted the Bible In the Latin
translation Of St. Jerome, who lived one,
/ two or three centuries after them. and
Victor, bishop Of Rome, in the year I91,
wrote to Theophuus, who was arch
bishop Of Alexandra, in 3gs. The I'M
poster who had forged this collection
/ s,roye to make out that all the bishops
/ derived their authority from the bishop
OF Rome, who derived his Immediately
from Jesus Christ"
These Decretals spread an indefinite
gloom and terror over the kingdom.
and churches oil Europe. A superstition.
dread OF the POpes power spread
through the ignorant minds OF the PEG.
pie and none seemed fully settled as to
the extent or limit Of his power and will
to inlet torture or distress upon indi
viduals or nations. But the brooding
shadows gathered deeper, as the setting
OF the sun until gross darkness covercC
the minds OF the people" and the Pop,
became, by shameless forgery. the mas
ter OF the western world. The protesta
tons OF Hincmar aud his ecclesiastical
colleagues were unavailing; the con
tinuous and inscriptions encroachment'
OF the Holy See wore away the rock o
their strength; the superstitious fanatic
ism Of the people, the opposition Of tn,
monastic orders whom the Pope hat
| -
used TO distinguish the equal rights Of bishop
| against the despouc projections OF Rome
j Mn. d.