The San Francisco call., 1895-12-21

therefore She must take the consequences.
Concerning those who do not believe that
the Catholic church is the true church. we
teach that as long as they are under that i'm
preston they should not join us. Let me quote
Busenbaum, a famous Jesuit theologian: ga
hereto, as long as he judges his sect to be more
ton to believe fin the church, and he con-
tinues: "When men who have been brought
up in heresy, are persuaded from boyhood that
we impugn and attack the word of God, that we
are idolators, pestilent deceivers, and therefore
are to be Stunned as pestilences, they cannot,
while this persuasion lasts, with safe con-
science hear U.S." t. ], p. 54.
AS long as Protestants are convinced of the
truth of their own belief and live up to their
laws and regulations. and try, 70 serve God ac-
cording to their lights, we believe and teach
limits no man dare mark. / will quote for you
Plus TX, who in an encyc!ical dated August
TO-, 1868, said to the Bishops of Italy: ave
and you know that those who lie under in
vincible Ignorance as regards our most holy
religion, and who, diligently observing the
natural law and its precepts, which are en-
pared to obey God, lead good and upright
life, are able by the operation of the power of
divine light and grace to obtain eternal life"
This, and not the wild and fearful senti-
ments of the alleged oaths. is the true teach
ing of the church. ask you, Mr.. Editor, is
there anything in it repugnant to common
have the true church. We believe that all
men would be better off If they thought as we
do. But as long as they are separate from us
in good faith we leave them to the tender
mercies of him who longed after the other
sheep which were not of this fold.
III The third calumny contained in these
oaths is that we believe it lawful to commit
evil in order to advance the interests of the
church. We are represented as ready to deny
our own religion, to masquerade as Protestants,
to perjure ourselves, to rob and to murder for
what l said in my last letter, that Catholic
theology distinctly forbids the doing Of evil
in order that good may come; AS l then said. If
America Catholic tomorrow it would not be
lawful for US to tell that lie.
No one who knows history can for a moment
suppose that the Catholic church has sane
toned such monstrous doctrine. Let me re-
mind you, Mr. Editor, that the Catholics of
Great Britain and Ireland suffered themselves
to be robbed of their titles, their civil rights,
swear false oath. At any time during the
operation of the Penal Code, which the A. P. A.
would revive in this land of freedom, the
Catholics might have obtained complete liberty
by swearing that they believed in the doctrines
of Protestanism. If the Catholic church al
lows men to do evil in order that good may
dren then to perjure themselves? But no;
rather than violate their consciences, they en-
dured poverty, the dungeon, the rack and the
gibbet at the hands OF the forefathers of those
who now come to us declaiming about the hor-
rOrs of Popery and liberty of belief
1t is painful thing to recall old memories
of the days of persecution for conscience sake.
The genuine Profestants of to-day detest the
intolerance of the past as heartily as do Catho-
lies. 1t is only the narrow the prejudiced, the
bigot who would bring back those days of hate.
Such, Mr.. Editor, are the intrinsic reasons
why every sensible man will admit that these
oaths are false, spurious and forged. The sem
timents contained in them are, as has been
well said in the aflidayits published by,you
yesterday, contrary TO the divine law, to the
teachings of the church and the dictates of
our natural reason.
l will take up the communications of Messrs.
Boyard and Brown at an early date. Yours
truly, PETER J. YoRKE.