New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1895-01-30
BY REV. ROSEN.
His Part in the Anti-Secret Society Edict
Of the Pope.
The Papal Decision was Reached and Pro-
INDICATED by Him. r
He Gives the Pioneer Press his Petition to
the Pope and the Steps leading to
the Pontif's Action.

the Pope and the Steps leading to
the Pontiffs Action.
A special to the Monday Pioneer Press
from Fairfax reads as follows:
Father Peter Rosen, who has just re-
turned from his trip to Europe, was ssen
to-day by Pioneer Press correspondent.
The reverend gentleman looked we'll but
was rather unwilling to submit to an in
terview. When asked whether lie was
the German priest of which mention had
been made in the papers in regard to the
recent decree from Rome against secret
societies, he replied:
Il am an American citizen. and trav-
elled in Europe as such. am, however
German in the same sense as Archbish-
op Ireland may be called an Irishman
or Mgr. Calliet a Frenchman."
"What caused your name to be brought
in connection with this matter?" the re-
porter asked, land what about the ex-
tent of the decree?'
s:As to the decree itself I have nothing
to say, except that Rome has spoken and
the case is ended. But as to my coDnec-
ton Herewith you may say this: It is
almost ten years since I was confronted
with the question as to whether a man
could consistently be Catholic and at
the Same time member of the Odd Eel
lows or Knights of Pythias. Careful per-
usal of the rituals convinced me that
these societies were religious bodies. In
1884 wrote to the authorities at Rome
and received reply that the matter
would be considered at the forthcoming
plenary council at Baltimore. That
council renewed some DEGREES of the Sec
ond plenary council and added some new
paragraphs in regard to the secret socle-
ties. But the practice renamed about
the same in many instances as before
the DEGREES of the council remained d
dead letter. Not only that, but some
church dignitaries curtailed the meaning
of the DEGREES to such an extent that
the opinion gained ground that the Cath
olic church objected only to the Free
Masons, and that Catholic was free to
join any of the so-called secret societies.
Among the benevolent societies which
claimed to be Catholic difficulties arose
as to whether a member of these secret
societies could also be a member of
a Catholic benevolent society. The Ger
man Catholic Central Verein at its annual
conference, held in Dubuque in 1892,
passed resolution to ask the archbish-
ops of the United States for final de-
cision. In 1898 at the annual conference
IN St. Louis I caused debate on the
question, and the Pioneer Press and St..
Louis papers commented on the same.
No final action or plan of action was
agreed upon except that each local soci
ETY. should act in accordance with the
laws OF the church as laid down in the
third plenary courcil.
cat the annual conference of the Ger
man Catholic Mutual Benefit Association
of Minnesota, held in St. Cloud in Octo-
Der, 1898, caused resolution to be
adopted forbidding any loyal Catholic
society to accept as member person
who belonged to secret society. This
increased the difficulty, and thus it is
easily explained why when at Rome.
should go to headquarters and see how
matters stood. The question had been
under consideration for over two years
at Rome. The proposition submitted
to the holy father read thus:
"sMost Holy Father: Peter Rosen, a
priest of the diocese of St. Paul, MIMI,
U. S. A., kneeling at the feet of your
holiness, in all humility, takes the liber-
ty to submit the following: In many d.
oceses of the United States Of North
America exist clandestine societies whose
members take a solemn oath that they
will at no time and to no one reveal any
thing in regard to the doings, rituals and
members of their lodges. There are es-
pecially three societies similar in pur-
pose, VIZ: Good Templars, Odd Fellows,
and Knights of Pythias. These socie-
ties, as they commence their meetings
with prayers and apparently promote
temperance and charity toward their
neighbors, are judged differently by the
church authorities. In some places pas
tors give dissolution to members who
present themselves for the reception OF