The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-13
THE CHURCH AND STATE.
Rev. Charles ", Wendte Writes About Civil
GoYerument.


Government.
The Rev. Charles W. Wendte writes on
the Doctrine of Civil Government and its
Relation to the Spiritual Power as held by
the Catholic Church" The following syn
opsis of his letter is taken from the Ex-
aminer.
What is the Roman Catholic doctrine?
Briefly stated, it is the supremacy of the
church and the subordination of the State to
II. This is called the system of theocracy. The
classical example for it is the system of the
Papacy and the canon law of the Roman
Catholic Church. Since the time of Gregory
VII the Catholic church has taught that there
can be no sovereign political authority, nor
any independence for the individual beyond
the limits fixed by the ecclesiastical power
The State has indeed a qualified independ-
ence within its sphere, but what that sphere
is is determined By the church which thus be-
comes the ultimate authority in all questions
of civil and political import. To quote the
Language OF an American Roman Catholic,
Bishop Gilmour: "The State is for the body
the church is for the soul. But the soul is
superior to the body; hence the church is
above the State" This reasoning is supported
by appeals to the Scriptures, to tradition and
TO other sources OF religious authority. The
church having thus the divine right to rule, it
fellows that its head, the Pope, is the sovereign
OF the world, and all civil governments must
submit 10 his dictation.
The code of Gratian, as compiled about 1850,
and ever since accepted by all the Popes as
owes obedience, declares that the Pope 'aione
gives power and efficacy in the first instance
TO every law (Getfcken l, 24) Thomas Aqui-
mas, the greatest among the doctors OF the
church, teaches that "the power of all tenn
poral princes derives its strength and efficacy
solely from the spiritual power of the Popes."
So says the Catholic church historian Doellin-
ger in his gables, etc., p. 1873 So Bellar-
mine, another eminent papal authority, de-
clares that the Roman Pontiff "has supreme
power TO dispose OF the temporal matters of all
Christians" and as a necessary consequence
OF this power che can change Kingdoms, taxi
ing them from one ruler to bestow on another"
transferring the obligations of allegiance with
out consulting the people. Pope Innocent III
claimed (see Janus, p. 1889 in OF his ecclesi-
astical epistles that "Christ has committed
the whole world to the government OF the
Popes."
DIR. Wendte quotes many like authorities
to the same effect.-Ed.
True, in common practice, the church has
often modified her demands. She has been
compelled, by the logic of necessity, TO 1ecog-
nize and treat with civil Governments as
equals. 1t Is characteristic of the Roman
clergy always to avail themselves of their
immediate opportunity, no matter how it may
contradict the logic of their principles.
In the many earthly dilemmas in which the
Cathonc church has found herself, she has
from motives of self-preservation, held her
extreme theories somewhat in allegiance, and
accepted the situation. But the doctrine of
PapaI supremacy was not surrendered thereby.
1t was only suspended and kept in reserve to
be again advanced at more favorable oppor-
tunlty. Thus the present Pope Leo MIL in
his encycllcal of June 90, 1888, declares:
although in the extraordinary condition OF
these times the church usually acquiesces in
certain modern liberties, not because she pre-
fers them in themselves, but because she
judges ii expedient to permit them, in better
| times she would use her own liberty" We can
readily imagine what this means-that if the
Catholic hierarchy ever obtained control of
our National life, they would in accordance
with their well-known and freely-expressed
FRI
| press Tree schools free church and free
Government. Are we not warranted in believ-
| ing this?
Recent Popes nave denounced by name these
essential institutions of our nation, calling
them 'the liberty of perdition.' "impious
absurd and erroneous Doctrines - "detestable
sentiments pregnant with the most deplorable
| evils, OF all others most to be dreaded in a
| state" Indeed Pope Leo XIII, in the encvcli-
| cal already quoted from, emphatically con-
| dennis the supposed right of a man to choose
| his own religion and calls it a degradation of
| liberty" and Pope Plus *, in his allocution
| to a consistory OF cardinals, September 1851
said: 1--WE have taken this principle for basis
that the Catholic religion with all its rights
| ought to be exclusively dominant in such sort
and interdicted.'"
| 1t would be easy to heap up similar declara-
tlons OF purpose from the minor clergy and
| Catholic press. Thus the eminent Iheolopian
DR.. Brownson, in his Catholic Review af.
hrmed that professionalism of every form has
not ana never can have any right where Cath
| ol1c1ty is tr1um plant"
Some years ago Bishop Gilmour of Cleveland
laid down in pastoral letter to his diocese
the 1; Catholic philosophy of government in the
| following words: "Nationalities must be made
subordinate to religion We must learn that
we are Catholics first and citizens next
Catholicism teaches that God is above man,
the church is above the state" This is GER
talnly explicit and emphatic enough. So Car
dlnal Newman, in his famous controversy
with Mr.. Gladstone. maintained that the Brit
ish Ministers should have gone to Rome TO
ascertain the civil duties OF British Cath
olc subject, and that mo pledge from Catho-
lies was OF any value to which Rome was not
party"
| TO be sure, the church strenuously denies
that the State has any right to interfere with
her property arrangements, no matter how
they aHect the welfare OF the community. This
is what the Roman Catholic church says to-day
to the American state as she heaps up millions
on millions OF property, usually exempt from
taxation, held absolutely by one person, the
Bishop, and by him only as the representative
OF foreign ruler; thus forming a continuous
and dangerous monopoly in our midst. The
American state may sooner or later have to in
terfere to regulate this great and growing evil
as the governments OF Europe have had to re p