The herald., 1896-06-30
THE POPE'S ENCYCL|CAL
On the Reunion of the Christian
Church
ADVANCE SHEETS RECEIVED
Outlining the Aims OF the Head of the
Church
The Pope Earnestly Seeks the FuIfiIIment OF
the Prophecy Of the Coming of the
Church Universal
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
BALTIMORE, Md, June 29-CardinaI
Gibbons has received from Rome the ad-
vance sheets containing the following
comprehensive abstract of the Pope's
encyclical on the reunion of the Chris
tian church. 1t has very probably soma
bearing on Mr.. Gladstone's recent letter,
which has attracted much attention.
The Pope said:
THE holy father, intent upon the work
of bringing all to the one fold of Christ,
considers that it would conduce to that
end were he to set before the peoples
of the Christian world the Ideal and ex-
emplar of the church as Divinely consti-
tuted, to which churc all are bound by
Gods command to belong.
I'm Scripture the church is called
body of the body of Christ. 1t is visible
as being a living and organized society.
and is animated by the invisible vital
principle of of supernatural life. These,
therefore, who either deny that Christ's
church is visible body, or refuse to al
low that it has the perennial communI-
cation of the gifts of Divine grace are
equally in a grievous and pernicious er.
ror.'
"A church which should embrace all
men everywhere and at all times, was
clearly foretold by the prophet Isaiah,
and was typitied as our Lords mystical
body, body united to himself as head,
a mystical body, the members of which,
if separated one from the other cannot
be united with one and the same head,
and so another head like to Christ
THAT is, another Christ must be in
vented if besides the one church which is
His body, men'wish to set up another.
LAS a necessary consequence, in His
divine wisdom He ordained in His church
of faith, a virtue which is the first of
those bonds which unite man to God, and
whence we receive the name of the
Faithful
Christ endowed his apostles with
authority like to His own, and promised
that the spirit of truth should direct
them and remain with them forever and
because of this commission it is more al
lowable to repudiate one iota of the
apostles teaching than to reject any
point of the doctrines of Christ Him
self. This apostolic mission was intend
ed for the salvation of the whole human
race and consequently must last to the
end of time.
THE magisterium instituted by Christ
in His church was by Gods will perpet-
uated in thesuccessors appointed by the
apostles and in like manner the duty Of
accepting and protesting all that is thus
taught is also perpetual. There is moth
ing which the church founded on these
principles that has been more careful to
guard than the integrity of the faith.
The fathers of the church are unanimous
in considering as outside the Catholic
communion any one who in the least de-
gree deviates from even one point of the
doctrine proposed by the authoritative
magisterum church:
1.-The church is mans guide to what
ever pertains to Heaven. This is the Of
flee appointed to it by God, that it may
watch over and may order all that con-
Germs religion and may without him
drance, exercise according to it's judg-
ment it's charge over Christianity.
Wherefore, they who pretend that the
church has any wish to interfere in civil
matters or to infringe upon the rights Of
the state either know it is not, or wick
edly calumniate it.
LAS no true and perfect human society
conceived which is not governed by some
supreme authority, so Christ ON neces-
sity gave to his church a supreme au-
thority to which all Christians may be
obedient. For the preservation of unity
there must be unity of government jure
divine and men may be placed outside
the one fold by schism as we'll as by
heresy.
The nature of this supreme authority
can be ascertained from the positive evil
dent will of Christ in the matter. AS He
willed that His kingdom should be Wis
ible Christ was obliged to designate q
vice regent on earth in the person of st.
Peter. He also determined that the au-
thority given to Him for the salvation
of mankind in perpetuity should be in
herited by ST. Peters success.
''tI cannot be doubted from the words
of the Holy Writ by the church, by the
will of God, rests on ST ePter as build
ing upon it's foundation. St. Peter could
not fulfill this duty without the power OF
commanding, forbidding and judging,
which is proper to be called jurisdiction.
1t is by the power of jurisdiction that ma
tions and common wealths are held to-
gether-a primacy of honor and the
shadowy right of giving advice and ad-
monition which is called direction could
not give unity or strength to any society
or men.
"Metaphodical expression of the keys
and of binding and loosening indicate
the power of making laws, of judging
| and of punishing-a power our Lord de-
clares to be of such amplitude and
force that God would ratify whatever
! is decreed by it. Thus the power of st.
| Peter is supreme and absolutely inde-
| pendent, and as so, having no other
power on earth as it's superior. it em-
braces the whole church and all things
committed to the church.
| "As his governing authority belongs
! to the const tuition and formation Of
| the church, as the very principle of sta
bility and and unity. it was clearly in.
tended to pass to st. Peters successor
from one to another. Consequently the
pontiffs who succeeded him in the Ro.
man episcopate received the supreme