The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-30


ter than bandits.
During this time there was no central civil
au thority and the church undertook to rem
edy the state of affairs by instituting what is
known as the Truce OF God. BY 1t all warfare
was suspended from Wednesday evening until
Monday morning in every week. Pilgrims,
women, merchants, monks and clerks. the
peesant--his OK, horse. pillow and even his
olive trees, were declared inviolable. The pun
ishment was communication and Danish
ment for seven or thirty years. AT the Conn
ell of Claremont, in 1895, Urban ii proclaimed
this truce for all Christendom and enjoined
on all men the duty OF seeing, that it was car
ried out. OF course, the only way in which
that could be done was by meeting force with
force.
Bands of private marauders, excommuni-
Gated of course, wandered through the coun-
ivy, and at times these were attacked by the
tenders of the Truce OF God. burning with
re for their holy mother. If any OF The ex-
co nmunicate were slain they richly deserved
it, and even Dr.. Wendte would not call their
81 tyers murderers. This is al that is meant by
the letter, 1--WE do not call them murderers,' -
etc. But as 1t might easily happen that men
would use this provision of the law to wreak
private vengeance on their enemies the Pope
er iers the Bishop to inquire into the cases of
L1llng alleged to have occurred in the defense
Of the Truce, and to inhict suitable punish
ment for any duplicity or double dealing he
III hit discover.
He rightly remarks that the punishment
C nd not be death, for the Staying took place
by public authority. But private spite and
private malice are sinful, and ii such motives
were present they should be expiated by PEN
anee.
CRIMINAL CARELEssNEss
Such is the exclamation of this provision of
the law, and you Will see, Mr.. Editor, how little
Ut Wendte knows about these quotations he
nlngS against the church. During the middle
ages Europe was full of persons excommuni-
Gated for one cause or another, yet we find no
trace IN history OF q law permitting them 10
De killed at will. Surely the German Empe-
rOrS and their RQhnrpUtS who wrote MANY
bitter things against the Pope would not have
Jailed to bring up such q law, especially as it
was contained in the legal handbook OF the
time.
1t would have been a telling accusation
against Pope that he permitted his adver-
Saries to be shot down like wild beasts AS a
matter OF fact no such charge was made, and
there is not single occurrence in history to
justify DR.. Wendte's extraordinary teaching
that IN the case OF the excommunicate killing
was no murder. such teaching IS opposed to
all the teachings OF morality, not only Chris
tan, but even pagan.
A STRAIGHT QUESTION
And now wish TO put DR.. Wendte straight
question. de says that the Jesuit theolCgians
appealed to this letter OF Urban II as proof that
hereto kings could be put 10 death at will
What are the names OF the authors who make
that appeal and what are the passages in their
writings wherein the appeal is contained?
This Is a straight question. l want a straight
answer.
A CURIOUS WITHDRAWAL.
DR.. Wendte quoted Bellarmine as saying,
"Heretics when strong should be commended
to God, and when weak TO the executioner."
called this monstrous sentiment, and l chal-
lenged Dr. Wendte to produce the reference
In answer DR.. Wendte says:
/. quoted it from memory.
2. 1t is in my notes 1 took at school years
ago.
3. have no time to look it up.
4. l withdraw it.
5. But (aside) 1 believe he said it, all the
same.
s. Raoeusn he said harat,os ebor1d ba b,,rnod
which is just as bad.
Now, Mr.. Editor, how am to characterize
this manner OF acting as it deserves to be char
acterlZed? II / should say out what think
Dr. Wendte would rush into print, threatening
to give up the controversy because am such a
bold, bad man.
may be bold and bad, but would never ap-
pear before the people of San Francisco with
my schoolboy notes in my hand as evidence
against great man like BelIarmine and
great church like the Roman Catholic. If my
cause was so bad that l had 10 manufacture
quotations, would have sense enough TO take
refuge. in silence when my mandatory
would be manly for me to say TO
the public, 81 withdraw this quotation be-
cause cannot find II, but believe it is true
all the same" If Bellarmine had written fifty
volumes instead OF only five, and if [ had to
stay up all night TO search them, I would do
so sooner than make such an exposure OF the
himslness OF my scholarship. l have no right
TO get into controversy unless l have time to
devote TO it, l have no right 10 accuse an
author OF making any statement unless / have
that author under my eyes. Let me inform
DR.. Wendte that Bellarmine made no such
statement II he was acquainted with eontro-
Verslal literature he would have traced that
calumny back beyond his Harvard notes. The
passage which it purports to represent is found
in the midst OF a quotation which Dr.. Wendte
himself gives farther down, but which, of
course, he did not recognize In future /
would advise him to burn those distinguished
monuments of Protestant scholarship, his Har-
ward notes, and trust to the copy-books which
contain his earlier attempts at the art CALI
graphic, known as "Pothooks and Hangers
BELLARMINE's DOCTRINE
DR.. Wendte believes it probable that Bellar-
mine used these words becau use he taught that
heretics might be burned. wonder does Dr..
Wendte understand the force OF language? He
makes Belarmine a ferocious hereto hunter
barred from his prey only by fear. To justify
the picture, he quotes Bellar 7e's statement
OF TACT that heretics were pul ish ID.
Is this fair? Bellarmine hl what all the
medieval theologians held-that the civil
power punished heresy; but neither he nor
power should shed blood. Moreover, Bellar-
mine himself was man of the most gentle
disposition, and the cynical temper which Dr..
Wendte imputes TO him is utterly unfounded
in fact. The reverend gentleman tells me to
turn TO De Luicis, cap. q. have done SO.
Did DR.. Wendte ever see the book? If he did
he would have found that Bellarmine was
proving persecution out OF the mouth of
Calvin.
MORE PARALLEL COLUMNS.
Moreover. DR.. Wendte falsifes Bellarmine.
l am very sorry to be compelled to use the
word, but cannot find any other to suit the
case. Let me put Dr. Wendte's version of
Bellarmine and the original in parallel col
umns:
WENDTE. BELLARMINE.
HereticS condemned We therefore shall
by the church may be briefly show that incor-
punished with temporal rfgible heretics, and es-
punishment and even pecially those who have
with Death posse hae- relapsed, may and ought
reticos alb ecclesla dam to be out from the
natos temporalibus pe- church and be punished
MS etlam morte mule by the secular powers
tarD. with temporal punish
ment, and with death it
self. mos igtur brevi-
ter ostendemus hsreti-
cos incorrigibees, &C
pr@sertim relapsos,
posse debere alb eccle-
STA rejici ct a ssecuari-
bus potestatibus, tempo
ralibus penis atque ipsa
etiam morte mulctari.)
You will remark that In ellarmine's thesis
there two propositions:
(1) That heretics may and ought to be cast
out OF the church.
~ That being cast out, the civil power mot
the church) might punish them even with
death.
Bellarmine's doctrine is the doctrine of
Nh