The Irish standard., 1896-07-11

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corner Robert and FUtA Streets
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THE POWER aOfHTHE POPE .
His Holiness Leo Kill Maintains 1t Is
ii Derived ffoinsSt. Peter.
Baltimore, June 3o.-cardtnal Gibbons
has received from Rome the advance
sheets containing a comprehensive alb
stract Of the pope's encyclical on the re-
union sof Z Christian churches. 1t mas
very probably some bearing on Mr.: Clad
so much attention. The pope says:
'"Thesholy father, intent upon bringing
all tosthe one fold Of Christ. considers
that Vt would conduce 'sto that end We're
it here, to set before the people OF the
Christian world the ideal and exemplar OF
the church as .divinely constituted, 70
which church all are bound by Coos
command to belong. In scripture, the
church ;is called a body and the body of
Christ. It Is visible as being .l1ving
and organized society, and is animated
by the invisible vital principle OF SUPER
natural life. Those, therefore, who either
deny that Christ's church is a. visible
body or refuse to allow that it has the
perennial communication of the gifts OF
divine grace are equally in grevlous
and pernicious error
A church which should embrace all men
everywhere and at all times was closely
foretold by the prophet Isaiah and was
body united to himself as head, mysti-
cal body, members Of which If separated
one from the other, cannot be united with
one and the same head. An so another
head like Christ, must be invented II, be-
sides the one church, which Is His BODY,
consequence, "in His divine wisdom, He
ordained in His church unity 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 aal-
thority.. like His own, and promised that
the spirit Of truth should direct them
and remain with them forever, and be-
cause of this commission it is no more al
lowable to repudiate one iota of the, asosI-
ties teaching than to reject any point OF
the dictrine of Christ Himself. This apos-
tolic mission was intended for the saliva
ton Of the whole human race and cOnse-
quently must last to the end of time.
The rna gisterium instituted by Christ in
His church was by Gods will perpetuated
in the successors appointed by the apos-
ties and in like manner the duty Of ac-
cepting and protesting all that Is thus
taught is also perpetual and immutable.
There is nothing which the church found
ed on these principles has been more care
full to guard than the integrity of the
faith The fathers Of the church are unan-
mous in considering as outside the Cath
olic communion anyone who in the least
deviates from even one point Of the doc
trine proposed by the authoritative mag
isterium of the church.
The church "is mans guide to whatever
pertains to heaven This is the office
appointed to 1t by God that it may watch
over and may order all that concerns re-
ligion and without let or hindrance exer-
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 not or wickedly caluminate 1t. @
AS mo true perfect human society
can be conceived which is not governed
by some supreme authority" SO Christ
Of necessity gave to His church a supreme
authority to which all Christians must be
obedient. For the preservation OF unity
there must be unity of government, "jure
divino," and men may be placed outside
the one, fold by the schism as well as by
heresy. ~
The nature of this supreme authority
can be ascertaine1 from the positive and
evident will of Christ in the matter. LAS
He willed that His kingdom should be Wis
ible, Christ was obliged to designate a
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 inherited
by st. Peters uccessors. ~ "
It cannot be doubted from the words Of
holy writ that the church by the will of
God rests on st. Peter as a building upon
its foundations st. Peter could not full
ry.rr,ff hfyJ4f4 tho
handing, forbidding and Judging, I; which
is properly called Jurisdiction. It is by
the power of jurisdiction that nations and
commemorative are held together--a .pri-
mary Of honor and the shadowy right OF
giving advice and admonition, which lie
called direction, could never give unity
or strength to any society or man. #
The metaphorical expression of The
keys" and Of binding and loosing' indi'
cate 1.-The power Of making laws, Of judg
ing and Of punishing--a power which oul
Lord declares to be Of such aptitude and
force that God would ratify whatever il
desired by It" Thus the power OF st
peter is supreme and absolutely fnde
pendent, so that having 1T embraces thk
whole church and all things commitkdate
the church. ssssSasA
As this governing authority belongs tt
the constitution and formation of the
church as the very principle Of unity AND
to st. Peters successors from one to an
other. Consequently the pontiffs whe
succeed him in the Roman episcopate re
ceive the supreme power in the church
"jure divine" and this is declared fully
by general councils and is acknowledged
by the consent OF antiquity.
For the preservation Of unity In thu
Christian church, It Is above all things
necessar ~. j, that there should be union be.
tween the Roman pontiff, the one success
sor OF, st,,1P Peter and the bishops. the many
successors OF the apostolic college. It II
necessary to bear in mind that no pre-
negative was confessed in the apostles
which st. Peter did not participate. but
/ that many were bestowed upon. St. Peter
apart from the apostles. He alone wa!
/ designated by Christ as the foundation o.
! the church. To him he gave the poWe1
Of forgiving and retaining and To- hin IN
AS the divine founder Of the church
| decreed that his church should be one i,
faith. in and communion, 81
he chose st. Peter and his successors 81
the principal and. as it were. the cente
| Of this unity. w - y ~ III Il q
4 nike oy,jannpafa nrder ia RI chilly fiidaEf