The San Francisco call., 1896-01-11
OFFICE OF THR AMERICAN PATRIOT,
SO NIar--ar sr-nat Ian 10 SQE

letter in connection with the Yorke-R Ross
Bowman-Hubbell controversy:
OFFICE OF THR AMERICAN PATRIOT.
SlS Market street, Jan. 10, 1864
To the Editor san Fr0Hcisco CGU-BEAR SIR:
That the =. P. A. Is justified in opposing pepal
aggression IN this country the following facts
viii abUudaatly demonstrate:
The Pope IS ? politician wearing q religious
mask. ROmanlsm i a secret political organi-
zeJion. skiutuly constructed Tor the acquisi-
tiOu oisupreme political power. and artfully dis
guised under the cloak of religion. By political
lntrigueS and cunning fOTgerles she managed at
one time TO hold the scepter OF the world in
her hand. ATrOgantly deSpoJic and boaStfuIly
lntolerant she comDelled the nations TO bow
al her feet. She invaded the rights OF inde-
pendent nations, abSOlved the subjects OF re-
belious kings from their oath OF allegiance 10
their governments, crowned and uucrowned
monarchs, strangled freedom, handica pped
science, fostered ignorance, and shackled, tor
tured and burned all who dared oppose her
false pretensions 10 monerchial power In the
name OF ST Peter she has unsneathed the
double sword, the symbol OF ecclesiastical and
political power, and gone forth to uphold the
claims OF the triDle-crOwned monarch of the
I1ber. The Pope, as 8 king, wears q crown,
has political banner, national cabinet, an
imperial court, q system OF Jurisprudence and
administrative justice, and has exercised the
governmental prerogatlYe OF coming money.
As an independent sovereign the Pope has
always maintained, when possible, an army
and navy. That the Papacy claims the right
TO set Itself above civil law IS inGispu Bile
fact. The whole history OF the Papacy has been
one OF arrogant assumption and lawless des-
potism.
December <, 1864, Pope Plus IN declares the
modern views OF civil government to be false.
Now, what he condemns as an error cannot be
lndoTSed by the cnUrcn. Furthermore, the
opposite OF what he condemns as an error he
must hold 10 be the truth; hence il is lawful
TO place such IN the form OF an affirmative
proposition and declare it to be what Rome
teaches truth. We viii give five of the
propositions contained in the syllabus in
The Latin and English and then support them
from Catholic authorities
- Before we quote the syllabus we viii give an
extract from book written by one OF Rome's
most accomplished scholars in the United
States, "The Life of Pope Plus TX =" by John
Culinary Shea, D. He says: son the Sth Of
December, 1864, he published the encyclical
Quanta Cura, condemning host OF errone-
Gus doctrines which he had from time to time
censured, and OF which d summary or sylIa-
bus was appended. There was nothing new to
the Catholics IN this; but when modern iber-
alism and inhdelity we're confronted by this
mass OF sound Catholic doctrine, which struck
at some favoTite crude theory of the time, all
rose in arms. The Pope, whose declining
power made him but yesterday one OF whom
they spoke with L kind of pity, became sud
denly the great enemy OF human prog
reSs. >
The next topic is a series Of errors concern
ing the church and its lights. The syllabus in
fact lays down that the church is q true
and perfect society, absolutely free, enjoying
her own peculiar and constant rights. con-
terred upon her by her divine founder and that
ii IS not competent for the civil powers to
define Wnat the rights OF the church are nor
the limits in which they shall be exercised &"
lfhis makes The church superior TO the state
H. W. B. '.lt lays down, moreover, that the
church, IN the exercise OF its authority, does
not depend on the permission or consent OF the
civil government, and the episcopal power in
cludes no part dependent upon the state"
This places Pope and priest above civil law
H. W. B. The Pope, in these decisions
claimed that the church had powers TO define
what was the true religion; TO restrict Catholic
rS~avrE
lutely defined as articles OF faith; to employ
force; TO acquire and possess" This proves
that the military organizations OF the church
are subject to her order in the attainment of
her ends by force.-H. W. b
THE direct and indirect temporal power OF
the church was affirmed, and the charge that
the popes had usurped the rights OF princes, or
erred in defining faith or morals was abso-
lutely denied. From the principles thus laid
down Others 1owed-the right OF the church
In certain temporal affairs, as Tor instance in
regard 10 marriage ana the education OF chill
dren, the right OF the Pope 10 institute bishops
without the consent OF the state
"Ihe assumption that the state hao no limit
TO its power was denied by the Pope = >
All state action attempting 10 define the duties
OF the church in the teaching OF faith, the ad-
mlnlstratlOn OF the sacraments, or the difec-
tion OF conscience IS g usuTpauon" This
grants this church the right 10 teach the tenn
poral power OF the Pope as an article OF faith,
10 set aside civil law IN the marriage covenant
and 10 make their faith in the iniallible pre-
tensions OF the Pope matter of conscience
IL W. Z.
'"The right of the state to regulate the edu-
alton OF Christian youth, TO the exclusion of
the church, is explicitly denied. So
many and strange were the false doctrines set
ahoat, that the Pope ielt it necessary to con-
denim the proposition that kings and princes
are exempt from the jurisdiction of the church
The proposition that the absolute separation of
church ana state was the only proper course
was condemned" This is the decision of the
lnfalliDle % head OF the Romish church and
ali of the priests in America have TO indorse it
or turn heretics.-H. W. B.l
"The Pope maintained that human laws
should conform to the law of God and that
they receive their power from God and that
the decision in regard to their conformity les
with the church" This would place all legis-
lation under ecclesiastical supervision. No
law would be valid unless sanctioned by the
churchill. ". B. Tie Pope denied. dog
matcally, Dy these decisions that the compat-
blllty OF the temporal royalty of the Pope with
the spiritual powers was an open question
among Catholics, or that it would conduce to
the happiness or liberty OF the Pope to deprive
him oil temporal power.
In regard 70 states that had ALWAYS been
deemed Catholic the theory had been zealousiv
propageted that II was no longer right to held
the Catholic church es alone establ ished; thai
all religions ought to be allowed full scope
This S general principle, uniyers al In apnli-
cation, was condemned.
The syllabus closes with q reprobation of the
proposition that the Roman FonIif ought to
adapt MS policy and the church to what is
styled progress, liberalism and modern civil
ization. pages 279-2S5)
Such is the Interpretation of the famous
syllabus by Roman Catholic. The book bears
the imprimatur of Cardinal McCIoskey and the
Endorsement OF nine bishops and archbishops
We will now quote some OF the leading prop
osiiiOns from the syllabus:
SYLLABUS ERRoRUM
Syllabus compleclens The syllabus of the
pracipuus nostre etRtis principal errors of our
trrOrcs Qui mutantur in time, which are stigma
Alocutonibus Coz sis tized in the consistorial
torialbus, in Encyclicis, allocutions encycllcals
allisque Apostolicis Let and other apostolic let
teris Sanciissimi Domini ters of our Most Holy
NoStri Phi Pape X. Father, Pope Plus XII
v. ERRORS CONCERNING
V ERRoREs DE ECCLE THE CuURCH HER
STA QUE JUR BUS RIGHTS.
l9.- Ecclesia est 19. The church is not a
vera perfectaque societas true and perfect and en-
plane libeTa, nee pallet 1tireiy free society nor
sus pTopils cons, anti does she enjoy peculiar
bus iurlbus sbi divine and perpetual rights CON
suo fundatOre collatis sed ferred upon her by her
civilis potestaJis est def Div Founder, but II
qup sunU ecclesise appertains the civil
iur limises, intra quos power define what are
eadem iura exercereiIhe rights and limits
queat. with which the church
may exercise authority.
Alice. Singular quadam AIlocution s ulari
deCembris 1854. quadam, 9Th Decem Der,
1894.