The Irish standard., 1897-10-30
REFERS TO RELIGION AND P3LI1Ics.
NO PAPAL INTERFERENCE IN THE
MAYORALTY CONTEST.
QUESTION OF CHURCH AND STATE.
VOTE ACCORDING TO DICTATES OF
THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE.

The following letter was recently adj
dressed to the Catholic clergy by Arch
bishop Corrigan of New York. A cir
cular had been sent broadcast through
the city intimating that the Pope ha:l
instructed the hierarchy to support GER
tain candidates in the struggle for The
mayoralty OF Greater New York, 10
which this is the archbishop's reply in
part:
II avail of this occasion to allude to
some misapprehensions or misrepresen-
tations regarding the office of the Sow
ereign Pontiff, which are continually re-
peated to our dscredit in periods of
passing excitement, or on the eve of
popular elections. In this way circu-
lars have recently been insi6iously dis
tributed containing wild statements,
such as the following: 'Politico-Ecclesi-
asticism, with it's sweeping claims over
the morals of men, reaching every IA
tional or intentional act, including
the act of voting y = must not be al
lowed to undermine the great Republic,
whose perpetuity depends upon individ-
ual sovereignty:'
This modest sentence contains the
three following propositions:
list. The Catholic church, as focused
| in it's infallible head extends it's Sweep
ing claims over every human act, in
Guiding the act of voting.
"2nd. The Catholic church is dan
ger to the Republic.
"3d. The perpetuity of our free IN
stitutions depends on Individual sover-
+; eighty.
In view of the first proposition, it
will not be without interest to recall
what the church really teaches regard
| ing papal infallibility. Nothing can be
clearer than the definition of the Vati-
can Council. The Roman Pontiff, when
| he speaks ex-cathedra, that is to say,
when in the exercise Of his office of
pastor and teacher of all Christians he
| in virtue of his supreme authority de-
| fines that doctrine Of faith and NOR
ais is to be held by the whole church.
by the assistance of God, promised to
him in the person of Blessed Peter, has
that infallibility with which it was the
will of our Divine Redeemer that his
church should be furnished in defining
doctrine on faith and morals, and that
therefore these definitions of the Roman
Pontiff, of themselves, and not through
I the consent of the church, are ire
formable.
According to this decree the Pope is
infallible when he speaks ex-cathcdra;
that is, when he exercises his Office of
universal teacher defining some point
OF faith or morals to be held by the
whole church. The privilege of infalli-
hility is restricted. therefore, to an act
OF teaching; it does not extend to an act
OF government, not even to an act of
teaching if performed by the Pontiff
as private teacher.
| Should he order Catholics to vote a
particular ballot, his action, by it's very
nature, as mere act OF authority,
would not be shielded by the mantle
of infallibility.
Again, should ne, by any possibility,
direct Catholics to support, for instance,
one or the other of the several candi-
dates now in the field for the mayoral-
ty of the Greater New York, his action
| nNyil l0y,{1 1>o
ing regarding faith and MORALS mucn
less an act intended to bind the univer-
sal church.
1.-THE Catholic hierarchy las been es-
tab1shed in this country over one hun
dred years. In all that period can a
single syllable be adduccd emanating
from the Roman Pontiff for the purpose
Of directing our ballots? In these hum
dred years has single Pontifcal utter,
ance ex-cathedra been made bearing
i'll the remotest degree on the question
or our politics? If such fact has nev-
er existed during our entire history, is
1T not little silly to fear where there
is 70 fear? Is there anything more ST.
premely ridiculous than the bugaboo
that the Pope or the church is reaching
out to control every rational or inten-
tional act, including the casting of a
ballot?
"The second fallacy in the remark
able document before us is the state
ment that the Catholic church is a dan
ger to the Republic.
There is nothing surely in the form,
of our government which the church
reprobates. Her infalliblc head in the
encyclical on civil power expressly
teaches that no form of rule is open to
the church's disapproval, provided it be
just and for the common good. The