The herald., 1897-03-29
The Pr0vidential POntiff of
the New Era
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND TALKS
ON RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF
CATHOLICS
The Special Duty of Catholics Is
Loyalty to Leo and to Amer
lean Institutions
Associated Press Special Wire.

I
WASHINGTON, March 2S.-Arch-
bishop Ireland of st. Paul preached to-
night at st. Patrick's church on Pope
Leo XIII. This is an age. he said, of
wondrous social and political trans
formations. of great intellectual activ-
| ity, of great discoveries and inventions,
and, he asked, what Is to be the position
of Catholics toward the age? Replying
to his own question he said 1t should be
one of sympathy. of jealous cooperation
and prudent direction. Such, he stated,
is the position of our chief leader, Leo
XIII.
The archbishop said: Leo is the prov
idential pontiff given to this church in
this era of humanity, to show that the
church is of all ages, as is her founder,
Christ. Holding fast to the divine or
ganization of the church, and types of
faith and morals, Leo recognizes the
social and political changes which are
coming upon humanity and adapts the
human forms of the church to the sur
roundings. He recognizes the wondrous
discoveries and inventions of the age
and he blesses and encourages them,
seeing in them the development of
Gods own creation; he blesses and en-
courages progress along its legitimate
lines; he extols movements tending to
the higher elevation and the greater
happiness OF humanity. the encyciicais
of the pope, especially that on labor and
on the republic of France prove him to
be indeed the porliff of the age. Catho-
lies should follow their great leader and
aid him to dominate in the name of
Christ and Christ's faith this modern
world and conquer 1t to religion. There
are Catholics in every country who more
or less conscientiously and effectively
keep themselves aloof from Leo's leader
ship. They Imagine they understand
better than LAo does the situation of the
church in this age. Welded to tontin-
gent and perishable forms which they
mistake for the absolute and the perma-
nent, they would have the church and
the world stand still. Thus, in France to-
day, despite Leo's repeated invitations
to see in the republican form OF govern
ment which the people of the country
have adopted the representation of law
ment OF the nation. certain Catholics
cling to dead empires and monarchies
church. Wen, III MS Ia1 auuI ess, Has
Leo called such CatholiS refractories
or rebels. Be there in thefuture no re-
Factories in America. There are, we
must confess, divisions among Catholics
in America; not, indeed, in matters OF
faith and morals, but in tendencies and
movements and adaptations of action
to modern circumstances and surround
ings. There should be for US but one
tendency and one movement, those indi-
Gated by the pope. Opposition to his de-
cision, however much it clothes Itself
among us, as among French Catholics.
with the specious titles of conservatism
and traditionalism and religious fears
of the new, is nothing but rebellion.
Thoe who resist the direction given by
the pope are refractories and rebels. 1t
is asked sometimes, are not Catholics
divided in lines of race? Not at all. l
sneak for myself, and in what l say l
know 1 speak for all true Catholics and
loyal followers of the pope. There is for
me no race and no color and'no language
L rise ABOVE All SuCil dCCl0ChboiS anu 49,
ognize as my brethren all who work Tor
God and truth. When French Catholics
are with the pope I am with them; when
they are against the pope : am against
them; my position is the same with Ger
man Catholics or Catholics of other
races. If I differ from some OF them 1t
is because of their idea, not because OF
their race. 1t is we'll that this be under
stood; efforts have been made to iden-
tify certain refractory tendencies with
whole races. That is wrong; 1t is unjust
to those races, the great number of which
are most loyal to the pope and ardent to
follow his directions and to work with
him. Some constituted leaders are
too willing to pose as representatives OF
races. which they both misunderstood
and misrepresent."
The archbishop concluded his dis
course by a reference to the special love
of Leo for the American republic and 10
the duty OF Catholics to be models OF
good citizenship and loyalty to Amer
ican institutions.