The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-12-18
FIR. CLEARY ON DIVORCE.
An Interesting Discourse by the Pas
tor of st. Charles.

Last Sunday evening FIR. Cleary spoke
to large audience on the topic why
the Catholic Church Does Not Sane
ton Divorce" and said in part:
THE Catholic church among all Chris
tian denominations stands alone in its
uncompromising opposition to divorce
from the bond of marriage. If the ques-
ton of the advantages or disadvantages
of divorce were to be settled by the
vote of the majority, the Catholic church
would easily be outvoted, for the ma
jority Of protesting Christians outside
of the Catholic fold are Enthusiastically
friendly to divorce. But this grave
question is one that cannot he decided
right by the voice Of the majority. The
voice Of the majority do not institute
the marriage relation. The voice OF the,
majority did not define the laws by
which the marriage relation must be
governed. God established the marriage,
relation In the garden of Paradise. He
decreed that the married couple should
be two in one flesh, and by the mouth
Of the first man declared that what God
had bound together man must not put
asunder. In the Christian dspensation,
Jesus Christ plainly declared that the
man, or woman, who separates from
lawfully welded companion and marries
another during the life time of the
10NI rf,v1 nj
able crime against the moral law, Of
which God is the author. With God one
is majority. AS the Catholic church
sustains the positive law of God on the
question of divorce, 1t must be respected
as championing the side Of right and
truth, even If the voice of misguided
mankind be against it,
THE Catholic church is not tenacious
of ancient traditions and unwilling to
advance with the progressive opinions
Of men. Many have fancied that the
stubborn hostility of the Catholic
church to popular and fashionable di-
vorce is due solely to the unbendng
heartlessness OF an ecclesasticsm that
has little or no sympathy with the trials
and sorrows Of humanity.
"'rhe Catholic church does not sane.
ton divorce from the bond of marriage
simply because it has neither the power
nor the right to do so. Christ did not
give to his church nor to human society
the right or power to dissolve the mar
riage bond. Nothing can be more Llain
than the language of the Savior of man.
kind, as recorded in Luke chapter xvi,
verse Is: Every one that putteth away
his wife and marrieth another, commit
teth adultery; and he that malrieth
her that is put away from her husband
committeth adultery
The Catholic church does not forbid
the separation Of husband and wife, for
proper cause, but this separation, or
partial divorce, does not permit the par
ties to Violate the law clearly laid down
by Christ and live in the sin Of adultery.
by attempting to contract an unlawful
marriage. The very essence of the mar
riage bond Is that it cannot he severed
while life lasts. 1t was established by
the Creator to bind father and mother
together in mutual affection, and for the
proper control and welfare of the falli-
lily. The most alarming danger in our
social life today is the divorce evil. Men
and women enter into the most intimate
and solemn relation with each other,
only temporarily, however, with no
thought Of responsibility towards God or
the children they may bring into the
world. Society that has forgotten God,
and the laws of morality, connives at
and sanctions the most fragrant viola
ton of the family rights, the family du-
ties With the connivance, often, of
both husband and wife, divorces are
easily granted. The divorced parties I'M
blushingly contract another marriage
within twenty-four hours, and Their
shameless conduct does not bring upon
them any discredit in social or official
life. All the sects of Professionalism
must be held guilty Of this disgusting
and most dangerous condition OF things.
A'SiA liiihiolSlo vi IlIte SOSpCl, WHO pre-
tend to take their religion from the
bible, are found to Ignore The bibles
precepts, and marry another after hav-
ing put away their lawful wives. The
church did not invent the bond of n.ar-
riasc. Civil society did not create the
bond of marriage Neither church nor
state has the right or power to annul the
positive laws Of God. God made the
marriage bond indissolube The Cath
Ollie church must maintain in the world
standing respect for Gods positive de-
crees. Hence 1t cannot, and never will
sanction the scvering Of the marriage
bond"
Silk mufflers and ties for the husband
or best fellow at o. T. Swetts, 228 Cen5
trail ave.