The record-union., 1897-03-29
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND.
breaches IN WASHINGTON ON
POPE LEO XIII.
Says His Position Toward the Age is
One of Sympathy, Cooperation
and Prudent Direction.

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 transfor-
nation, of great intellectual activity,
of great discoveries and inventions, and
he asked, what is to be the position of
Catholics towards the age.
Replying to his own question, he said
it 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 providential pontiff given
to this church in this new era of human
ity, to show that the church is of all
ages, as is her founder Christ. Holding
fast to the divine organizations of the
Church and types of faith and morals,
Leo recognizes the social and political
changes which are coming upon human
ity and adapts the human forms of the
church to the new surroundings. 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 encourages progress along
all its legitimate lines. He extols move
ments tending to the higher elevation
and the greater happiness of humanity.
The encyclicals of the Pope, especial
ly that of labor and that on the republic
of France, proves him to be indeed the
pontiff of the age. Catholics should
follow the direction of their great leader
and aid him in fulfilling the divine mis-
sion assigned to him to dominate in the
name of Christ and Christs faith this
modern world and conquer it to religion.
There are Catholics in every country
who more or less conscientiously and eff
fectively keep themselves aloof from
Leos leadership. They imagine they
understand better than Leo does the
situation of the church in this age
Welded to contingent and perishabe
forms, which they mistake for the alb
solute and the permanent, they would
have the church and the world stand
still. Thus, in France to-day, despite
Leos repeated invitation, to see in this
republican form of government which
the people of the country have adopted
the representative of law and order and
the legitimate government of the ma
ton, certain Catholics cling to dead en-
pires and monarchies and refuse to give
peace to country and church. Well, in
his late address, has Leo called such
Catholics refractorieS or rebels Be
there in the future no refractores in
America.
There are, we must confess, divisions
a Catholics in NOT indaa1
in matters of faith and morals, but in
tendencies and movements and adapta-
tions of action to modern circumstances
and surroundings. There should be for
US but one tendency and one movement
those indicated by the Pope Opposi-
ton to his decision, however, much as it
clothes itself among US, as among
French Catholics, which the specious
titles of conservatism and traditional
ism and religious fears of the new, is
nothing but rebellion. Those who resist
the direction given by the Pope are re-
fractories and rebels. 1t is asked some
times are not Catholics divided in lines
of race? Not all. | speak for myself,
and in that l say l speak for all true
Catholics and loyal followers of the
Pope. There is for me no race, and no
color and no language. 1 rise above all
such accidentals and recognize as my
brethren all who work for God and
truth.
when French Catholics are with the
Pope, / am with them; when they are
against the Pope, | am against them;
my position is the same with German
Catholics or Catholics of other races
If / differ from some of them it is be-
cause of their idea, not because of their
race 1t is we'll that this be understood; !;
efforts have been made to identify GER
tain refractories and the refractory
tendencies with whole races. That is
wrong; it is unjust to those races, the
great number of which are most loyal to
the Pope. but ardent to follow his direc-
tions. and they work with him. Some
self-constituted leaders are too willing
to pose as representative of races, which
they both misunderstood and misrepre-
sent.
The Archbishop concluded his dis
course by reference to the special love
of Leo for the American Republic and
to the duty of Catholics to be models
of good citizenship and loyalty to
American institutions.