The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-03-19
THE REV. II. DANEiY'S THEME IS
"PAPAL lNFALLIDILrTY."
PETER IS the CauRCA'S FOUNDATION.
THE PAPACY HAS COME UNSCATliED
TlltOCGH THE CENTURIES
WHILE DYNAs1IEs HAVE DISAPPEARED.
OF PETERS AUTHOR
lTY DEMONSTR ATED.

sacred Scripture at st. Paul Seminary,
continued his doctrinal sermons on
"Papal Infallibility" at the Cathedral
last Sunday evening. For his text he
took the words Of Matthew, xvi.-lS.
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock
will build my church. and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it," He
said in part:
Last Sunday evening we saw that the
teaching of our Lord. Jesus Christ re-
Quires us to believe as it rejoices us with
the certainty that he has left In his
church an infallible guide In matters of
faith and morals. This evening we shall
answer the question, who is this guide?
Without such a guide man is thrown
back upon his own research, or upon
the teachings of other men who are
fully as liable to go astray as himself.
If he take up the inquiry ut ull he will
meet with hundreds. indeed, who are
willing tc help him, but whose counscls
disagree. One advises him that God
ly denies it, Wearicd at length by these
discordant voices, many IN earnest but
disheartened man has given up the in
quiry. convinced that all alike arc
worth while to follow any OF them.
This state of mind is the gravcst evil
| that confrOnts us in the religious world
ay-:ndifferentism.
Now, l say IL ::here were no church
| on the earth that claims 70 lead man
with unerring certainty in tho truths Of
God, indifferentism might be justified;
but IL there is such u church. the in
! quiring mind must In simple honesty in
| vestigate her claim. If her claim he
! proved Just and well founded. he is
bound under pain of incurrng the
wrath of God to obey her teaching
While on the other hand, If her claim
when examined prove to be i'll founded,
there is nothing for it but to lapse into
| that condition so sadly described in
Holy Writ, when every man did that
which was right In his own eyes.
Now the Catholic church does claim
infallibility in guiding men to God, and
she teaches that this extraordinary pre-
rogativc is vested in her chief executive,
our holy father, the Pope. Her answer
is clear and straightforward; her terms,
too, are we'll defined. In the vatican
council she afIirms that 1.-THE bishop of
Rome when he speaks cx-cathcdra
Chat is when in discharge of the Of
fec of pastor and doctor of all Chris
tains, by virtue of his supreme apostolic
authority, Ii. defines a doctrine regard
ing faith or morals to be held by the
universal church) by the Divine assist
nncc promised to him in blessed Peter
| Is possessed Of that lnfallibility with
his church should he endowed for de-
| filming doctrines regarding faith and
| morals"
We believe, then, that the church Of
| into an error when teaching mankind Il
| doctrine of faith or morals. We believe
| that she is thus safcguarlcd because size
| is buildcd upon Peter. whose faith and
whose teaching of 1t cannot fail. The
| Pope, as the successor OF Peter is in
| vested with all his responsibilities and
| ordinary powers in guiding and con-
| frming his brethren. Therefore, The.
| ,t,,t, L.,
| flee he teaches a doctrine of faith or
morals to the universal church, Is in
falliblc. Each of these propositions Is
as clearly laid down in holy writ as it
Is set forth in the teaching of the
church Therefore, our faith distinctly
propOllndcd by Gods church and con .
firmcd by the inspired record, is both
clear and certain.
The first proposition, towit, that God
guards his church against any error Of
doctrine on faith or mcrals, is the con-
clusion that we reached last Sunday
| evening. But this security comes to
her through her chief the Pope
We might axpec, as much from the
fact that during almost / 900 years This
teacher has without mistake actually
taught the Christian world the fullncss
of revealed truth. To be sure, speaking
in all strictness. this record of 1890
years without a mistake, does not prove
| that within another hundred years, or
at some time in the remote future, he
| will not fall into error. 1t is proof pos
tive that he is a very safe guide safer
! by far than a.y other that the world
has ever known. Still, ii is not the
proof that we demand in order to make
an act of faith in his teaching; and yet,
how much more cxacting we are in his
case than in that of any other man or
! institution in the world.
| The papacy has come unscathcd
through the wars OF centuries, remained
erect and noble while thrones topplcd
r ~ 81 - J. r.