The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-02-14
CHURCH OF ROME.
nI.ib.rsi ti,oiiei.rnr i,o,s Thing Of the
ra,t-A more benevolent Feeling To.
Z ward the Pspscy has Arisen Through.

1
ward the Papacy has Arisen Through.
outth World. ~
"Romanus,. In the Contemporary Re-
view. London: we have again been
surprised to ind that men, who ought to
know better consider .'llberai Catholic
clsm' 10 be a thing OF tho past. II Is,
no doubt, true that the present pope
utters no curses on that religious lib.
eralsm" which was 80 often anathe-
matlzed by Plus TX. But that does not
show that his anathcmas were SO eject
ual that liberal Catholicism" IL dead
and done for: 1t only shows how grent a
change has taken place ut Rome itself.
The opposition OF the so.called 'old
Catholics" however pnn.Angllcan
synod may try TO stimulate its activity
has become 80 powerless as TO be be-
meath contempt. on the other hand the
dominant party In the Church OF Eng
land Tin spite OF the efforts OF prelatcs
truly ProiestanO continually gains in
influence. while II IL daily Approximate
| Ing more and moro In Its ritual, Its
teaching. and Its spirit. to that which
used 10 be spoken OF as the great apos-
tasy." Thus II has come about that
throughout the whole world there has
arisen more benevol::.,.. feeling toward
the papacy. as we now see Il In the per-
aon OF the present gentle. cultured, and
concillatory pontlff, the promoter OF his
torlcal research, the friend OF the
| French republic. the relatively liberal
Leo XIII. Nevertheless. some mon who
are deemed exceptionally clear-sighted.
or who occupy positions at headquar-
tiers giving them peculiar facilities for
observation, agree In declaring that
there are breakers ahead, and that.indi-
cations Of storm and tempest are to be
deserted on the horizon.
Liberal Catholics are not ignorant
OF what the essential constitution OF the
church has come TO be. They fully up
preciate that process OF Capitalization
which has gone on, more or less contin-
uously, since the second century. devel-
oping q spiritual kingdom-a monarchy
like mono other that the world has seen.
Liberal Catholics" are well aware that
the church's enormous power for good
would be fatally Impaired by injury to
Its organization, and regard any at
tempt to'rcverse the process OF develop.
ment as an act intrinsIcally absurd and
unscientiflc. Their desire, therefore. Is
to strengthen. not to destroy, authority.
| They desire especially to strengthen II
by diverting II from proceedings detri-
mental 10 Its own welfare. Nothing Is
more distressing to them than TO see au-
thority degrade itself, now through the
disastrous influence Of this or that emil
nent personality, and now through that
OF some powerful religious order. They
mourn over the results OF such influ-
ences In the south of Europe, and over
the general estrangement from Chris
tianity which Is SO widespread among
educated men In the so-called Catholic
countries. They are profoundly con-
WINGED that the Catholic church Is the
one great influence for promoting the
spiritual welfare Of humanity. They
are convinced that 1t Is the most COM
plete-the only complete-organizatlo
for bringing about among all classes.
all nations. and all races, obedience 10
and fulllllment OF Christ's two great
commandments wherein lay all the law
ana the prophets-namely, love Of God
and or our neighbor. Such Catholics
also believe that the church supplies, as
no other yet existing organization can
supply, TO rational creatures. means OF
access and address to their Creator
through worship such as the world
has never before known-traditionoI.
soul-satisfying, and. above all pro-
foundly spiritual, wherein the divine
and human meet and cor ad cor looul-
| Tor. They also regard Catholicism as
specially distinguished by its spirit of
CHARITY and Will self-sacrifice for others
| sooo, virtues to which its principles af-
| lord an unfailing support-a support
| not depending on mere sentiment or
! fashion OF the day, but one which forms
| part OF Its fundamental and essential
nature: And not only do they look upon
catholiciey as the special home of. and
the most effective. aid to. what Is good,
put also as an Influence making for
beauty and the culture OF art. Its In
iuehce with respect to philosophy they
also regard as OF priceless value, nor do
tney tnlnS lightly Of Its service to lit
erature; profoundly Influenced by such
convictions, the adherents TO liberal
Catholicism must evidently desire 10
maintain unimpaired that wonderful or
sanizaton Of which Rome Is the head,
NOW the church, during the nine
teen centuries Of its existence, has had
10 undergo the Influence not only of
very diverse surrounding conditions
materially, but also OF very different in
tellectual environments, which have
profoundly modified 1t. Beliefs which
seem TO us amazing In their barbaric
simplicity had their necessary place In
the church of the ninth century. No
reasonable person can suppose that any
men OF Inc apostolic age used the lam
guage or later times in their teaching
ABOUT the nature OF Christ, or even un-
defstood the doctrine OF the Trinity as
expressed in the Athanasian creed
Neither could they have spoken. or even
thought. about transubstant!atIon. any
more than il Is credible That devotion to
our Lady had place in the religion of
81. raul. Do these facts constitute
valid arguments against such things?
by no means. They only show that the
church. like everything which possesses
healthy life. has undergone, and will
have to undergo, a continuous process
OF development. To keep Itself in touch
with what is best and highest In each
succeeding lustrum Is, In the opinion of
the liberal Catholics" an article of
artioulus stant!s vel cadentls acclesiae.
Liberal Catholics" declare themselves
TO be devoted TO the discovery. the pro-
mitigation, and the establishment of
truth IN every field OF knowledge, his
torlcal. critical and scientific, especially
In what bears upon religion. Sincere
theists. they are profoundly convinced
not only that the God OF truth can never
be served by lie. but that>the cause OF
religion can never be promoted by
clever lodges, by studiously ambiguous
utterances. by hushing up unpleasant
truths. or (when such can no longer be
hidden) by misrcDresenting or mlnimiz-
Ing their signiflcance-tryiRg to dis
gulse the consequences which logically
follow from them by q series OF subtle
devices. It bitterly regrets the loss by
the church of opportunities, again and
again allowed to slip by, of welcoming