Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-12-17
Opposed Coercion and Persecu-
tiOn-Taught Respect For
Free Will of Men.
Magma ChaTta and American
Liberty Fruits of Catholic
Influence.
HISTORY VERSUS FANATICAL FALLACY
Editor Kentucky irish American:

desire to publish in the Kentucky
Irish American (that paper bearing from
its masthead three of the brightest names
ever catalogued) a series of articles upon
the great subject of religious federation,
to show that the Catholic church has
always been the firm, consistent and bold
advocate of this great doctrine of our
constitutional magma charta of human
liberty.
A man enjoys religious liberty when he
possesses the free right of worshiping God
according to the dictates of a right con-
science and of practicing a form of re-
ligion most in accordance with his duties
to God. Every act infringing on his
freedom of conscience is justly styled re-
ligious intolerance. This religious liberty
is the true right of every man, because it
corresponds with a most certain duty
which God has put upon him. A man
enjoys civil liberty when he is exempt
from the arbitrary will of others and
when he is governed by equitable laws
established for the general welfare of So
ciety. So long as, i'll common with his
fellow-citizens, he observes the laws of
the State, any exceptional restraint inn
posed upon him in the exercise of his
rights as a citizen is so far an infringe
ment on his civil liberty. I here assert
the proposition, which hope to confirm
by historical evidence, that the Catholic
church has always been the Jealous adj
vocate and promoter of civil and religious
liberty; and that whenever any encroach-
ments on these sacred rights of man were
perpetrated by protesting members of
the Catholic faith these wrongs, far from
being sanctioned by the church, were
committed in palpable violation of her
authority. Her doctrine is that as man
by his own free will fell from grace, so
of his own free will must he return to
grace. Conversion and coercion are two
terms that can never be reconciled. They
are utterly incompatible with each other.
1t has ever been a cardinal maxim, in
culcated by sovereign Pontiffs and other
prelates, that no violence or undue in
huence should be exercised by Christian
princes or missionaries in their efforts to
convert souls to the faith of Jesus Christ.
St. Augustine and his companions, who
were sent by Pope Gregory I. to England
fer the conversion of that nation, had
the happiness of baptizing in the true
faith King Ethelbert and many of his
subjects. That monarch, in the fervor
of zeal, was most anxious that all his
subjects should Immediately follow his
example; bat the missionaries admon-
ished him that he should scrupulously
abstain from all violence in the CONVEX
sion of his people, for the Christian re-
ligion should be voluntarily embraced.
Pope Nicholas 1. also warned Michael,
King of the Bulgarians, against employ
ing any force or constraint in the CONVEX
ton of idolators. The fourth Council
of Toledo, synod of great authority in
the church, ordained that no one should
be compelled against his will to make
profession of the Christian faith. And
be it remembered that this council was
composed of all the Bishops of Spain,
and was assembled in country and at a
time in which the church held almost
unlimited sway and among people who
have been represented as the most fanati-
cal and intolerant of all Europe. Per-
haps no man can be considered fairer
representative of the age in which he
lived than St. Bernard, the illustrious
Abbot of Clairvaux He was the embodi-
,nent of the spirit of the middle ages.
His life is the key that discloses what de-
gree of federation prevailed in those days.
Having heard that fanatical preacher
was stimulating the people to deeds of
violence against the Jews as the enemies
of Christianity, St. Bernard raised his
eloquent voice against him and rescued
those prosecuted people from the dangers
to which they we're exposed.
Not to cite too many examples, let me
only quote for you the beautiful letter of
Fenelon, Archbishop or Canbray, adj
dressed to the son of King James ii. of
England. This letter not only reflects
the sentiment of his own heart but FORM
ulizes in this particular the DEGREES of the
church of which he was a distinguished
ornament. "Above ALL" he writes,
'.never force your subjects to change
their religion. No human power can
reach the impenetrable recesses of the
free will of the heart. Violence can
never persuade men; it serves only to
make hypocrites. Grant civil rights to
all, not in approving everything as in
different, but in toleratiug with patience
whatever Almighty God tolerates and in
endeavoring to convert men by mild per-
suasion."
1t is true, indeed. that the Catholic
church spares no pains and stops at no
sacrifice in order to induce mankind to
embrace her faith. Otherwise she would
be recreant to her sacred mission. But
she scorns to exercise any undue in
fluence in her efforts to convert souls. 1t
is well known that tine superior advan-
tages of our female academies through
out the country lead many of our dis
senting brethren to send their Daughters
~ these institutions IT Is also we'll