The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-10-06
The Question Box.
The Second List Of Questions Submitted
to FIR. Powers With His Answers
Briefly Compiled.


Below is submitted some of the
questions received by FIR. Powers al d
on which he lectured last Sunday
evening. Owing to some of the ques-
tions requiring more than brief
mention to make them understood by
the reading public the Reverend
gentlemen has concluded to treat of
them in series of articles. Follow
| ing Is the first of the series:
Question 1st: Does not the priests
of the Catholic church try to urusp
the power of GOD in pretending to
| pardon sinsp
End: What authority or warrant
of scripture has the Catholic priest
got for hearing confessions?
Answer: These two questions be-
ing really one. will answer them as
one. The authority both for hearing
confessions and forgiving sins comes
directly from Christ. He, having
expressly conferred this dual power
upon his Apostles and their success
ors for ali time when He said, IRE
ceive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins
you shall forgive they are forgiven
them, whose sins you shall retain
they are retained" st. John Xxx 23 ".
This passage of sacred scripture an
swers fully and fairly the two ques-
! tions submitted, but in order to bring
conviction home to every fair mind a
fuller development is necessary.
Now, my friends, in approaching the
solution of question on which the
Catholic and Protestant world have
long been divided, might be sup
posed to inherit some of that bitter
prejudice and religious rancor which
characterizes, but does not do credit
to our religious ancestors on either
side. Gods long separated children
have been kept apart by persistant
Misrepresentation and mutual dis
trust. The Catholic secure in his
own convictions, cannot understand
how sincere inquirer can rest out
side the church. The protestant
looking upon the Catholic church as
an effete organization staggering un-
der the weight of numerous supersti-
tions, cannct understand how the
Catholic can be intelligent and sin
cere. If Catholics knew how they
/ xyopa ,oicnp6 do and thnt fh n
false impressions rose from the com.
mon error of confounding Catholic
faith with the opinions of Catholics,
rhey would be less dogmatic in ex-
pressing their opinions and more
careful to distinguish between what
was faith and what was mere human
speculation. If protestants knew
that Catholic faith was the very re-
verse of what they think it is, and
that the errors which they mistake
for Catholic teaching is, as strongly
opposed by Catholics as by them
selves, they would be less inclined to
regard us as the enemies of progress
and obstacles in the path of civiliza.
tion.
Catholic is nothing more nor less
than the revealed Word of God, and
hence 1t does not, it cannot ask you
to renounce any truth you may know,
or to lay down any good you may
possess. Opinion may oppose opinion,
mind may be arrayed against mind
and the church has nothing to say.
1t is only when you deny what God
has revealed that the church antag-
onizes you. When reason rebels
against God and refuses to accept
His Word, that the church intervenes
to correct or to condemn.
L knC W very we'll that there Is no
article of Catholic belief more un-
reasonable and revolving to new
Catholic minds than confession and
the forgiveness of sins and I know
also why they so regard it. If like
them, believe it to be a mere hu.
man invention devised by corrupt
and venal clergy for tyrannical ends,
would oppose it with every fiber of
my body and denounce 1t with my
last breath. But if our separated
brethren knew that Catholics be-
lieved In and practiced confession
not because 1T was enjoined and or
dered by man but because it is an or
dinance of God, they too would re-
spect 1t, would believe in it, would
practice 1T. Hence, then our differ
ence is about question of fact. If
we were agreed upon the fact, we
would agree upon the consequences
flowing from the fact. We would
agree in practice. Every fair minded
protestant will admit that If Christ
made confess ion condition neces-
sary for obtaining pardon for sin that
Catholics are right in practicing 1t,
and every fair minded Catholic must
admit that If Christ did not make
confession necessary condition for
obtaining pardon for sins then we are
wrong for practicing it.
Is confession, therefore, devine
institution or is 1t not? Let us see
in the Goth chapter, 23d verse, of st.
John 1t is recorded that after our