The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-07
CHURCH is INFALLIBLE
FATHER DANEHY INSISTS THAT
IT'S PRIESTS DO NOT ERR
InfallfbiIity Rejected Unless Under
Different Name-Men Believe
in 1t Except When Applied to
Spiritual AEairs-GOd's Promise
Certain of FuIfflIment.

ISSV dlIICh DdHtHy, VI ~. L q III .
seminary, continued his course of lee
lures at the cathedral last evening.
The subject was "Infallibility." He
chose for his text. go we therefore,
teach all nations, teaching them to OBJ
serve all things whatsoever l have
commanded you, and behold am with
you all days, even to the contamination
of the world" He spoke in substance
as follows:
powerfully influenced by prejudice. To mill
lions Of children the priest is the persona
fication of goodness-to others, he is
dreaded man, to be Stunned at all costs.
The Catholic church, to those who know
her, is but the continuation of Christ's own
person. Where she is, there He imparts
grace and truth Yet, by some. she is re-
garded with mere respect or indifference,
or with aversion or even hatred.
The same is true Of her several doctrines.
Though there Is not a single dogma in the
Catholic church that has motifs roots in
the deepest depths of the human heart,
The dogma Of infallblity, of which I shall
speak this evening" affords us a striking
example. We shall see that men strive to
obtain infallibility, and practically admit
it where it is not. and yet refuse to avail
themselves Of it where God has clearly
granted it, for by infallibility l mean ex-
emption from liability to mistake.
All men demand infallibility wherever it
can be had. But am aware that is not the
name that is commonly used. But change
the name so long as the reality be left
intact, I shall not object II men insist
upon exactness and precision and that
even in everyday affairs. They will have
7 the result. though they will not grant the
power. Where the exact truth is obtaina-
BILE, nothing less will satisfy us. In the
school room we are not content that chill
dren should be taught pretty nearly what
the rules of arithmetic are. We insist that
they be taught those rules exactly. The
teacher who, for any reason, should teach
them otherwise could not be retained for
one hour. Nor are we so exacting in this
case because arithmetic is a branch of
mathematics. an exact science. Here the
countries or cities of the world on a map.
No examining board will be satisfied If the
least mistake in any one Of these branches
is allowed to pass unEprrected. Yet these
that in the school we want exact truth,
and want it .withb certainty. We know that
neither teacher nor. pupil is infallible, yet
we would have them So If we could: Mean
while, we take scare that we shall make
no mistake if we can help it. We render
them as nearly infallible as we can.
Not in the school alone is this true, but
in every department of life. Errors we in
send you his monthly. statement. Examin-
ing it you find that It contains an error.
You know that be is net infallible, yet you
insist, and rightly, too that he shall make
no mistakes. His attention is called at
once to the error in his account and, un-
paid. ~ - --O'
When we have any bodily i'll we call in
physician. If this gentleman had ever
shown himself to be careless In prescribing
remedies, or If it were known that he was
but Ill Informed in the medical art, we
should not think of entrusting ourselves to
his treatment; we should summon that man
whose knowledge of his art and attention to
ms patients have never been found at fault.
With us 1t is matter of life or death We
are not prepared to take any unnecessary
risks. We therefore demand of our physi-
clan that, if 1t be within the power of medi-
cal skill to postpone death, he shall post
pone it.
When any of our civil rights are invaded
we appeal to the courts for protection: we
select an advocate to present and defend
our rights; we choose such a one as knows
fully the law and has the ability to present
it forciblv.
We follow the same rule when electing a
man to sit as Judge in our courts. For this
high and responsible position we seek out
a man well read in the law, who is PAINS
taking in preparing his decisions, and
above even the suspicion of venality If
on any one Of these heads his record be
furnished, we will not so much as mention
his name In connection with the judicial
ermine.
We do more In the last analysis we set
up tribunal which in. practice we make
infallible, for to be above the possibility of
eTTOr, anu " De empowered 10 QellVer q
preme and final decision, are in practice
quite the same. Every supreme tribunal is
infallible, or at least Is treated as If it
were, for that decision from which there is
no appeal Is in every civilized nation held
to be just. Our own country furnishes an
example of this truth ih-our supreme court
1t is composed Of men differing in nothing
but their official position from their fellow
citizens. Yet BECAUSE they have been ee-
waited to the supreme bench their words
are all-powerful 8Their sentence can set
aside the enactments Of congress; seventy
millions Of citizens mist submit to their
decree. There Is no appeal. Every final de-
cision of sovereign state enjoys the same
prerogative Fora ,everyA government is in
reality, absolute. To resist it is treason
The day when its citizens should be per-
that it had erredfor done an injustice, the
country would cease o-eXist; 1t would rec
ognize human authority above ITSELF We
claim, then, no very exceptional preroga-
tive for the church Of God when we claim
infallibility for her. There is but this differ
ence between ciyAl society and her, that in
the one nfallibiliey is Supposed by man as
De Maistre said; lin the other it is assured
by God. Until aolaw is repealed, or a de-
cision reversed, we submit to it as though
it were irreversible We submit to a deci-
sion of the supreme authority In the church
because we know that its decree is simply
true; for Its truth we have Gods own prom
Use. which cannot fail.
Our Lords own words prove 1t. "Going
therefore, teach all things whatsoever 1
have commanded you, and behold I am with
you all days, even to the contamination of
the world. This commission contains two
parts, command and promise. The one
is new, the other old. The new part. while
entirely plain to u.s. must have sounded