The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-06
ST. PETER THE FIRST POPE.
AND LEO XIII HIS LEGITIMATE
SUCCESSOR.

Was Created the First Head of the
Church and That His Authority
Has Descended to His Successors.
The Church an Organization
Whose Charter Extends to the End
of Time.
That st. Peter was the first Pope OF
the Church of Rome and that all other
Popes have been his legitimate successors,
was the doctrine expounded by Vicar Gen.
eral Kelley in an able sermon at st. Vim
cents Chapel last night.
Father Kelley did not enter into a dis
cussion of ecclesiastical history to support
his position, but based the foundation for
his belief purely on the words of Christ,
and as given in the scriptures and the
teachings of the Catholic Church.
Father Kelley stated in the opening of
his sermon that there is a very vague idea
in the minds of most of those outside of
the church as to who the Pope is. Owing
to the fact that Catholics are thoroughly
Instructed in the doctrines of their church,
religious education being considered by
them as more important than secular ed
ucation, there was no need to enlighten
them on this subject, he said.
Catholics" said Father Kelley. be
lieve in one God, the father, Son and Holy
Ghost. We believe this on the authority
of the church and on no other authority
Only in and through the divine merits of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can
we hope for salvation. These things are
fin mly believed, but not because we mag
inc we find them in the holy scriptures.
If not one page of holy writ had come
down to us we would accept these funda-
mental doctrines Just as we do to-day,
because God has revealed these matters
TO us through the Catholic Church"
Exactly on the same authority and for
the same reasons do we accept the Pope
Il Is exactly on the same grounds that we
accept the incarnation of Christ and other
doctrines Of the church. We accept these
truths because they are revealed TO us
by God. We accept without hesitation
everything that God reveals"
Father Kelley discussed the question of
revelation. I'VE have reasonable grounds
for believing" he said, that God has
made a revelation. We accept the divine
inspiration of the scriptures. The holy
Bible is the word of God as much as IL
God himself had written the scriptures
Just as much as the commandments which
were brought down by Moses from Mount
Sinai where the words of God. 1t is in OK
actly the same way that we accept the
Trinity"
who is the Pope?" Father Kelley ask
ed. Read the page of the holy scrip
lures" he added. THE Office of the
Pope is referred 90 in no uncertain terms.
There are none of you who have ever
seen George Washington. You know of
him only by history and report. But
there are many of you who have seen the
present President of the United States,
and some of You have seen other Presi-
dents of the United States. Knowing that
they preceded the present President and
that other Presidents preceded them, you
have good reason to believe that Washing
ton was the first President of the United
States, and you know in fact, that he was
the first President. just as you know
this to be the case, you know that as
Leo XIII is the present Pope. You know
equally as well that st. Peter was the
first Pope Our authority is simply the
word of God ais revealed by Christ, whose
teaching we accept The Pope is the SUI
preme head of the Catholic Church, not
by the power of men, nor by the choice
of men. Every Catholic in the world
could not confer upon him the power of
Pope. All power comes from God, and
resistance to lawful power is resistance
to God. The Pope is elected in a proper
and regular manner and as soon as he is
elected he succeeds to the authority given
to the first Pope.
Father Kelley Illustrated the succession
in authority of the Popes by comparison
with the charter of a civil corporation.
So long as the charter lasts, so long does
the authority last which it confers upon
its members, though the members to
whom the charter was originally granted
may have died and been succeeded by
others
God founded His society, which shall
last until the crack of DOOM" said Father
| Kelley. 1.-THE constituent part of the So
cety, which is so essential that the So
| ciety cannot exist without 1t, is its head.
| The church is well-reguiated society be-
cause it was founded by God Almighty.
Its charter is 10 last until the end of
time. Its executive authority was estab-
lished by God himself"
AS scriptural evidence in support of his
position. Father Kelley quoted the CONVEX
sation between Christ and his disciples
when Christ asked the latter whom thew
! thought Him to be. When the question
was put to Peter, he replied "Thou art
| Christ, the Son of the Living God" Christ
then said to him, And | say to thee
thou art Peter, and upon this rock will
! build My church and the gates of hell
! Shan not prevail against it," Christ con-
firmed such powers TO Peter as had never
been given to mortal man before.
The stability of the church. Father
Kelley said, is due purely and simply 10
! its foundation. The gates of hell shall
never prevail against it. Its strength Is in
| the absolute indefectbility of its FONDA
ton. 1t must remain as long as its char
ter remains, and that means until the ena
! OF the world The power conferred unon
! its founder has descended to his success
| sors.
The words of Christ to Peter on his re-
appearance to his disciples after his res
direction were brought in evidence. '.I.ov.
est thou me?" Christ said to Peter who
only a short time before had denied his
Lord and Master. Three times the ones
ton was asked. and each time Peter re.
piled: Lord, Thou knowest / love thee s.
To the first two answers Christ renl,ed
Feed my lambs" and to the last Feed
my sheep" The duty of the shepherd 10
his flock and in a spiritual sense to give
them food for the soul, the doctrines of a
pure and undefiled faith.
1.-The Lambs and the sheen are tba on