The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-04-07
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THE
MOST IDEAL DEMOCRACY IN
THE WORLD.

The relationship of the Catholic author
tiles with democracy was the subject of
an unusually interesting and highly in
structive address under the title of The
Papal Empire, which was delivered by
Rev. James Giblin at a Catholic reunion,
held in Willenhall, England.
The reverend gentleman began by show
ing the different kinds of government that
have been in vogue in the world. The
one-man rule comes down from patriarch
ial times. 1t had its eXcellencies and de-
fects. The descendants OF Sem and Cham
adhered exclusively TO this form of gov
eminent. Asia and Africa illustrate this
point. But the descendants of Japhet have
always evinced an inclination to greater
liberties for the people, inclining thereby
to democracy. At times the different ma
tons of Europe, restless under autocratic
rule. have tried an oligarchy. There rule
has been termed aristocratic. After try
ing many forms of government they set
tied down. no doubt under the influence of
Roman civilization, to solve the grand
problem of political reform, for it has
been stated by the sages that a blend of
these elements of government would
eventually De found the best.
The Roman church in its organization
seems to have solved the problem, con-
tanning in its constitutional government
the three elements: An autocratic Pope.
and aristocracy of Bishops, and a dem
ocracy of Priesthood. The Pope's decision
on every individual appeal is final; the
Bishops rule as little kings in their re-
spective provinces. allied always with
Rome; the priesthood, drawn always from
the people, known to the people. feeling
-, g
their wants, form the democracy From
the Pope, the head; from the Bishops,
through the priests, come grace and ben
edictiOn. From the people, through the
priests. through the Bishops, to the Pope
ascends respect, generation, loyalty and
fidelity. Wherever either of these ele-
ments of government have been weak the
government has suffered for each is
bound to have at heart the interest and
dignity of his position. In troublesome
times Bishops have been thrust upon the
Church according to royal pleasure. and
these have been accepted as the lesser of
threatened evils.
Occasionally the democracy of the
priesthood has fallen on evil times, bring
ing with it ruinous consequences. There
is more than a suspicion that anterior to
sorting the common people, had sympa-
thiZed with the aristOCracy, bringing with
it such swift reribution that the clergy
retired to their proper place, and are to-
day the most devoted friends of the peas
antry of France. The marriage of the
clergy in England brought the same re-
suit and in the same way. The riches of
the clergy enabled them to form alliances
viii 10 Il
foundation of the English church disap-
Deared. Besides these three elements i'll
the Church, there is the Senate of Car
dinals, chosen by the Pope himself as his
advisers; these form the Court of Rome;
they are the eyes, the ears the fingers of
the eHad. but the auxiliary forces Of the
Church are the monks and nuns Their
work in the world is apparent in schools,
hospitals and in their missionary labors
abroad. The benefit TO the Church of cell
bacy in these as in the ordinary priest
hood, is to be found in their zeal for the
erection OF church and schools. not being
allowed to use ecclesiastical emoluments
except for ecclesiastical purposes. The
natives Of every cline have detected this
feature in them, which has inspired their
confidence. No marvel, then, that the
Papal Empire has inspired the greatest
majority of protesting Christians.
THE infallibility of the Pope has been
a bugbear to many, and yet it is but a
phase of Roman supremacy since the be-
ginning of the Church. This is not the
place to explain its meaning. 1t is very
rarely exercised and its object is but to
cement union among conflicting theo-
ries''
! The lecturer here enumerated many
! great deeds of the early Popes and show
! ed the gerat benefits that accrued to Eu-
rope from Papal actions, with special
mention of the Popes engaged in the true
Reformation. He continued:
"Apropos of married clergy tending
families and celebrates using Church emol-
| uments for Church purposes, l make il
not as an invidious comparison, but only
TO show the success that inevitably at
tends a priesthood as a real democracy
and clergyhood bound by shackels
There is hardly a show church in this
country that was not built under Roman
jurisdiction. Such as they are, they were
not counted too spacious for England
when her population was less than Ire
land at present. England has since thos,
days grown from five to thirty millions o.
people while OF its increase in wealth No
man can tell. Let Professionalism point tn,
finger to ecclesiastical architecture in tn,
last three centuries. Talk of stagnan