The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-13
CONSIDERATIONS ON CANON
LAW.

In each diocese the Bishop is recog-
nized as the Lawmaker, Administrator
/ and Judge. His is the ordinary care
of the flock, and he has the right to
make regulations Which he deems use
full for the end for which his power
comes to him from his office, that is,
the sanctif1cation of those who are his
| subjects. There are necessary limita-
tons to his jurisdiction which come
from the ordinance of Christ; there are
restrictions imposed upon him by the
laws of the Universal Church, and all
his authority is subordinate to that of
the Supreme Pastor, the successor of
| st. Peter in the bishopric of Rome. The
Congregation of the Propaganda is the
ordinary medium through which the
pope makes known his DEGREES to the
hierarchy and faithful in the United
! States. For time. it was hazily out
lined that the first Apostolic Delegate
to the United States, having come to
| these shores by direct act of the Pope
was likely to introduce a new order
into the relations of the Church of the
United States, taking it possibly out of
the usual category of missionary coun-
tries; but whatever expectations of
change there may have been were set
at rest when the authority of the
Apostolic Delegate was clearly made
subordinate to the Congregation Of the
Propaganda. The Apostolic Delegate is
now recognized as the ordinary repre-
| sentative of the Propaganda in it's adj
ministrative but not in it's judicial
capacity; he obtains representation in
the judicial capacity only by special
delegation.
This distinction brings to our minds
what may be of interest, perhaps use
full, during the present year of the
Universal Jubilee.
If the Apostolic Delegate is the ordin-
airy representative of the Propaganda
in its administrative capacity las much
as vicar general is the alter ego of
the bishop, and as the Congregation
of the Propaganda has we believe. for
all missionary countries the ordinary
power of absolving in cases reserved
to the Pope, of relaxing censures, of
committing VOWS, of dispensing in any
irregularities and impediments, it's
ordinary representative in its admin
istrative capacity is very likely to
have the same ordinary power. I'm
doubtedly when the Pope in his decree
for the year of the Universal Jubilee
suspends and DEGREES to be absolutely
imperative all faculties and indults of
absolving in cases reserved to the
Holy See, of relaxing censures, of com
muting VOWS. of dispensing in any IT.
soever and in whatsoever manner these
faculties and indults may have been
granted, he did not withdraw any
power to be. exercised by the Congre-
CATION of the Propaganda itself which
is the alter ego of the Pope. If in
these powers the Apostolic Delegate is
the ordinary representative of the
Propaganda, the Pope's decree would
not be likely to withdraw any of his
ordinary powers
DR.. Meehan, in his Compendium of
Canon Law, on page rs, says that the
Apostolic Delegate in the United States
has the same power in regard to matri-
monial and other dispensations as our
bishops But this may mean simply
that it is the same as to the extent of
the power, not as to the character of
the Jurisdiction of the Apostolic Dele
gate. The Apostolic Delegates admin
istrative power is ordinary. as the jul
risdfction of the Bishops Vicar General
is ordinary. If the faculties above