The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-25

ops should visit Rome for the purpose
! of generating the resting place of the
first Pope, and paying their respects
| TO his successor. Gradually, as we
learn from church history. this visit
! became obligatory. In the decretals
! of Pope Gregory TX, who died in 1241,
we find in the oath prescribed at the
! conservation of a bishop the same
promise of a visit to Rome which
bishops to-day make at their cOnse-
Grafton. Pope Sixtus V in 1885 pre-
! scribed for the entire world the time
! when such visit should be made. In
! the case of the episcopate of our own
! country this visit must be made every
| ten years.
THE propriety and justice of this
| legislation are evident. Our Blessed
Lord in instituting His church,, whose
sole object is the continuance of the
great work of the redemption of man,
established a primacy not only of
honor, but also of jurisdiction in St.
Peter and his legitimate successors.
| To him and them was committed the
! duty of governing and feeding the en-
tire flock of Christ. 1t is of faith that
the Roman Pontiff is the divinely APP
pointed and supreme head of the
Church of God and that by divine aid
he is preserved from the possibility
mission, he defines a doctrine of faith
or morals.
The Head of the Church.
He, the supreme visible head of the
church, is responsible alone to the
great invisible head of the church,
Christ, our Lord. This supreme power
serves as a center of union as we'll as
Of authority, and is precisely the
means intended and invented by the
redeemer to conserve and perpetuate
that unity, which was to be the dis
tinguished mark of his children to the
end of time. The denial of this evident
truth-so clearly laid down in the di-
Vinely-inspired writings-has resulted
in the subsection of the church to lay
authorities, national or state-so-called
churches, and the lamentable divisions
and increasing subdivisions among
non-Catholic Christians.
Unity is maker of Christ's Church;
unity without a central authority is
an impossibility. Rome or rationalism
is to-day the only alternative for log
ical minds. The experience of mankind
since the sixteenth century justitfes
the dictum of a great bishop Who sew
enteen centuries ago, wrote: For first
to Peter, upon whom he built the
church, and from whom he appointed
and showed that unity should spring,
the Lord gave this power that that
should be loosed in Heaven, which he
should have loosed on earth He who
strives against and resists the church;
he who abandons the chair of st. Pc
ter, upon which the church was found
ed, does he feel sure that he is in the
church?
To Give an Account.
eff so great a burden as the care OF
all the churches rests upon the should
Of right
just that bishops, who are appointed
by the Holy See to rule over certain
portions of the flock of Christ. should
| from time to time give an account of
their work to the great sheperd of ALL
The measure of our respect for the
authority of, and filial obedience to,
the successor of St. Peter is the reason
willing given. To fulfill this duty of
our ministry it is our intention to sail
for Rome on July s.
"It will be, through the mercy of
God our great privilege to lay at the
feet of Leo XIII the filial love and
true Catholic loyalty of a devoted
clergy and faithful people. 1t will be
! our proud boast that, though few in
numbers, the Catholics of our diocese
yield to none in their unreserved sub
/ mission to the authority of the Holy
| See and the august person who now SO
happily for us, occupies 1t.
There are special reasons which
! rneder this a peculiarly fitting oppor-
! tunity and happy season for placing at
| the Holy Fathers feet this tribute.
| This year begins the tWenty-fifth of
truly most marvellous one, and the
signal favors bestowed upon him are
many evidences of a divine protecting
! providence.
Admired by the World.
1.-The world admires the Pope for his
wondrous career, his great grasp of
social questions, his gracious person
ality, his spotless record of blameless
life, his versatility in so many fields of
human progress, his far-reaching in
terests in all that is good and calcu-
| lated to benefit man. The world mar
wells at the old white-robed Pope who
bears the burden of ninety-two years
so uncomplainingly and so bravely.
I We watch him with tender love and
fiilial reverence, praying God mean
while that his days may yet be length
ened, and that if it so pleases the
| Master, this, his vicar and servant,
who has served him so long and so
well, may live to see further triumphs
for the kingdom of God on earth, the
Catholic Church"
The pastoral further states that ZAP
peals come to the Holy Father from
all parts of the world Missions and
schools exiled religious and prosecuted
servants of God turn to Rome and ask
for help and comfort from the common
father of all. Let US come to his aid
and prove that our professions of loyal
ty and love are not merely lip service.
This appeal is made because of the
fact that the collections of the diocese
Sunday will be for the Pope.
The pastoral says in conclusion;
May we not ask also the charity CT
your prayers and those of your people
for ourselves, assuring you that If God
please, we, on our part, when visiting
the places sanctified by the presence or
now serving as resting places of Sc
many of Gods sainted ones, will not be
unmindful of the clergy and laity
among whom we have cast our lot and