The Irish standard., 1902-04-19
cA1Hol1c11Y IN PORTO RICO.

eAe NAelHouiSl missionary Board, re-
Gently spoke of visit to Porto Rico.
and said that the natives of the island
were in a lamentable religious condi-
ton because of the apathy and neglect
of the Spanish priests who had come
there ''like politicians and Adventures
to fill their pockets" He accused them
Of revealing the secrets of the confess
sional and of frequenting wine shops
and cock fights. and said the majority
of them were immoral. "The people
are flocking to our churches" said
DIR. Carroll, 'and why? Because they
have deep-rooted idea that the Roman
Catholic religion is not consistent with
American citizenship That idea OBJ
tains widely and shows what the
chance is for Methodism."
OF course, the simple minded Meth
odists believed every word uttered by
DIR. Carroll. and subscribed literally to
save the Porto Ricans from Romish
idolatry and superstition. What DR..
Carroll said was false and defamatory,
but that made no difference with the
pious followers of John Wesley. They
think there is rich harvest for Meth
odism in the island, and in their zeal
for Romish souls they will spend their
last cent to bring them into camp.
But what DR. Carroll told the mission
airy board has been contradicted by n
writer in the New York Sun, who
says:
l live on the island, have important
interests there, speak the language
and have an intimate acquaintance
with many of the clergy, including the
most worthy Bishop ian American gen.
tleman Of the highest character, piety
and scholarship, and know exactly
whereof I speak. The first statement
Is untrue from beginning to end, for
the people are not Sin state of revolt
against the Catholic Church and are
not staying away from the churches"
A visit any morning in the week, Sun
days or holidays, to any church on the
island will convince even the most
prejudiced observer to the contrary.
The great mass Of the people are de-
voted to the church of their fathers.
and no amount of proselytizing, even
though supplemented with the usual
missionary brides, will ever ALLEVIATE
the Porto Rican from the Church.
A visit to the Methodist Episcopal
Church of the Holy Trinity in San
Juan and a glance over its congrega-
ton will show the class of islanders to
be attracted by an American Protes-
tant mission-the negroes and n few
poems, perhaps. The missionaries may
succeed in taking the faith from n few
of the lowest classes. but nothing more.
One would think the results from their
italian, Spanish, Mexican and South
American missions might have con-
WINGED them by this time of the utter
utility of trying to convert the Latin
races from the Catholic Church. A
small percentage only of the priests are
Spanish. Some of the most prominent
clergy of the diocese are of Porto Rican
birth, men like the Very Rev. Archdea-
con Hernandez and Canon Colon, of
San Juan, pious. learned and hard
working clergymen whose lives are a
splendid example of the true priestly
character, and only one utterly igno-
rant Of the conditions would talk about
their filling their pockets"
deny most emphatically that there
has ever been any "abuse of the con-
fessiona" either in Porto Rico or any
other part of the world in which
the Catholic Church exists, and
ask the Reverend Doctor to give
one authentic case to me and 1
will assure him that that priest will
not hold his faculties one hour after it
Is known to his Bishop. A statement
like his next was made before one who
repeated it to Mgr. Blenk, Bishop of
Porto Rico, "that the majority of these
Spanish priests were immoral" and
the Bishop then and there offered that
person good sum Of money for every
proof he could bring of one immoral
act In any of his priests. He was most