The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-11-29

SIMPLY ner duluOIIly " ulTeCI anu SON-
ern them as to their morality.
This principle was laid down by
Uncle Jack in the conversation with
his nephew. and to bring it out more
clearly, he quoted from Cardinal Gous-
set, archbishop of Rheims. The selec-
ton from the cardinals paper begun in
our last, is concluded with this INSTALL
ment of the conversation this week)
CONVERSATION TX. (Continued)
After having cited the holy scrip
lures, the assembly adds: We there
fore declare. that kings and sovereigns
are subjected by the order of God to
no ecclesiastical power in things tenn
poral; that they cannot be deposed,
either directly or indirectly, by the au-
thority of the keys of the church, nor
their subjects be absolved from their
oath of allegiance This consequence,
which does not appear to be deduced
from the principles set forth, that is
from the distinction between the two
powers consecrated by scripture, con-
SiStS of two parts. The first is, that
kings and sovereigns are subjected by
the order of God TO no ecclesiastical
authority in things temporal This
proposition taken literally in all it's eX-
tent is false and erroneous. and cannot
be maintained without falling into the
error of the modern innovators, which
reduces the power of the church to acts
purely spiritual and internal; which de-
stroys entirely her authority. A Cath
Ollie can never admit that those who
govern a kingdom or a republic are
subject to no ecclesiastical authority in
temporals.9 In point of fact, the eXer-
else of civil power is itself only a Sc
ries of moral actions, and sovereigns
may commit offense against morality
in those actions which regard the gov
eminent of the state, as well as in their
private actions Now in all these ac-
tions, which for the most part have
for their object temporal things they
are, if Christians, subjected to the
church-not by reason of the relation of
these actions to temporal well-being,
but by reason of the relation to eter-
nal happiness. (Here is the precise
distinction which you ridicule, and
sheer at me for making) What! can
not the church attempt, when she
judges it eXpedient, to arrest by splr-
itual pains the tyrant who Expresses
his people? Who dare make it crime
in St. Ambrose, archbishop of Milan,
that he forbade the Emperor Theodo-
him to public penance for the massacre
of Thessalonica, which he had ordered!
But let us rather acknowledge a defect
in the compilation of the article, than
ascribe to the bishops of the assembly
of 1852 sentiments which they did not
hold. Bossuet who drew up the dec
Iaration. SAYS himself, in the discourse
which he pronounced at the Opening OF
the assembly; all is subjected to the
keys, all, both kings and peoples.
1.-The second part of the CONCLUSION
is, that kings and soverelgns cahllol
he deposed. either directly or Indirect
ly, by the keyes of the churcn, no I
their subjects absolved from their oath
of allegiance We remark here that
the popes nave never pretended to pos
sess as temporals any other than d
spiritual power, and they have used
that spiritual power only in favor ana
on the demand of the people oppressed
nv the tyranny of their sovereign.
Never have they claimed temporal
jurisdiction a(un droit reeD over the
temporarily of kings, which has so
many times been falsely laid to theF
charge. A preteXt for rendering them
odious was desired, and this was
chosen. There is no argument, says
Fenelon. by which critics have melted
a more violent hatred against the au-
thority of the apostolic see, than those
which they draw from the bull Imam
Sanctum of Boniface VIII. They al
lege that this pope has defined in that
bull, that the sovereign pontlft In ms
quality of universal monarch may give
or take away the kingdoms of the
earth at his WILL But Boniface him
self. against whom this accusation Is
brought on account of his difficulties
with Philip the Fair, justlhes hlmselI
in a discourse before the conslstory'
and says: These forty years we nave
been versed in the laws, and have
known that there exists two powers Or
dained of God Who then can believe
that such folly, such madness, ever
entered our head? The cardinals also,
in a letter written from Anagni to the
dukes. counts and nobility OF France.
Justify the pope in these words: We
wish YOU to hold for certain that the
sovereign pontiff, our lord, has never
written to the said king that he must
be subjected to him in the temporal Of
mis- kingdom, or that he holds his king
1om from him.
"Gerson certainly cannot be ac-
,used of exaggerating the rights of the
Oapal power; yet he has expressed him
self in the same sense. Here are his
IL
and princes hold their land and heri-
age from the church, in such sense
hat the pope has over them civil
md judicial jurisdiction, as some false
V accuse Boniface VIII of having
meant. However, all men, princes and
others. are subjected to the pope in so
ar as they abuse their jurisdiction, or
Use their temperatures and their sover-
eighty against the divine and natural
aw, and this superior power of the
pope may be called directive and or
linative, rather than civil and judicial
-et potest superioritas lila nominari
1otestas directiva ct ordinativa potius
luam evils ct juridica,'
Indeed, as Fene:on again says:
1t was a received principle among
Catholic nations, and profoundly en-
,raved in their hearts, that the SUI
1reme power could be confded only to
/ Catholic, and that it was a law, or
condition of the (tacit) compact be-
.ween the people and their prince, that
hey were bound to obey him only in
as he should obey himself the
Catholic religion In virtue of this law,
Ill thought that the nation was alb
solved from its oath of fidelity, when
n contempt of this fact the prince
.urned against religion Yet, lest they
night be misled by an illusion, and
besides, to avoid the horrors
If civil war, they required to the pope
the legitimate interpreter Of the oath.
which is a religious act, and of all
)acts considered in their relations to
and conscience. Thus, adds
he immortal archbishop of Cambray,
the church does not deprive or insti-
ute lay princes; she simply responds to
he people who consults her on mat
er which by reason of the oath and the
compact touches conscience adducing
the example of the first
general council of Lyons, in regard to
hese words of Innocent w, who de-
dared the Emperor Frederick II had
the ernDire- 'sXVn dec1ara tho