The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-05-10

| apostolic church For Christianity
finds its practical expression in and
Identifies itself with the Catholic
church, that sovereignty spiritual and
perfect society which in the mystic
body Of Jesus Christ, and which has for
visible head the Roman pontiff, the
successor of the Prince of the Apos
ties. She it is who continues the mis-
sion of the Redeemer; she is the daugh-
ter and the heiress of his redemption;
she has propagated the gospel over the
earth and defended it with her blood;
and she, relying on the promise of di-
vine assistance and of Immortality,
never compromising with error, exc
cutes the command to preserve the
doctrine Of Christ intact till the end of
the world. Legitimate teacher as she
is of the moral code of the Cos
pei, she becomes not only the con-
soler and saver of souls. but the
perennial fount of justice and char
ity, as well as the true propagation
and protector of real liberty and of the
only possible equality. Applying the
doctrine of her Divine Founder, she
maintains with careful equilibrium just
limits in all the rights and privileges
of collective society. And the equality
that she proclaims preserves intact the
distinction of the various social classes
evidently required by nature; the lib
erty she brings prevents the anarchy of
reason emancipated from faith and
abandoned to itself. by not hurting the
rights of truth, which are higher than
those of liberty, nor the rights of jus
tice, which are higher than those of
numbers and force, nor the rights of
God. which are higher than those. of
men.
Nor is she less fruitful in good in the
domestic order Not only does she re-
sist the evil arts with which the licen-
tiOuSness of unbelieVers attacks family
life, but she prepares and preserves
conjugal union and stability, and pro-
tects and promotes in it honor, fidelity
and Sanctity. In like manner she up
holds and strengthens civil and polit-
zeal order, on the one hand rendering
efficacious assistance to authority, and
on the other showing herself to be
friend to wise reforms and to the just
aspirations of the governed; imposing
respect and obedience on prices, and
ever defending the imprescribable
rights of the human conscience. Ma
tions obedient to the church will thus,
thanks to her. observe the golden mean
between servitude and despOtism.
ImbUed as we were with the knowl-
from the beginning of our pontificate,
studiously striven to bring into relief
the benefcent aims of the church, and
to give the broadcast possible scope to
her salutary action through the treas
ury of her doctrines. To this end were
directed the principal acts of our pom
tificate, and especially our Encyclicals
on Christian Philosophy. on Human
Liberty, on Christian Matrimony, on
Freemasonry on the Public Powers, on
the Christian Constitution of States, on
Socialism, on the Labor Question, on
the Principal Duties of Christian;
Citizens, and kindred topics. Yet the
most ardent desire of our heart was
not merely to illumine mems minds, but
to stir and purify their hearts, by di-'
recting our efforts to make the Chris
tan virtues flourish again among the
people Hence we have never ceased
to raise mems minds, by exhortation
and counsel. to those blessings which
are not fleeting, seeking to subordinate
the body to the soul, man to God, the
earthly pilgrimage to heavenly life.
Our words, blessed by the Lord, have
contributed to strengthen. the cOnvic-
tons of many, to enlighten them better
in the 9rduous questions of the day, to
stimulate their zeal to promote move
ments of various kinds which have
arisen and continue to arise in ..all
countries, especially on behalf of the
outcast, and which infuse new life into
that Christian charity which finds
it's chosen field among the people. If
the harvest has not been more abund-
ant, venerable Brothers. let us adore
the secret justice of God, and at the
same time take pity on the blindness
of all those to whom unhappily may be
applied the terrible lamentation of the
apostle: In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of un-
believers, that the light of the gospel
of the glory of Christ should not shine
unto them. III Cor, iy, ~
Go be Continued)