The Jersey City news., 1903-01-23
MIXED MARRIAGES
Father Burke's Lecture in
st. Joseph's Sets Forth
the Catholic Church's
Position.
ANSWERS MANY QUESTIONS
Protestants Who Try to Serve
God According to Their
Lights Have a Chance
of Salvation.

The interest in the. lectures and qies-
tions at st. Joseph's Church still grows.
Last night many books were distributed
to non-Catholics. and tonight others will
be given to those who did NOT yet obtain
them.
Many questions of Importance were
asked, and were. answered by the Pew.
Thomas f. Burke Among these the
first was:--
why is the Catholic Church antagon-
istic to Freemasonry and kindred secret
societies; and is her discipline in this mat
ter uniform as to rich and poor?"
| will answer the last part first and
Say that lrer discipline is uniform in re-
gard to rich and poor.
The Church is opposed to Freemasonfy
and kindred secret societies for a number
of reasons.
The first reason for their condemna-
ton is the fact that in many lands, Free
masonry is openly opposed to the Church,
and that in many places also Freema-
sonry denies Jesus Christ and that it
does not profess faith in Jesus Christ In
some places, after a certain number of
degrees, ! believe that a Free Mason
must acknowledge Christ, but in many
lands, it is not so. Because of its oppo-
sition to the Church. therefore, is one
reason of its condemnation.
Again, in Freemasonry, here is, as far
as we can see, a religion of itself: there
is cult and a worship, and this being
different from that of the Catholic
Church, she can do nothing else but con-
denim it.
Again, the Church holds that there is
no power on earth that has the right to
bind man under oath except the State
or the Church, and men who become Free
Masons are bound under oath. For these
reasons the Church is antagonistic to
FreeTnasoury.
Must ! renounce Freemasonry in
order to become Catholic?'
You must--nobody can be a Freema-
son and Catholic at the same time.
Another question was
You believe the Lord to be all 1ner-
ciful. Why do you say there is no sal
vation for Protestant ??
PRoTESTANTS' SALVATION.
4 I'VE do not say it, said Father
Burke, NOR does the Catholic Church
say it, The Catholic teaching about the
responsibility and future state of Pro-
testants is simple. In the first place
we believe that Christ established a.
church and commanded all to belong to
it. We believe that this church is the
Roman Catholic Church, and that it is
Gods wish that every man should enter.
1--WE believe that man who knows
and agrees that the Catholic Church is
the true church and still refuses to be-
long to it, imperils his soul The reason
is plain, Here is one who knows that
God has commanded him to do certain
act and who still refuses to do that act,
namely, to enter the church. He know
ingly and wilfully breaks what he con-
ceiyes to be Gods law and therefore
must take the consequences.
AS long as Protestants are convinced
OF their own belief and live up to their
laws and regula tions, and try to serve
God according to their lights, and will
ingly search for the TRUTH they have the
chance of entrance into eternal life. This
does not refer to those that are indiffer-
ent but to those that earnest in their
efforts to discover the truth. This is the
first duty of man,
Another asked: s.Why is a man de-
barred from position on account of his
religion?" The answer was. To debar a
man from a position simply ON account of
his religious belief is unjust, unfair and
un-American
Many questions on marriage were
asked. Among them the following
Can a priest marry a Catholic and
non-Cathalic without any agreement be-
ing signed?"
rs the marriage Of Catholic and
non-Catholic considered unlawful or as
no marriage at all?"
IF it is wrong for first cousins to
marry, will the payment of certain
amount of money for a dispensation
make the wrong right?'
rs a Catholic married to an unbap-
tised Protestant married in the eyes of
the church "
is a divorced Catholic allowed to
marry and still remain in the Catholic
Church husband or wife still living?' i
In general answer to all these.
Father Burke said
MIXED MARRIAGES.
In answer to these questions, we will