The Irish standard., 1905-12-16
MERlTED PUNISHMENT.

SOllSIuGEdUl6 has Uecll OC.
casioned by the recent action of Bish-
op Scannell, of Nebraska, in eXcom-
municating certain society ladies of
Omaha who attended the wedding of
Congressman Kennedy and Miss
,Pritchett. Congressman Kennedy has
a divorced wife living. Prior to this
marriage ceremony wide publication
was given throughout the diocese OF =
letter of the Bishop forbidding Cath
olics to attend as guests or otherwise
at the marriage Of any divorced per-
son whose divorced husband or wife
what has always been Catholic
doctrine upon this subject and was
couched in explicit and unambjguous
terms notwithstanding this letter a
young lady by the name Of Mae Ham
ilton, who happens to possess a million
dollars or more and who calls herself
Il Catholic, attended the wedding as one
of the brides maids. Mrs. Edward
Cudahy, the Wife of the millionaire
packer also attended as a guest. Both
women We're promptly eXcommuni-
Gated. There ought not to be any
ground for complaint because of this
action. The Church has always MAIN
tanned the power to control its own
membership and enforce the DEGREES
of its officers. The offense punished
while perhaps no greater sin than
many others, shows a fragrant and pub
lie disregard of the authority of the
Church. 1t was action calculated to
bring scandal upon religion and the
Church. Accommodation is the
most severe penalty which the Church
inflicts. 1t means that members ex-
communicated are cut off from menu
bership of the Church and from the
sacraments.
The action Of Bishop Scannell ought
the wealthy that they have no special
privileges in religion. They should
know once for all that Catholic Bish-
ops and Priests do not preach or act to
please pew-holders 1t is time also
that Catholics and nom Catholics should
understand the position of the Church
upon the growing evil of divorce.
Neither of the parties to the wedding
referred to were members of the Cath
Ollie Church. Congressman Kennedy is
a Presbyterian and the young woman
an EpiscOpalian. The former wife of
the Congressman is Christian Scien-
fist. The rule of the Catholic Church
upon the question of marriage Is that
it recognizes as valid, not only mar
riages by the Church between dts own
members, but marriages performed by
nom Catholics outside of the Church.
The Church has no control over the
civil laws which allow divorces and
which provide for separation and a
division of property. 1t recognizes the
dCls VI lue civil CouilS as UiIlulIlS III
so far as they relate to the property of
the parties and to their status before
the law. but it recognizes the bond of
marriage as still in force. to be sew
cred only by the death of one or the
other of the parties. 1t, therefore,
forbids the marriage of either party
during the lifetime OF the other. and it
forbids Catholics to in any way recog-
nize or participate in such marriages.
The action of the two society ladies
of Omaha in openly defying the orders
of the Bishop of the diocese and in a
public manner violating the laws of
the Church is in marked contrast to
what is said to have been the action
of Mrs. Charles NJ. Schwab. who is a
Catholic, in her treatment of Corey.
the head of the United States Steel
Trust. who is about to divorce his
wife in order to marry another. The
latter lady has forbidden Corey to
again visit her house and refuses to
participate IN any social function where
he is present. Mrs. Schwab evidently
does not assume that her wealth gives
her the privilege of violating Cath
Ollie law in reference to DIVORCE The
society ladies Of Omaha who have