The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-25
FATHER JAS. G. BEISSEL
ON THE INQUISITlON

sists in this that they believe our
Blessed Lord has made His revelation
sufficiently clear for all men TO reeog-
nize it and embrace it. IL they Will
Still. no Catholic is allowed TO coeree
or influence those who refuse TO recog-
nize il. While the intolerance of Pro
testants consists in this that they be-
Iieye every one must be left 10 his
private judgment in ascertaining the
true religion. But as history proves,
they prosecute those who. making use
of their freedom and private judgment,
seek 10 become Catholics. This Is
literal fulfiluent of the Sayiour's pre-
diction when He said, And a man
enemies shall be they of his own house
hold" (Math. X, 56.)
Here the reader may consult with
profit christian Apologetics" eNoi. IL,
o. 55s) The intolerance of the Church
The following remarks from Guggen-
berger's General History of the Chris
tian Era (Vol. II. p 300 VIII clear
up still more the question at issue.
(a) The Church always recognized
the distinction between the baptized
and the unbaptized. The former be-
coming rebels by apostasy do not
cease TO be her subjects, and may De
lawfully coerced and punished the
latter not being her subjects can not
be forced to accept the faith. or pun
ished for rejecting IL
OBJ In the case of Christians guilty
of heresy, the Church is bound, first,
to admonish and warn them in all
charity and patience, to impose penal
ties calculated to change their minds.
ana finally, all other means failing, to
excomuaunicate them.
(ca The Church always considered
heresy in a Catholic State as an ofense
not only against faith. but also against
civil society equivalent to high treason,
as a felonious attack upon the highest
good of the commonwealth. the unity
of faith, and therefore punishable by
the civil authority on its own account
For what is done against the divine
religion is an injury done to all. ana
II is a far more grievous crime TO Of
fend the divine than the human Males
ty In the middle age, the golden era
of Christianity, every person who pup
Iicly erred in doctrine and thus became
an obstacle to salvation. both to him
self and TO others, was regarded as an
enemy to civil society, to be punished
accordingly.
Ia While the Church declared it
lawful for the State in the above sup
positions. to punish obstinate hererirs,
as disturbers Of both religious and POL
itical unity and peace, she never de-
clared 1t necessary or always expedient
to do SO. The right OF Furnishing OF re-
pressing heresy becomes a duty only
when severe measures are deemed in
dispensable for the protection of the
faithful and the preservation OF hu-
man society.
B. On the Part Of the State
When it comes TO judging of the le-
gitimacy OF an institution, we must go
back to the times during which it was
established All historical students
know that at the time of the inquisi-
ton European society was profoundly
Christian: people were as convinced OF
the truth of Catholic dogma as in our
day in modern society they are con-
WINGED of the truths of the principles
of natural law; they thought with good
reason that revolt against God was no
less culpahle than revolt against the
King.
Rulers and people, moreover, consid-
cred the preservation of the Catholic
religion, in their eyes the only true and
divine religion, as a social good Of far
greater Importance than all worldly
possessions. The legislation Of all the
countries of Europe was founded upon
the close alliance Of Church and State. \
Consequently every 6isobedience to the
laws of religion became amenable to
the civil law as soon as the tTangTes-
sions became manifest by external
acts.
In such a condition of things moth
ing could be more natural than the es-
tabiishment Of tribunals, whose pur-
pose it was tc, ascertain by honest and
legal means exterior violations Of the
religious law, TO distinguish obstinate
heretics from those who only yielded
to temporary error, 10 punish the really
guilty and proclaim the innocence OF
the others. These tribunals were as
legitimate as in our day are the courts
called upon 10 judge crimes against
the State or against the person, the
or the fortune of its sub
jects.. We say exterior violations, for
IT IS clear that the interior secret Of
conscience Is accessible to God alone;
human law can not make
prescriptions for interior acts, nor pun
ish violations which are not outwardly
produced Hence the principle of
Id4i0i AA@ EIEiSS2a mon
internis.'
II Is because they were imoued
with these truths that Theodosius the
Great. Justinian. ChaFlemagne, Othc
the Great. Louis XII, all the rulers and
all civilized nations did not think that
To punish heresy and apostasy was TO
do violence to conscience
In a society constituted according to
the principles, which we have just set
forth and in presence of Legislative
enacted accordingly, no one
can reasonably deny that the Church
acted with wisdom, by establishing
conformity with the temporal power, TO
which II left the task Of infficting the
merited punishment, 2 tribunal 60 as
certain with greater certainty and
guarantee Of justice the real culprfrs.
and to take cognizance Of ofe1ses
rightly considered as most detrimental
both TO social order and religious faith /
II there are men who find IL difficult
70 admit this conclusion. II is because
we live in an atmosphere which is sat
uratad with errors To favor the spread
0f evil. and for their own security, the
enemies Of religion constantly repre-
N&