Omaha daily bee., 1907-07-07
LETTER TO POPE Plus
Five Unknown Priests Address
Answer to Papal Allocution.
INCIsIvE WORDS SENT TO ROME
Manifesto of Liberal Catholicism to
Head of Church.
WOULD NOT BAR OUT SCIENCE
This, with Democracy, Regarded as
Living Forces of Day.
CRITICIsE ATTITUDE OF LEADER
Ends with Note of Passionate Indict-
ment of Methods Adopted
to Suppress the New
Apologies.
This, with Democracy, Regarded Al
Living Forces of Day.
CRITICIsE ATTITUDE OF LEADEF

ROME. July s.-CspeciaL)--A remarkable
document has just appeared here in the
form of an open letter" addressed to Plus
x by a group of priests. The letter which
is written in Italian is not signed, but FIVE
blank spaces at the end indicate the num-
ber OF authors II 10 a direct reply to the
papaI allocution delivered by Plus x when
comforting the cardinals hat on those re-
Gently promoted to the purple. On that
occasion the pope called upon the bishops
to cooperate with him In driving out those
who were ''sowers of tares, apostles OF
monstrous heresies and rebels who dreamed
of the renewal of dogma by return OF the
church and OF theology" The writer's OF
the open letter felt themselves aimed at
in this call to arms and have not hesitated
to reply with incisive viEor which is re-
garded as unusual to say the least in
members Of the church to it's spiritual
head.
However. they begin by reminding the
pope Of the burden Of his first encyolical.
in which he invited the cooperation Of all
men OF good win in the Christian restora-
tlon of society. II is because believing In
the sincerity and the clear intelligence OF
that call they set themselves to employ the
only means which could give II efDeot, that
them by the. authority they thought they
were obeying.
Program Was Noble One.
your program, Holy Father. of restor-
ing all things in Christ was a noble one.
But remember that pious wishes and
the holiest intentions are not enough to
give effect to it. and that the way that
you have chosen leads in an opposite di-
rection. You have evinced as It were q
horror of science and democracy which we
had aimed at leading back into the church.
You have closed the gates against them.
yet science ana democracy are the liv-
ing forces of the time. They are the forces
which the church must understand and
not onsv conciliste but inspire II she would
fulnf her mission. And It is because she
y has not tried to understand them that she
is losing her hold lDon the people, Not
only have men withdrawn from the church.
o but she herself has oome to be regarded
as an obscurantist parasite and the gospel
and Christianity to be treated al express
sions OF a civilization which Is obsolete be-
cause Il Is unable to respond to the ideals
OF liberty. Justice and knowledge which are
stirring the masses. This feeling has
filtered down from the university to the
workshop. from tho great city population
to the Inhabitants OF the country districts.
And even for the minority which has ie-
manned faithful to the church Christianity
Is rather the mere cold observance OF ira
ditional formulas and preoepts than tho
directing force OF their life.
Some are already announcing the death
OF Christinanity. Others are bemoaning its
miserable condition. The writer's are not
OF their number. They believe that Chris
tianity h passing through one OF those
crises which an organism has sometimes to
endure. in which II purihes itself Of ele-
ments heterogeneous and hostile to nature
and from which It emerges to q more vigor-
Gus life. 1t was In this belief that In
response to the call of the pope they had
set themselves to the work of renewal.
But such task was not lightly TO be
undertaken. There was necessary for It's
accomplishment frank recognition OF the
causes Of the crisis II viii not DO to adopt
tho usual clerical explanation that the
masses reject religion because Of the duties
character OF its moral code. or even be-
cause OF the intellectual dif1culty OF ao-
cepting its dogmas
Reasons Fundamental.
''rhe real reasons are more fundamental.
They are that the church has adopted an
attitude towards democracy and science
which has made her Justly suspected by
beth these forces. In France the church
has obstinately allied itself with the re-
nains Of monarehiei and artistocratic priv
ilese IN order to hamper. and n possible. to
eserthrow the republic. In Italy It con-
sdstently resisted the aspirations Of the
people towards national unity, and since
their fulhilmsnt has withdrawn into a self
eentered silence and inaction. II II Is to
eonciliate and inspire the democracy II
must bring itself into sline with its ideals.
II must not only abAndon It's alliance with
the shranken remains OF privilege among
democratic peoples. but also transform and
purify the form OF its own government so
tenaciously monarchal and absolute. aban-
don ar alleviate it's ancient ooercive meth
DDS, restore a measure OF provincial Ru-
tonomy among its bishops. recognise more
freely the religious action OF the laity. and
secure more equitable tests IN the selection
OF ns central executive body while pro-
viding for a fuller representation OF for
eign nations upon that body.
"As for science the church has altogether
failed TO appreciate the revolution whhch
has been wrought in our conception. both
OF the nature OF truth and Of the methods
necessary 70 its establishment The pro-
gress OF the positive and experimental
sciences has demonstrated the insumoiency
OF every metaphysical explanation OF the
universe The historical and psychological
msthods OF establishing truth. partial as
they are and must be. have superseded
elaborate and logically consistent dedue-
tions from a reality antecedently given IN
certain metaphysical abstractions."
Manifesto Of Liberals.
This letter remarkable IN many respects.
Is evidently Intended Aa the manifssto OF
liberal Catholicism. and ends ON nots Of
passionate indictment Of tha methods
adopted to suppress the new apoiog0tic.
Il says; To-day Il is considered q crime
20 utter a word % disapproval either OF
the conduct OF eocls siastioal government or
the unworthy meth,Nds Of those who rep
reV VI Yet msAawhile reviews ana
ioo --~fs which hreaaho an ths fAnatloai
splTit of Islam are allowed 10 bastou