The Irish standard., 1907-12-14
The "Motu Proprio,' Like Other Documents,
is Clear to All and Hardly Needs
Explanation.
Plus KS Determination to Wage War and
Combat Modernism at Any Cost
is Plainly Set Forth.

Tho following translation from the
Latin original of an important docu-
ment recently issued by Pope Plus Y.
appeared in the New York sun of last
Sunday:
Motu Propro of Our Most Holy Lord
Fius n, by Divine Providence Pope,
on the decisions Of the pontittcal ron,-
mission on the Bible and on tho ecu
sures and penalties against those who
neglect TO observe the prescriptions
against the errors of the modcrnists:
In his cncycIical letter "Providentis-
sinus Deus" given on November ls,
1893 our predecessor, Leo XIII. of inn
dignity Of Sacred Scripture and com
mendiny the study of il, set forth the
laws which govern the proper study
OF tho Holy Bible; and having pro
claimed the divinity or these Rocks
against the errors and calumncs of
the|iratjon&lists he at tho same time
ueleIlueu tl8A1 against me l5lSc l'hcIl-
ings Of What is known as tho higher
! criticism. which as the Pomtin most
wisely wrote are clearly nothing but
commentaries of rationaiS,n derived
from the misuse Of pIllology and kin
dred studies: Our predecessor, too,
seeing that The danger was constantly
on the increase and wishing to pre-
vent the propagation of rash and err
roneous views. by his apostolic letters
"Vigilantine st,Iliinuc m"n,"res,' given
on. October 30, 1902, established q ,,ol,-
| tifical council or commission on Ribl-
cal matters. composed of several Car
dinals OF Holy Roman Church tlistin-
guished for their learning alld wisdom
to which commission were added as
consultors Il number Of men in sacred
orders chosen from amo,1g the learned
in theology and in the Holy Bible, Of
various nationalities and differing IN
cxegetical studies. In so doing tho
Pontiff had in mind as an advantage
most adapted for the promotion Of
study and for the time in which we
live that in this commission there
should be the fullest freedom for pro-
posing, examining and Judging all
opinions whatsoever, and that tho Car
dinals of the commission We're not TO
reach any definite decision. as pre-
before they had examined the areu-
ments in favor and against the nues-
tion to be decided, omitting nothing
which might serve to show in the clear
est light the true and genuine state of
the Biblical questions under discus
sion. Only after all this had been
done were the decisions reached To be
submitted for the approval Of the ST.
preme Pontiff and then promulgated.
After mature examination and the
most diligent deliberations the pontitl-
cal Biblical commission has happily
, i'll Y
kind for the proper promotion and dj-
rections on safe lines of Biblical stud
ies But We observe that some per-
sons, unduly prone to opinions and
methods tainted by pernlcious novel
ties and excessively devoted to the
principle of false liberty, which is
really immoderate license and in sacred
studies proves itself to J,e most in
sidious and a fruitful source Of the
worst evils against the purity Of the
faith. have not received and do not
receive these decisions with the proper
obedience.
Wherefore We find It necessary to de-
clare and to expressly prescribe and
by this our act we do declare and de-
cree that all are bound in conscience
to submit to the decisions Of the Bib
lical commission relating to doctrine,
which have been given in the past and
which shall be given in the future, in
the same way as to the decrces of the