The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-23

and that is about how the American
/ Roman Catholics regard him. AS for
/ the old claims that kings and govern
| ments receive their authority from the
Pope and that he has a right to absoive
/ the people of a nation from allegiance
| to their governments we Americans
| don't believe it, And yet that Popes
have such powers, is claimed and has
been set forth for Roman Catholics to
/ believe, in papal bulls which must be
accepted by you on peril of your soul.
| The trend in America is all one way
and it makes for ultimate unity. In
| France the church of Bossuet and of
Fenelon will come out of it's troubles
! TO the position for which they strove
so bravely. In Spain the hold of Rome
is loosening. In Italy there is spirit
among the young men which finds ex-
preston in q book lately published
written by devout Roman Catholic.
Those who desire to know about it can
read THE Saint" by Fogazzaro, which
commend to every thinking Roman
Catholic. 1t is true that this book has
been placed upon the Index and so
Roman Catholics are prohibited from
reading it. But they are reading 1t by
Index jars upon a mind imbued with
American principles. which believes
that truth and freedom go hand in
hand
Archbishop Ireland, whom last saw
at a reception given at the house OF
James Hill, the railroad magnate. In
st. Paul, Mimi, he on one side OF the
hostess and our Bishop Whipple on the
other, recently said of France that the
clergy were constantly plotting to over
turn the republic. "Monarchial ideas
and plottings have done dreadful In
jury to the church in France" He
also said that if good Catholics were
in the 4scendancy today, they would
believe it their duty to make every one
go to mass. He was educated In
France and SO ought to know. When
we consider the contents of such bull
as Imam Sanctam" in which the tenn
poral power of the Pope is set forth.
and see from 1t that all kings and gov
ernments are by his permission and
at his beck, and that any one who
doubts this cannot be saved; and when
we consider the decree set forth in
1870 by the Pope that 1.-The church has
the right Of employing external coer-
cion, she has direct and indirect tenn
poral power, etc." then we begin to be
very thankful that you and your
friends are not in the ascendancy.
Why! If you were in the ascendant We
might expect laws to be passed so that
the Rev. Serene Bishop and myself
would have to attend mass or -?
Well, we will not guess what the con-
sequences would be If we refused.
L almost feel inclined to ask you as
really believe in this power of the
Pope? but it is scarcely fair question
to ask, and it would take a great deal
of evasive argument to explain IL away
to any free mind. ! am satisfied that
your heart is such, that If there were
such laws, you would manage to twist
them somehow so as to be lenient with
DIR. Bishop and myself.
But If such laws were in force and
if for our salvation ii should be deem
ed necessary to proceed to extremities,
I feel perfectly that DR.. Bishop would
make good martyr whatever doubts
there might be of myself.
But seriously, my dear sir, we have
all done little prosecuting in our day
Roman, Churchman and Puritan-but
we have ali broader vision, but the
trouble is with you the doctrine re-
mains. 1t might, with power, be put
into practice again.
confess that / have been sorely
tempted to go off from history as to
the papacy itself, to show the absurdity
of the doctrine of infallibility as made
known by the action Of the Popes In
the doctrines set forth ex cathedra at
one time and later by general consent
laid aside, but / have refrained. 1
have refrained also from writing or
certain things existing today, known
to me personally some of them, ana
others reported with great sorrow by
devout Roman Catholics themselves.
and for which the Pope as 1.-The head
mantle President as you called
him. must be held responsible, for he
knows of conditions as Roman Catholic
bishops have admitted to me.
If this were only religious question
then it would be more personal mat
ter, but the question is large one
and has to do with liberty, truth and
progress as well as with doctrine. We
are all coming to a broader vision, but
I do not hold with the Advertiser,
which in certain articles seems to In
fer that to be tolerant a man must
have a loose hold on truth as he per-
ceiyes it. When the day comes in
which men are Indifferent to truth as
they see 1t, and are not willing TO
stand up for 1t and defend 1t. then the
people VIII be in danger of losing their
rights and their liberties both political
and religious.
The tolerant man has decided opin-
ions. he always keeps in view the
spreading of those opinions. but he al
WAYS endeayors to do so by producing
conviction. AS you have written for
others and not for me, so have / writ
ten that those of open and independent
minds may be led to seek and to know
that which history SO plainly tells OF
the origin and growth of papal power.
Faithfully yours,
ID pL,CT I(rK