The Irish standard., 1908-06-13

to be we'll enough known. Lately we
hear nothing from q certain section
Of the Protestant press but criticisms
ef the Huay See. The reader gets the
Impression that Rome is too ready to
ooAden1n, that 1t is unreasonable and
uncharitable In its prohibitions and
eondemnstlons. The truth is there
is no tribunal in the world which can
compare in tolerance, patience and
charity with that of the Holy See
This patience, this slowness to con-
dsmn. have been frequently COM
mented on and even criticised. That
Rome Is slow and sure has become q
proverb. In our day this character
istic has bsen well illustrated, for in
stance, in the case Of the Abbe Loisy.
1t is now several years since this un'-
fortunate priest was first warned by
his own immediate superiors; it is
more than two years since Rome eau
toned him, and finally our Holy Fa-
ther, forced by the magnitude of the
scandal given, has bsen compelled to
excommunicate him. The poor man,
blinded by some passion, we know not
what, has been laboring for years in
virtual agreement with the Rational
lists of Germany to subvert the very
foundation Of Christianity, namely,
the Divinity Of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. The Good Shepherd.
therefore, whose divinely conferred
Office it is to lead his flock into whole
some pastures, has come to the as
sistance of this flock none too soon
Rome Never Hasty,
Remember. Rome never acts hast
lily. The world at large has no idea
Of the pain it gives the Holy Father to
discipline one Of his children, nor to
what lengths he will go and the pa
tience he will exercise to correct the
erring, or recover the straying, sheep.
but when this patience will have been
exhausted in vain, our Holy Father
will then be obliged to follow the ex-
ample Of st. Paul and with the
power Of our Lord Jesus Christ to
deliver such one to Satan {.
that the spirit may be saved in the
day Of our Lord Jesus Christ" May
Plus X experience the joy st. Paul
enjoyed in pardoning the exoommuni-
Gated but repentant Corinthian.
sooisties Which Have chapIains.
There is second important truth
worthy Of our consideration. it seems
to us, before we attempt to answer in
detail our correspondents questions.
Many secret societies have chaplains
appointed by the members, and a
ritual which regulates various re-
ligious services. 1t may be useful to
recall here the legislation Of the last
Council of Baltimore concerning such
matters 1t says: 'If any society
arrogates to itself the right to appoint
priest or any minister of worship
(ohaplains, prelates) and uses a ritual
and religious services according to its
own will. the members of such a So
clety incur the censure against
schismatics and heretics." Here is a
new question altogether. Forbidding
societies because they are secret is
one thing, but forbidding them because
they are schismatic and heretcal is of
course an entirely different question.
Yet, strange to say. certain societies
insist on electing their own chaplains
and celebrating ritual. The Catholic
members who do all this would. of
course. recoil with horror from such
a position if they suspected that they
were adopting Protestant principles
and following Protestant practice.
What is the underlying and distinctive
principle that separates, not only
Professionalism but the heresies of all
ages, from the Church. This: The
substituting of the authority of the in
dtvidual or some number of individu-
ais for the authority of the Church.
Revelation has been committed to the
Church; she is its only authorized
teacher, she alone has power to legis-
late in this wide domain; she alone
may appoint rituals, and these official
rituals alone may be used in her
churches and burying grounds. She
alone has the right TO ordain and au-
@thorize priests to exercise their func-
tlons Professionalism teaches that the
people select the minister and en-
power him and may discharge him at
their sweet will. Selecting or elect
ing a chaplain, therefore, is In prin-
ciple Protestant Preparing or using
ritual for religious services is Prot
estant. Therefore, the Council of
Baltimore echoing the teachings of the
Church says that societies which se-
.lect a chaplain and appoint a ritual