Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-06
DISCUSSES
MODERNISM
BISHOP coNATY TALKS ON LATE
PAPAL CIRCULAR
EXPRESSES IDEAS ON POTENT
DOCUMENT
Prelate Gives utterances Regarding
Methods Tending to Destroy the
Sacraments Upheld by the
Catholic Church

"Modernism" was the topic of Bishop
| Conatv Yesterday morning in his course
of Lenten sermons at the Cathedrai OF
| ST. Vibiana. The bishop dwelt upon the
subject in his usual clear ana eloquent
manner and said In part
"rhis important papal document calls
the attention of the people TO certain
dangers that menace our faith. Ahs
message from the Holy Father must
| excite our interest and call for our
filial obedience. Error often appears III
most attractive dress ana spreaus
havoc among the people. A.,
"Faith is Gods best gift to us ana the
loss of 1t is the greatest evil that can
come to us. Anything that protec.s
orr faith. enlightens and beautlnes IT.
| is a. blessing. The holy father py Vlr-
tue of his office as supreme pastor ol
the church, has guardianship over tne
sacred deposit of faith, and from tn's
vantage ground he sees more clearly
The great field of life, notices the cross
currents which tend to produce the
storm and with the tenderness OF
father watches over his children ana
warns them of impending evil.
1.-The encyclical on modernism is
message to the world, clearly showing
us the evil tendency of this movement
cal,ad modernism. 1t is we'll for us TO
remember that this modernism is not
to he confused with modern progress or
science nor with intellectual develop
ment. nor scientific, historical or piph-
cal research. -,
modernism, as treated in the ency-
clical is simply the crystaiizing OF tne
thought and writings of certain class
of scholars. especially in the church
who have grouped together certain
theories which affect the truths OF
revelation and the accepted doctrines
of the church.
All Love the Church
"-rhis class of men, composed largely
of Catholics, some of them eminent IN
learning. some of them priests prom
inent as teachers, were all loud IN pro-
| fession of their love for the churcn'
their desire to reform certain mcthoos
| of instruction and to accomihoadte
| church doctrine TO the theories or un-
christian higher criticism and, in gem
oral to advanced unchristian scholar
| shin. This led to a minimizing of the
| truth an emasculating of the old line OF
| belief of the church, with the result
! that i'm final analysis 1t would destroy
all that the church stood for.
TT is not easy for the people 10
understand the theories OF this SO
| called school of modernists because
thew deal with the very difficult ques-
| tions of philosophical, theological ana
scientific thought. The people can best
understand the evil principles of the
| school in their results, and those are
| of a character to make one shuduer
when considering their effects upon
| faith.
"Their theories have rather a popular
side because they appeal to the
scholarly instincts which would seem
| to have their sole purpose In seeking
a fter the truth. Hence In the minds
| of many people modernism has been
| looked upon as synonymous WIN
modern progress and with learning,
while in truth there is very little IN u
! that is modern, for it's group OF theories
are largely a series of revamped errors
| aeainst received Christian doctrine.
True progress is in companionship win
truth. The Catholic reformation pro-
nosed by modernism strives to recon :
ci1e Catholicity with pure rationalism
by eliminating revelation as beyond
the domain of reason, to reconcile faitn
with science by the practical destruc-
tion of faith.
"Our Catholic faith builds itself on
belief in God and his revelation on
Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son OF Coo,
our Redeemer, who established YisiDle
church, a sacramental system, ana
commissioned the church to teach his
posneI. to administer his sacraments
and to exercise his authority in all
matters relating to salvation. THESE
arc all essential and foundation facts
of our belief and as such they are
known and believed by us in the full-
ness of an absolute reality.