The Irish standard., 1909-04-10

do these two expressions utterly fail to
! convey their intended meaning. but
there are unfortunately still l'eople
who use them deliberately in a con-
tenaptuous sense. Certain it Is they
are resented by Roman Catholics as
offensive and meaningless. That stur-
dy old Anglican, the late DR.. F. G. Lee
thus defines: sRomanist' in his Gloss
ary of Liturgical Terms:
ga vulgar word, used chiefly ty the
uneducated to designate a member of
the ancient and venerable Church of
Rome The Century Dictionary Cy-
clopedia' indicates that these terms
are used in an invidious sense. and
chiefly (solely) by opponents of the
Catholic Church"
Let us now examine little more
closely the meaning Of the adjective
Roman" says the Rev. DR.. Faa Di
Bruno: s
Seeing that it is useless to deprive
us of this mark Of Catholicity. which
throughout all ages distinguishes the
true Church Of God, they endeavor to
weaken the force Of it by qualifying
it and saying: We grant that you are
Catholics. but you are not simply Cath
olics, you are Roman Catholics They
want thus to insinuate that there are
many sorts of Catholics Roman,
Greek, Anglican. Russian, and so forth
and that the word Roman is q speci-
flying term. They thus hope to get a
place in the Church Catholic and to
share with us this luminous mark of
catholicity." ...s s
But the adjective Roman" is not a
mere specifying term, but an smpli-
flying word adding one attribute as q
fuller notion. This will oe made plain
by an illustrations: ,
IF to the expression English Do
ninion one were to add Queens Eng
lish Dominion, the Queens would not
indicate that there are different kinds
OF English nominions,s but would only
express more fully the same thing,
adding notion which is already sup.
posed in the Former expression. Thu.
the word Rpman does not limit thss
= Word .Eatholic, ii Dats' comp1stes Il, dsI:
!, clarins more expressly that which is
already supposed in the word Catho-
lie, namely. that the Catholic Church
has Its center in Rome
The contradiction, therefore, which
some Protestants profess to ses in the
words Roman Catholic Church ex-
lists not in the expression as accepted
by mankind; but only in the mind OF
the Anglican, who regards hirnstlf as
q variety OF the same genus "Catho-
lic.', n,
But Catholics are Roman, not bs-
cause they are residents or citizens Of
Rome, or because they are Italians, but
because Rome is the center and the
Bishop Of Rome is the visible head OF
Catholicity, and no one is entitled to
be called Catholic unless he is In COM
munion with the See Of Rolne.'
Whether, therefore, a Catholic be an
Icelander or Hottentot, an American
or Chinese, an Italian or On Indian,
he is still Roman Catholics follow-
er Of that universal religion which has
its headquarters in Rome. And Just
as in the days Of ancient Rome, but in
better and wider sense, we have es-
tablished among US throughout the
world a, universal nationality OF all
tongues and nations, each member Of
whom may claim the proud distinction
of the Caesars "Civis Romanus Sum- y
I am. a Roman citizen! Abolish Rome
from the pages Of history. and you
abolish Christianity. Rome is alone
the center Of unity. It is the hub Of
the wheel of Catholicity.
English Catholic" again. is but an.
other name for English Roman Cath
olic, that is a self f-contradictton In
terms, signifying as 1t does a nation
atty and yet a universality-a limited
particular, and yet an unlimited gem
eral. insomuch that Catholic means
that the Church has the whole earth
for her mission, but Anglican, that Il
has only q portion. AS matter Of fact
the whole, world decides accordingly.
RI & ~