The Washington herald., 1911-05-08
UNIVERSAL CHURCH
Is PULPIT THEME
Rev. A. P. Doyle Discusses
Christian Unity.
CENTRAL AUTHORITY NEEDED
No Human Enterprise Possible With
out Guiding Head-Supreme Court
Interprets Constitution without
Tyranny-Papal Authority Infal.
lible Interpreter of the Bible.

Very Rev. A. P. Doyle, rector of tn.
Apostolic Mission House, preached at
the Shrine of the Sacred Heart yeste, :
day on the occasion of the celebration
of the Feast of st. Joseph, patron of the
Universal Church, and he took occasion
to comment on the desire for a universal
church. He spoke as follows:
I'm religion there is nothing more desir-
able than Christian unity. Hard-headed
Americans see in the multiplicity of
churches in the small towns, DUPLICATING
each others efforts. twarting each others $
purposes, and destroying each other s
aims waste of good money and good
men. They say that nothing is more
desirable than union and consolidation
and coordination of churches. Nothins
makes SO much for unified efforts as the
intelligent direction of a central author
ity. Centrifugal forces in the religious
world have prevailed over much. with
the result that the land is bestrewn with
isolated churches. where If some mighty
syndicate could gather them together.
under a certral bureau, eliminate the un-
necessary force, and the internal dis
cord and face them all against Chris
tianity's common foe. the growing infidel-
ity and paganism of the day, then We
could proudly defend our claim to be a
Christian country. But that religious
syndicate must have a Divine authority.
be inerrant in its teaching, and forceful
in its authority.
Unity Is Desirable.
"Ghirstian unity would be a blessed
thing; the blessed Christ himself prayed
earnestly for it. The most noble souls
in the Christian fields have consecrated
their lives to bringing it about; but the
greatest non-Catholic theologian Of the
day said to me once: There is no effec-
tive road to Christian unity. except
through the Old mother church of Chris
tendon; she must open her arms and
take them back There is an attempt
made to secure similarity by eliminating
but there is no unity wheN
there is no head. There is no fold with
out a sheperd; there is no army without
a general: there is no navy without a
no ship without a captain; no
state without a chief magistrate. And
so in the religious world, there can be
no order, harmony, or effectual religious
work without supreme court We
have yet to see the American who speaks
of the political tyranny of the Supreme
Court of the United States. and we have
yet to meet the Catholic who complains
of the spiritual tyranny of Rome.
This country would not be livable
without the Supreme Court to establish
the principles of law and settle conten-
tions between citizens. Everything would
be in a state of fiux: property would
lose its value: law would no longer be
respected. and anarchy would prevail.
And yet why should a state of affairs
be desirable in the religious world that
we would not countenance for a moment
in civil life. Supremacy, infallibility. in
errancy are all one. Each one postulates
the other. There is no more beautiful
religious and consoling reading in all
the world than that of the Holy Bible.
1t Is the supreme master of the lives
Of men, but an infallible Bible is not
a safe guide without aV infallible inter-
prefer The Constitution needs the Su-
preme Court to tell US its meaning. The
Pope never has, nor never can, teach
anything that is against the Bible. The
Bible is his compass to guide men to
heaven; he but interpretsit for the world.
He is the captain of the ship. and the
Bible Is his means of reckoning, and by
i he lays out our course. 1t would be
on board ship If every passenger
would seek to determine the ships place
and to lay out its route. and insist that
mis- way must be followed.