The Irish standard., 1911-07-15
Minister Declares Catholic People of
South America Are Immoral
and Apologies.
Uses Document Which Was Only Re-
Gently Exposed to Strengthen
his Argument.
Catholic Truth Society the Means of
Bringing the Offender
to Book.

punity concerning the Catholic Church
and clergy is no longer a safe proceed
ure owing to the numerous organiza-
tions that stand ready to make those
who use them produce proof or apollo
gize. Not long ago Rev. Ernest A. Bell
delivered a sermon in Chicago in which
people of South America in very dark
hues, quoting what was purported to
be an encyclical of Leo XIII. to prove
his point. The day following Rev. Mr..
Bells defamatory remarks about the
Church in South America a Knight of
Columbus of Illinois telegraphed the
International Catholic Truth Society,
and the result was the following open
letter from the Rev. DR.. McGinnis to
the Rev. Ernest A. Bell:
Father MeGinnis to Mr.. Bell.
Sir: On the occasion of your re-
cent sermon delivered in the LeXing
ton Avenue Church, you chose for your
text "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself.' 1 will presume that you were
not playing the part of hypocrite,
that you do really love your neighbor,
even though not quite as much as you
would love him were hesa Baptist.
Presuming then on this good dispo-
sition on your part, Z am obliged to
inform the public that you have unin
tentionally stated what is absolutely
false regarding the Catholic Church in
South America. In order to provide
Protestant missionaries for South
America, you paint in very dark col
ors the moral condition of the people
and Catholic clergy Of that land.
Aside from Protestant writer's, who
were doubtless as reliable as the aver
age Protestant missionary telling about
things Catholic, your whole case rests
upon the supposed words of a Rev.
Julio Maria, a. Catholic priest, "itiner-
ating in BRAZIL" whose existence and
testimony we will look up, as the only,
"itinerating priests" that we know of,
are suspended priests"-and an en-
cyclical letter Of Pope Leo XIII to the
clergy Of Chill.
Defamatory Letter.
Now, my dear sir, this defamatory
letter was never written by Pope Leo
or any other Pope, as you might easily
have known if you were familiar with
the testimony that appeared in the
Catholic press after this supposed en-
cyclical was quoted in The Literary
Digest of February S, 1910.
AS this is a very serious charge that
YOU have made against. the clergy of
Chilli, please retract the statement that
such a letter was written, shift the
blame on to some other equally ire
sponsible lecturer or writer, or-best
of all, give to the public your proof
that Pope Leo or any other Pope wrote
this letter to the clergy of Chill or to
the Catholic clergy of any country on
earth and I hereby agree to give the
sum of $10O to any Protestant enter
prise in which you may be interested
May ask you to agree to deposit a
certified check for same amount to be
donated to some Catholic charity
designated by me in case your state
ment is found to be false?
Suggests Jury.
assure you, my dear sir. that the
trial will not last long, there will be
no legal technicalities, the jury will
consist of five judges, Chicago gentle
men of the very highest standing
three of them will be Protestants-and
all you have to do to swell your mis-
sionary fund by 800 is to prove from
authentic sources that Pope Leo sent
the letter condemning the morals OF
the clergy of Chill.
And surely, one who loves his
'neighbor and breaches about 1t would
not blast the reputation of his neigh
Dor unless publicity was imperative
and the proofs were unimpeachable
May suggest that your certified
check for 500 be deposited with The
lnter-Ocean and upon notice that yor
have accepted this challenge I will
gladly forward my certified check fol