The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-02
PRIESTS SIGN IT.
Give New Oath of Allegiance to
Pope Plus.
Bar on Doubtful Books Is a
Guard Against Modernism.
NO DANGER SEEN HERE
Bishop Lillis Makes Declaration
on Status in Church.
Not Enough to Hinder Sale of
Bad Books" He Says.

Kansas City, JAM 2.-Every Roman
Catholic priest of the Kansas City and
LeavenWorth dioceses and throughout
the world has taken the oath to ad-
here to the doctrina1 teachings of the
church prescribed recently by Pope
Plus x. The motu proprio of the holy
father is intended to safeguard the
teachings Of the church against mod
efnism. as promulgated by some uni
versities of Europe.
The form of the oath was transmit
ted to the bishops in September. Janu-
ary l. 1911, was named as the day on
winch documents. signed by all priests
and divinity students, should
be in the hands of the bishops, to be
kept in special files
The Rt. Rev. Thomas F. Lillis, as
coalJutor to Bishop Hogan in the kan
Sas CITY diocese. and bishop of the
LeavenWorth diocese, has been receiv-
ing the signed oaths of the priests of
rural districts of the two dioceses Also.
In the last week, he has administered
the oath to the priests of this city in
the cathedral and of Kansas City, KAN.
In the chapel at his home in that city.
Bishops as Book Censors.
The motu proprio injoined the bish-
ops to a rigid censorship OF religious
literature to prevent writings touched
with modernism from being read. No
book of this kind, it says, should be
permitted to seminarists or university
students, because the injury to them
would be equal to that caused by i'm
moral reading and would poison Chris
tian life at the very fount. The same
decision is to be taken with reference
to the writings of some Catholics, who
though not badly disposed themselves
have been imbued with modern philoso-
ply and strive to harmonic it with
their faith.
But it is not enough to hinder the
reading and sale of bad books.' says
the holy father. "It is also necessary
to prevent them from being printed.
Hence the bishops are to use the ut
most severity in granting permission to
print. -
In all episcopal curias, therefore,
censors are to be appointed for the re-
vision of works intended for publica-
tion. They are to be chosen from both
branches of the clergy and must be
men of age. knowledge and prudence.
As to Modernism.
In the oath a firm acceptance of ev-
cry definition of the teachings of the
church is required first. This binding
obligation follows:
Il also reject the error of those who
aver that the faith proposed by the
church may be in conflict with history,
and that Catholic dogmas, in the sense
not be harmonized with the more
truthful origins of Christianity More
over, I condemn and reject the opinion
which declares that a Christian man of
better culture can assume a dual per-
sonality, one as a believer and another
as an historian, as if it were permits
sible for the historian to hold fast
what his faith as a believer contradicts,
or to lay down premises from which
there follows the falsity or the uncer-
tainty of dogmas, provided only that
these are not directly denied. Like
wise reject that method of estimating
and interpreting Holy Writ which set
ting aside the churchS tradition and
the analogy of faith and the rules of
the apostolic see, adopts the ration
alists' principles and with equal arbi-
trariness and rashness considers crit
icisn of the text the one only Supreme
rule. Furthermore. I reject the opin-
ion of those who hold that a teacher
of the science of historical theology or
the writer on the subject must first
put aside the notions previously con-
cefyed about the supernatural origin Of
Catholic tradition or about the divine
aid promised for the. perpetual preser-
walton Of each revealed truth: then,
that the writings of individual fathers
mus. be interpreted solely by the data
of science, without any reference to
sacred authority. and with that free
dom of Judgment wherewith every pro-
fame record is usually examined.
Finally, and in general declare my
| self to be far removed from the error
of the modernists, who hold that in sa-
cred tradition there is nothing inher-
| emily divine; or who-far worse still
admit it in pantheistic sense; SO thai
| thus there would remain only bare
simple fact equal to the ordinary facts
of history, viz, that the school started
| by Christ and his apostles ,nds, in the
| ages that follow. men to carry it on by
| their energy, their skill and their gem
| ius."
| Bishop Lillis sees little danger in
| America of Catholics accepting the
| ideas Of the modernists.
Mo AaaI0nIrN nr an