The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-05-25
AETHOD|sTS AND THE BIBLE

flutes the Assertions of Methodist
Preachers That the Bible Was Not
Known Among Catholics in italy and
In South America Prior to the
Advent of Methodism.
The following article from the pen
of Archbishop Ireland was published
in the daily press of last Thursday:
| [ regret that I must again break the
silence l should have wished to have
kept with regard to the Methodist
Quadrennia1 Conference in session in
Minneapolis. Bellicose, assuredly, the
Conference is proving itself to be: the
same epithet do not wish to merit for
myself or for the Church I represent
But provocation is at times too strong
even for sworn friend of peace:
and, besides, truth and justice have
claims that cannot be set aside. The
latest episode in the anti-Catholic war
fare of the Methodist phalanx puts an
imperious estoppel on my stock of
Christian patience.
According to newspaper reports, this
is the statement made in his sermon
on the morning of the Lords Day, in
Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church
by Rev. Walling Clark, superintendent
for more than twenty years of the
Methodist Mission in Rome: when
the troops of Victor Emmanuel and
Garibaldi marched into Rome,
(Methodist) colporteur brought
cart-load of Bibles into the city be-
hind the troops, and since then the
Bible has been in Rome"
"Since then the Bible has been in
Rome"-not before, DR.. Clark would
have us believe. There is here, I am
compelled to assume, no ignorance of
conditions in Rome either before or
since A. d. 1870. DR.. Clark has been
too long a resident in Rome, not to
know conditions in the Eternal City,
both before and since the arrival of
Methodism. If not ignorance, what is
it? Let the reader give the answer.
Whatever the answer, the statement of
DR.. Clark, in itself, is an outrageous
violation Of the truth
The Bible In Rome
l rehearse words of mine written
two years ago in the North American
Review in reply to a statement then
made by another Methodist missionary
to Italy, DR.. Vernon, similar in terms
to that made today by DR.. Clark. |
then said: Before the arrival of
version of the Bible, whichever that
may be, had no admission into Rome:
but the Bible, known to Christian
ages, was in Italy in all the languages
of the learned, and no less in that of
the common people. Will DR.. Vernon
dare tell us that before the arrival of
Methodism the 'Vulgate,' translated
into Italian by Monsignor Martini, was
not in circulation in Rome and else
where in Italy-was not offered for
sale in every bookstore in the PENN
sula? The Bible, in the language of
the people, not in circulation in Rome
and elsewhere in Italy before the
arrival of Methodism! In 1778, the
Pope, Plus vi, prefacing with his
blessing an edition of the Bible in
Italian, wrote to the translator: You
judge exceeding well that the faithful
should be excited to the reading of
Holy Scripture In 1853 the publish
ing-house of the Congregation of the
Propaganda put forth at a price of
fifteen lire (three dollars), a printed
edition of the Martini Bible in twenty
three volumes, and later printed
several popular editions, to be sold at
smaller cost. Let DR.. Vernon question
the bookstores, surviving in Rome
from olden days, those of Saraceni,
Maratinetti, etc., and learn whether
long before the arrival of Methodism,
they were not accustomed to have on
their counters the Bible i'm Italian, in
all forms, at all prices. Those the
open facts: and yet, in the North
American Review, DR.. Vernon writes
that before the arrival of Methodism
the Bible was excluded from Rome!
Wonders do not cease" The challenge
to DR.. Vernon to deny my statements
renamed unanswered. l repeat the
challenge to DIR. Clark
| The bald untruth spoken by DR.. Ver-
non and DR.. Clark with regard to the
exclusion OF the Bible from Rome
before the arrival of Methodism, gives
the measure OF the credence to be al
flowed Methodist missionaries gener-
ally, when they talk of their expert
ences i'm Catholic countries.
1 DR.. Vernon and Dr. Clark misrepre-
sent Italy: so does Dr. w. r. Rice mis-
represent the Republics of South
America. DIR. Rice dares assert: "Tt
is true, and it has been said, that the
Roman Catholic Church deprives its
members of the right to read the Holy
!, Bible" Will DIR. Rice dare tell us
I