New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-15
DECLARES ROMAN" WRoNG
Merwin P. Smell Says This Never has
Reen Name of the Church.

To the Editor OF the Tribune.
CT. Tho massage cited by your CORE
spondent. william p. McKim. In your i'o1
Of Nav 70. I'm justification OF the eNP',
sion Roman Catholic" as apphed ~ wv
church I'm which the Roman Poh'iH II ~.
Cbler Rishop. IL very far from even n"''''e
tho appearance Of proving his case
rho Church which is "the Mother anu
,t,st.oes Of all the churches" Is the 'huI y"
~ tho diocese and province OF Rome ten
til. chilled the Holy Roman 'hurcn'
ord the Churches Of which It - the M''ne'
anI Mistress are the other 'hurches
throughout the world which, unoer l'S
,,r,.,,dcrcv constitute tho 'atholl'' "'
Universal Fellowship 49,
n Mr.. McKim had really 1uoteh NV
creed Of Pope Plus ". 10 which the aN]'n'
Of bapfized persons returning I" i'o''
I.ritv out Of sectarianism (but not III inc
c,eo ~ those who come into IN" nnrc"'
nv baptism. In the normal manner IS re-
oiirod his case would hav" 'eeh h'"''
stronger. \ reference 10 this. ~ 'n"N
used for example I'm the Official prayer
hook Of the American Church uhe Mah"aI
Of PRAYER Of tho Third Plenary 'ouh'" VI
Baltimore. pp. A2-H0. NJ In the Rltua'e
por,onunn will show that II does not coh-
tain any promise OF true oh"di'nc" 10 ths
Roman Rishcp": in fact II does not CON
,ai, ,ro words Roman bishop or even
tho words Mother and Mistress of All
tho Churches
II does SOY. howNver. n h"li"v" the HOLY
Catholic and Apostolic Roman church 10
bo tho only and true church established
on Garth by Josua christ. 10 which sun
nit myself with my whole heart inns
evidently has reference 10 IN" 'hui'n
r-ni,ereal rho Holy Catholic 'hur'h''
specifically designated "a organica'E UNIV
Cd with tho Apostolic Roman church. "a
tho members with tho head, and is Their"
used 10 exclude all equivocation on m"
mart ~ on, who ne \ saparatist may have
been I'm tho habit Of claiming To he "a
Catholic. but not r Romanlst'
That there is gulf as wide as the poles
between this extremely unusual expression
enploved I'm emergencies for the sake 81
preventing any possible ambiguity and only
bv a concession 10 tho habits Of thought
and speech of outsiders. and tho term
Roman Catholic" treated as II IL were
IN. name OF the Church. which has and
needs no name but that OF her Divine
Master. is evident from the following fact:
When some one had put into a prelmi-
nary draft Of one OF the DEGREES ~ the
Council OF tho Vatican the appellaton "Ro-
man Cptholic." no less than thirty Bishops
from all parts or the world Immediately
dled written protests given in fun in the
Acta 81 the Council. d"nouncng II as
horetical and scrlsmaticaJ I'm ~ origin and
implications. entirely contrary 10 the US
ages OF the Universal Church. and alb
soIu,cly intolcrable from Catholic point
Of view. Whereupon II was cXpunBed with
out debate. having no defenders. aud the
words. the Holy Catholic and the Apos-
,ollc Roman Church substituted with the
express understanding that thereafter only
the ordinary and proper designations or
the Church should hc used, such "A The
Church. Holy church. The Church OF God
Tho Christian church. The Catholic Church.
etc
The term Roman Catholic was originally
invented and is now chiefly propagated.
by the Church's worst enemies. and exists
I'm the Church only as dlscrcdited Iiiber-
pIclsm. carefully avoided By all cultured
Catholics especially n learned I'm sacred
tlpOloSN. II - 'bIlldlN W 'i'' ''i'''''''''''
usage Of the Fathers and Doctors OF the
church. u the schoolmcn. and OF all the
official representatives OF the Holy Roman
Church down to the present day. never
once having appeared In any papal docu-
ment
70 all true Catholics, and certainly 10
the Catholics Of In" Brahmin Caste OF
New England as oliver Wendell Holmes
calls II. the old Colonial literary class, as
the representative of which / write. II is
utterly obnoxious, as II implies that the
Catholic Church of to-day Is not Identical
with the Church Of the patrlaTChs and
Prophets. Of Eden and Sinai and Jeru-
salem. and did not originate until St Peter
fixed his see at Rome. which Is from their
point Of view the greatest OF all possible
errors.
And whatever counten1nce IL may have
had. or be alleged to have had, in other
quarters, il has never received any from
the Holy Church OF Baltimore. tuc Mother
and Mistress of all the Churches Of the
United states. or from the American
Church as whole as a simple reference
To the Acta and Dccrcta OF its National
Councils will show
MERWIN PORTER SMELL