The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-08-10
Continued from Page 10
SOUTH AMERICAN CLERGY.

act of unmistakable presumption and
stupidity. We next call the Rev. Fa-
Their Isidore, c. p, late chaplain of the
United States hospital, Canal Zone,
and former missionary in South
America Father Isidore, who is an
American by birth and education, after
being ordained priest of the Pas
sionist Order, spent many years
among the people of South American
cities and\th Indians in the interior
In a recently published reply to the
coarse calumny against the South
American clergy, he says: have
worked shoulder to shoulder with
them on the missions and during
epidemics. l have witnessed their
zeal and heroism. During
my whole ten years in Argentina
never met a pastor against whom
charge of immortality was substanti-
ated and only few cases where they
were even rumoured. | never saw a
Spaniard drunk. The vice is unheard
of among the Spanish clergy. Drunk
enness is almost unknown in Spain,
and only some Indians are addicted to
it in Argentina. No pastor could OBJ
tain or hold a parish in Argentina
after having been found guilty of these
vices Our next witness is the Right
who-as our readers will remember
while still editor of this journal, made
an extensive tour of South America,
with the express object of examining
at first hand into the truth or other
wise of these oft-repeated charges.
The result of this Investigations was
summarized in an interview accorded
to the Tasmanian Monitor Immediate
ly on his return from South America.
After referring to the question of the
union of Church and State, DR.. Cleary
continued: Here and there such union
even a calamity for the Church, as it
has been in Portugal, and for the same
general reasons: hostile and Freema-
son and anti-religiOus parties arrogat-
ing to themselves rights of appoint
ment and interference which, in hap
not be tolerated. But even with this
great drawback and the lack, in many
places Especially in some of the old
Indian missions), of full and proper
ecclesiastical training, the conditions
are, thank God, far from being those so
grievously misrepresented by the class
of ignorant or perjudiced parties just
referred to. | set out to make an in
vestigation concerning these and other
grounds as far as my opportunities
permitted and in the course of my in
quiries l levied off all classes friendly
and hostile, from Presidents of Repub-
lies to priests, prelates, Protestant mis-
sionaries, journalists, merchants, pro-
fessional men, gomeros (rubber-forest
people,, railway builders, .Freemasons,
and people of every religious faith that
were likely, by means of long resi-
dence and travel in the country, to be
acquainted with the condition they de-
scribed. And l travelled extensively
myself, with my eyes ever open for
what there was to see, my knowledge
of Spanish conversationally, in it's vari-
Gus dialects, was a good equipment for
the trip. met with nothing that could
be held in any way to justify the
charges levelled against South Ameri-
can clergy to which reference has been
made We may fittingly conclude our
evidence for the defence by putting in
to use a legal phrase-an official
communication from Rome, which ap-
peared in the Chilean papers of 1904,
and which corroborates and substan.
tiates the view expressed by the fore.
going witnesses. The Sacred Congre
cation of the Council, under date OF
March 81, 1904, congratulated Arch
bishop Casanova, of Santiago, on his
work in in promoting the solemnity
of divine worship, in Strengthening
ecclesiastical discipline, in favouring
education, in defending the faith, anc
in encouraging piety among the PEG
pie 1t went on to say that their Emf
nences rejoice that in so great labor
and in gathering in harvest so abun
dant and so salutary he is aided by his
clergy whose learning, piety, and yea
deserve his praise
Jealous and Successful Missionaries
80 much for the character of the
South American clergy. AS to the wa.
in which they carry out their work
in this neglected continent the fol
lowing specimen facts may be taken al
giving fair indication. The Fathers
of the Salesian Congregation (whc
first went to South America in 1875
now possess there 1873 foundations, in
Guiding IS colleges and technica
schools, many agricultural colonies, be
sides a large number of mission sta
lions in the interior for the benefit o
the Indians. The Salesian Fathers
who in South America include fiv
Bishops or Monsignori, have charg
also of hundreds of lepers in the &c
lumbar Government lazarettos. TIL
following pen picture from Father Isl