The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-08-10
SOUTH AMERICAN CLERGY
Competent Witnesses Testify to Their
Character and Zeal and to the Sue
cess of Their Missionary Efforts
No Foundation for Sanderous Re-
ports Regarding Them.

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South America which have appeared
in the press of this country it may not
be uninteresting to reproduce an
article written for the New Zealand
Tablet some time ago. This article
adduces the testimony of competent
eye-witnesses, both Protestant and
Catholic, to show that there is no
foundation for the charges of immoral
ity and gross neglect of duty brought
against the priests of South America
by non-Catholics whose aim is to
arouse the Protestant denominations
to make larger contributions towards
the work of preaching Christianity
to the "benighted' people of that
country. The value of this testi-
mony is enhanced by the fact that it
was reproduced in the Hiberno-Argen-
tine Review published at Buenos
Aires, thereby endorsing it and giving
the weight of it's approval to the con-
tents. This South American Review
is in position to. know how false are
the accusations brought against the
missionaries in that land The article
is as follows:
For some time past Protestant mis-
sion promoters of certain type have
been girding at their followers to rise
from their sloth, put their hands deep
into their pockets, and bring forth the
necessary funds for supplying the pure
Gospel to the Catholic inhabitants of
'benighted' South America, and for or
ganizing-to that end-a missionary
movement on a hitherto undreamt of
scale. DR.. John r. Mott founder of
the Student Volunteer Movement for
the Foreign Missions), DR.. Robert E.
Speer Ca prominent official of the same
organization), and DR.. Francis E.
Clarke (founder of the Christian En-
names which we recall as amongst
those who have sponsored this grandi-
loquent appeal to win South America
for Christ And now the project is
being revived with renewed eagerness
and with not a little offensiveness-
by some very well-known men in Great
Britain. Speaking recently at lunch
con n the Exchange Hotel, in Liver
pool, the Rev. G. Campbell Morgan
and the Rev. John McNeill-the latter
of whom some few years ago, made an
evangelistic tour of Australia, and
New Zealand-appealed for funds for
the evangelisation of the great neglect
ed continent of South America And
the Anglican Bishop of the Falkland
Is1ands-the Rev. DIR. Blair-in an ap-
peal reported in Great Thoughts, for
December %, wrote as follows: Half
a continent will slip through the hands
of the Anglican Church unless it's
members rally to the support of the
Archbishops, the Bishops, the British
chambers of commerce, and of five
South American Governments within
the diocese and the Bishop of the
Falkland Islands in the greatest mis-
sionary effort of the New Year.
100000 is required. Detailed infor-
nation will be gladly given by the
Bishop (the Right Rev. L. F. d. Blair
d. d. upon inquiry. | would point out
that our chance among the natives is
enormous. | am sorry to say that the
Church of Rome is in very sad condi-
tion morally, socially, spiritually, and
educationally.
Testimony of Eye-Witnesses.
In respect to this indictment, with
which we have been made familiar in
this country, by visiting missionaries
on furlough trying to scare up funds
for their work, we propose to call two
or three thoroughly competent, wit
nesses-men who have personal
quainted with the language and Gus
toms of the country, and who have
come into direct contact with both
priests and people. The charge is that
of neglect and Of moral and spiritual
unftness; and the contexts to the
quotations given above show that it
is to the clergy of South America that
it is intended to apply. In regard to
the latter portion of the accusation,
we call, first, non-Catholic authority,
Mr.. Percy r. Martin, (London, Edward
Arnold, 1917, to witness to the char
acter and work of the South American
priests as compared with that of the
Protestant missionaries in the same
country. I am not he writes, "a
Catholic in belief, and have no religi-
Gus prejudice whatever, but have
seen SO much real good affected by
Catholic priests among the very poor
and ignorant of the Indian races, and
I have witnessed SO many Grass fall
ures among their rivals. to
improve upon their methods or to
emulate their disinterested charity,
that / cannot but regard the attempt
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