The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-04-04
The Roman curia and the Catholic
Church In America.

The transfer of the Catholic church
in the United States and Canada
from the care Of the propaganda to
the common law of the church, q
transfer sanctioned in 1908 and now
being carried into effect, may be
complimentary, but it also involves
new complications. Heretofore all
questions raised have gone direct to
the sacred congregation de propag-
anda fide, which either disposed of
them itself or turned them over to
the proper authority for settlement.
Hereafter it will be needful for the
clergy in America, in order to owl
ate delay and possible prejudice TO
the cause at stake, or at any rate the
risk of modification from having
bungled, to know to what department
of the great machine of church gov
eminent a communication should be
addressed. Partly to meet this need
Rev. Michael Martin. professor Of
canon law and moral theology in ST.
Louis university, has written 1.-The
Roman Curia as it Now Exists"
which Is published by Benziger
Bros. Of New York, Cincinnati and
Chicago, with the imprimatur of
Cardinal Farley.
The details and formulate for the
transmission of communications may
be passed over, but the account Of
the reorganization of the curia eff
fected by the constitution of 1908.
"Sapienti consilio." is of general In
terest To understand clearly the
results of the change it is needful
to know something of the hisotry and
function of the congregation of the
propaganda. 1t was instituted in
1922 by Gregory XIV, who enlarged a
commission dating from the 18th
century and defined its powers,
which are very great. They extend
only TO the missionary countries,
terrae missionum, but in that vast
field the cardinals constituting the
| congregation of the propaganda were
| authorized to take charge of all
business. referring the more serious
questions to the pope and settling
the rest at their own discretion.
Because Of the vast territory under
the jurisdiction of this congregation
Its cardinal project has been popular
ly known as "the red pope" and he
is not unlikely to retain the title,
though the new constitution re.
moves from his territory about $780,
100000 Catholics, $4,000 priests, and
over 200 bishops.
A curious feature OF the change Is
that there are a few districts in the
United States and Canada which ap-
pear to be still subject to the con-
gregation OF propaganda. to which In
the ."Sapienti consilio" are assigned
AL vicariates apostolic, procedures,
and missions" In the United States
there are two vicarlates apostolic,
that Of North Carolina and that OF
Brownsville, Tex. In Canada there
are four. and Prof Martin cites au-
thority for the view that these are
not affected by the change. For the
rest, the United States and Canada,
with newfoundland, pass out OF the
jurisdiction of this department OF the
| church, along with English, Scotland,
Ireland, Holland and Luxembourg
But, on the other hand, to the con.
| gregation all those procedures and
missions which have been under the
authority OF the congregation for ex.
traordinary ecclesiastical affairs, In.
GLIDING the missions In the Russian
empire and In South America, SC
that its scope is still ample. Its pow,
ers, it Is true, have been considerab
ly reduced by the provision that here
after 1t Is not to transact business
which relates to faith, or matrimony
or to the discipline of the sacred
rites, but this no longer concerns the
Catholic church in America, which
would have had vital interest in the
matter II the transfer had not been
made. The organization OF the Ro
man curia deserves careful study
quite apart from religious questions
simply as piece OF administrative
machinery, and of course the subject
is Of special interest just now. Prof
Martins clear and. in parts, untech.
nical account will interest the gener.
al reader as well as the clergy
Springfield Republican.