The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1913-12-19
CARDINAL GIBBONS
On Civil And Religious Liberty And
Union Of Church and State
(From his sermon preached at Bal
timore this week.

"On the 2Sth OF october, 3l2. Con-
etantine the Great achieved his
memorable victory over Maxentus
at the Mflvian bridge, along the III
ber,a short distance above the city
OF Rome. In gratitude to God for
this signal triumph over an enemy
vastly SURPRISING him in numbers.
Constantine issued his famous edict
Of tolerationin Milan in 3l3,in which
absolute liberty Of worship was pro-
claimed throughout the Roman EN-
pire. And thus FAR a long and dreary
night OF persecution extending over
a period OF 300 years, the Christians
at last breathed the life-giving air
af reliuious liberty.
This IL a suitable occasion for
me tn make some remarks on the
subject OF religious and civil liber-
lty."
IA man enjoys religious liberty,
when he has the untrampled right
OF worshiping God according TO the
dictates of his conscience and of
practicing form OF religion in ae-
cordance with his honest convic-
tions. Any act infringing ON this
freedom is Justly styled religious
intolerance"
"A man enjoys civil liberty when
be lie protected by the State in his
life, liberty and pursuit of happiness
So long as in common with his fell
low citizens he observes the laws OF
This country any exceptional re-
straints imposed upon him in the
exercise Of his rights as citizen Is
a violation Ct his civil liberty.
II now, my brett eren, assert the
proposition which l hope to sub
stantiate by historical evidence that
the Catholic Church has always
been the Jealous promoter of relig-
Ious and civil liberty, aud that
whenever any encroachment on
these sacred rights of man have
been made by protesting members
| of the Church, these wrongs, fal
from being perpetratsd with hel
sanction, were committed in palp
able violation of her authority.
Her doctrine, has always beer
that, as man tell from grace of hi
own free will, SO of has own free vii
must be be restored to grace. He
doctrine Is that conversion and cOer
cfon are terms that can never b,
reconciled, and that they are diam
critically opposed to each other.
st. Augustine and his compan
ions. who were sent by Pope Greg
Dry the Great to England in tn,
hope of converting that nation a
the end of the sixth century, hat
the Happiness of baptizing KIM
Ethelbert and some members Of hi
, court The King, in the fervor ant
exuberance of his zeal as a convert
was DESTROYS Of compelling the sub
jects to follow his examples, but thu
: missionaries forbade him to hav'
recourse to force, telling ham tina
I the Christian religion must be vol
/, UNFAIRLY embraced. The same Pom
, tiff Gregory exercised great moder
alton and forbearance toward those
who had drifted away from thu
Church, He became a warm pro
tector of t he prosecuted Jews
When a certain Bishop had taker
possession of their synagogue, he
was ordered by the Pope to restore
it, saying that the Hebrew people
were not to be brought into the
Church by coercIve measures but OF
their own free will
Innocent ILL.,. the most illustri-
GUS Pope of the thirteenth century,
was likewise an ardent defender OF
the oppressed Jews. Let no one,
he says, presume to baptize any Jews
against their will. Let no one seize
their property or disturb their festi-
walls or invade their cemeteries,
perhaps no man can be consider
ed fairer representative of the age
In which we live than st, Bernard
Abbot of Olairvaux. He was the
embodiment OF the spirit of the
Middle Ages. When he learned
that q fanatical preacher was arous-
ing the populace to deeds OF violence
against the Jews, he rushed TO their
defence aud rescu sd them from the
danger with which they were threat
cd.
II Will cite one more example. L
will quote for you from the beauti-
full letter written by Feuelon, Arch
bishop OF CambrAi. TO the son Of
James III, heir apparent Of the Eng
lIsb thrOue. Above ALL hs writes.
never force your subjects 20 change
their religion. No human power
can reach the impsnetrAbls recess
Of the free viii OF the heart Vlo-
lsncs eau never persuade men. II