The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-10
ATTACK ON THE CHURCH REPELLED
DR.. SEMINARY THE cALUMNIEs
A PROTESTANT PHYSICIAN REGARDING ATTL
TUDE TOWARDS THE INHuMAN TREATMENT THE AMERICAN
SPANISH PIONEERS.

Las Casas' propositions addressed to
Spanish King; Narr. and Crit. Hist. of
America, Vol. II, p. 1922; Encyclopedias
Britt. Art. Las Casas.)
The Common View
The singular views of Major and
Sepulveda are not sufficient to justify
the impression given by DR.. J. $.
Johnson that the most learned theolo-
gians, generally, defended coercion in
the case of obstinate infidels. What,
then, was the common view? About
the end of the sixteenth century, the
century with which we are mainly con.
cerned in the case of the Spanish con-
quest, Suarez (1548-1617) declares the
common and certain doctrine to be
against Sepulveda,-"a certain Sepul-
veda," as Suarez calls him, showing
that this most learned theologian,"
even so soon, was rightly beginning
to be forgotten. Suarez, who was, In
deed, first-rate theologian, main
tains that no coercion is to be used
in converting obstinate infidels to
the faith. So far from regarding in-
fidel nations as fair objects of war
and rapine, he holds that the Pope
can distribute infidel kingdoms
amongst princes, not in the under
standing that they may arbitrarily oc.
cupy them, but that they may procure
missionaries to be sent to them, and
defend them from attack even by de-
claring just war, if reason and
just cause demanded it. (Suarez, De
Eide: Disp. XVIII, Sect. /, z, and Sect.
III. A.
Suarez was merely giving the best
and most common tradition of theo-
logians and the Church st. Thomas
of Aquin, greatest of divines, he whose
spirit directed the course Of the theo-
logical current in succeeding ages,
maintained in the thirteenth century
that pagans were not to be coerced
into the faith, that coercive measures
could be used only when infidels be-
gan to impede the Church's right to
spread the Gospel and in this way he
explained and justified sacred wars
directed against infidel nations by
Christian princes fSummay Theol. Sec.
Sec. GU. x. Art. 81
The consistent and permanent Gus
tom of the Church may be cited to
show that her way was not the way
of the Arian or the Mahomedan, that
she did not force her belief on pagans,
sword in hand, but with the spiritual
arms of justice and truth. In con-
formity with this practice Pope Mich
olas declared that idolaters were TO
be convinced not by force, but by rea-
son. And amongst other theologians
we have a CLOUD of witnesses" oppos-
ing coercion in the spread of the Faith
among obstinate infidels, for exam.
pie, Cajetan, Durandus, Antoninus,
Sylvester, Castro and Victoria.
(Suarez, De Eide, Disp: 1S, Sect. III,
4, 81
The best, the purest, the general
tradition among theologians nurtured
the deep wisdom contained in the
words of the Prince of Peace-"I send
you as sheep in the midst of wolves"
Matt. X). They remembered Paul's
words-"What have / to do to judge
them that are without?" Q Cor. Chap
X) The Church bespoke power only
over her subjects by Baptism, and re-
Trained from forcing outsiders into
her fold. Even Charles Lea, an author
ity not suspected of partiality towards
things Catholic, admits that the
Church did not proselytize with the
sword among the infidels and idolators.
(History of the Inquisition of the Mid.
die Ages, Vol. /, page 242)
The Church the Defender of the Un.
believer.
We have considered the grievous
charges made against the theologians:
there remains to be examined the
still more serious accusation against
the governing body of the Church. We
have vindicated the teaching Church;
we have now to consider the case Of
the ruling Church. From DR.. J. 8.
Johnson the impression is received
that the Church's edict countenanced
the desecration of the graves, and
the spoilation Of the infidel dead.
What, then, must it not have sane
toned in the case Of the living unbe-
lever? Surely they, at least, must
have no rights. Let us see the real
historic attitude of the rulers of the
Church. Pope Honorius III In 1877
courageously championed the rights OF
the unbelieving Jews in a manner
which might be initiated with profit
even at the present day, and which
shows humanitarian ideas in advance
OF those Of some peoples even in this
enlightened twentieth century. De-
claring in the Bull, Sicut Judaeis,
that he was but following in the foot.
steps of his predecessors, Popes Calix-
tus, Eugene, Alexander, Clement,
Celestine and Innocent, he admits the
Jews under the aegis Of his whole
hearted protection, and stern1y for
bade anyone to coerce them into the
reception of Baptism, on the ground
that anyone who comes to Baptism I'M
willingly il not believed to have the
true Christian faith. He strongly pro-
hibited anyone from "wounding, or
killing them, or depriving them Of
their money" from "molegting them
with sticks and stones In the celebra-
ton Of their feasts;" from "mutilating
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