The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-07-09

the following extract from a sermon
preached by Priest ID. S. Phe1an, Of
ST. Louis, and appearing in the West
ern Watchman, of which he is editor,
June 9th, 1912. 1t is the expression
of the true Catholic position regard
ing our country, reveals the degree
Of their love for it and just how loyal
they expect to be should a testing
time ever come. Says this priest and
editor: Tell US that we are Catho-
lies first and Americans or English
men afterwards; of course we are.
Tell us that in the conflict between
the Church and Civil Government we
take the side Of the church; of course
we do. Why, IF THE GOVERN
MENT OF THE UNITED STATES
WE'RE AT WAR WITH THE
CHURCH, WE SHOULD SAY TO-
MORROW, TO HE'LL WITH THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED
STATES; and if the church and all
at war we would say, "to hell with
all of the governments of the world.
All the enperors, all the kings, all
the princes, all the presidents of the
world are as these altar boys of
mine. The pope is the ruler of the
world"
Nor does the Catholic Church stop
with demanding that the State be
entirely dominated by the Church.
It proceeds to the treacherous extent
of saying that no member of the
Catholic Church is to consider bind
ing upon him any civil oath or law
when they come in conflict with the
interests Of the Catholic Church.
Now, the Revised Statutes of the
United States declare that F'The alien
seeking citizenship must make an
oath to renounce forever all allegi-
ance and fidelity to any foreign
prince, potentate, State Or sovereign
ty, in particular that to which he has
been subject" Rome declares, how
ever, that this nor any other oath is
binding if contrary to her interests.
The Canon Law, page 1859, declares,
''No Oaths are to be kept if they are
against the interests Of the church Of
Rome" Cardinal Manning further
declares the position Of his church
on the subject. He says, "The Civil
laws are binding on the conscience
only SO long as they are conformable
to the rights Of the Catholic Church"
If that be not treachery to ones coun-
try will some one define Ga traitor?"
Still step farther does the Church
of Rome go in demanding that the
Church and State shall not only be
united but the State dominated by
the Church. While that church is
mighty careful to teach that no oath
or law affecting injuriously the inter-
ests Of that church is to be kept, it
is equally as careful to see that every
officer in the church from the richly
bedecfed Cardinal who sits at Balti-
more to the petty little knight Of
Columbus who dances and ounces at
his bid ding, take the most undemo-
cratic, un-American and un-Chris-
tian oath that ever fell upon mortal
ears. The oaths that these people
take are too long to print just here;
but they are open to the world. In
these oaths every priest swears to re-
nounce every allegiance to any king,
prince, State or civil power and binds
himself; body and soul, before AL
mighty God to be the absolute sub
ject of the pope and to receive his
word as sovereign. We will take oc-
casion here just to quote a small ex-
tract from the oath of the knights
of Columbus. We will use another
part of it in another connection. This
oath is taken from the Congressional
Record of Feb. 18th, 1913. You can