The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-12-31

when contrary to the interests of
that church. We touched upon this
IN former sermon, but will mention
1T here simply as link in the chain
the Roman church is weaving about
our Government that it might crush
us to pieces. The Revised Statutes
of the United States provide for in
stance: The alien seeking citizenship
must make an oath to renounce for
eve rail- allegiance and fidelity to any
foreign prince, potentate, State or
sovereignty, in particular that to
which he has been subject" Rome
declares that this is not binding, if
In any wise it becomes contrarcy to
her interests. The Canon law of
Rome, page 1859, declares, "No
oaths are to be kept if they are
against the interests Of the church
of Rome" Cardinal Manning says,
1.-THE Civil laws are binding on the
conscience only so long as they are
conformable to the rights of the
Catholic church,
While careful to decree that
no oath is binding when it conflicts
with the rights of the Catholic
church, that institution is even more
careful to see that very officer of
that church from the cardinals down
to the Knights Of Columbus sub
scribe to an oath in which allegiance
to every civil power is renowned and
allegiance to the pope as the supreme
sovereign on earth is affirmed
e. The Catholic church does not
hesitate to declare laws contrary to
her interest as void and relieve the
individuals in that church of all ODE
dience to them. When the Magma
Charta, that great buIWark of Eng
llsh liberties, was granted the peo-
pie of England, Pope Innocent III.
condemned the document, prohibited
It's observance and threatened the
king and barOns with eXcommunica-
ton If they presumed to keep it.
When Frederic, Emperor OF Ger
many, threw from the necks of his
people the CALLING yoke of Roman
ism, Pope Innocent w., in the Coun-
Gil OF Lyons, issued a decree against
him which not only communicated
him, but went further and said: eve
forever absOlve and release from
that oath, and by apostolic authority,
strictly forbid any one from obey
Ing him or in any way whatever at
tempting to obey him as emperor or
king"
Nor is this position of the Roman
church to be relegated to the realm
Of antiquity. 1t is a wide awake law
of the church in this good hour in
which we live. Let us come again
to it's record: When in May, 1851,
New Granada proclaimed religious
liberation and subjected the clergy
to secular courts, Pope Plus TX,
Sept q, 1852, declared the laws to
be null and void and threatened
heavy ecclesiastical penalties on all
who should dare enforce them.
When Mexico in 1856 adopted a con-
stltutiOn embodying the same princi-
pies, the Pope on Dec. 18th, 1856,
annulled the constitution and for
babe the Catholics of Mexico to obey
it. When about the same time
Spain made an effort in the same
direction the vatican abrogated all
of the obnoxious provisions. Even
powerful empire like that Of Aus
tria Jared no better when in Dec.
1857, it decreed liberty of conscience
and of the press, and in May, 1868,
adopted a law of civil marriage;
Rome on June 22nd, 1868, de-
nounced all Of these laws and de-
clared them to be void and of no
effect. And we remember that with
in the past few years the present
young king of SDain tO2ether with