South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-21
RELIGION To Be
SUBJECT TONIGHT
Rev. Bertrand L. Conway Says
Confession is Not Mod
ern Institution.

Pev. Bertrand /. Conway will speak
this evening at the high school audi
forum on the subject of Religion IN
Shirt and in Truth" beginning
promptly at o'clock with the an
swering OF questions followed by the
lecture proper The lecture Wednes-
day evening on Confession was well
attended J. J. SCHNEIDER OF Mlsha-
waka was the chairman for the even
ing and delightful musical numbers
were contributed by +. r. Coates, bass
OF the First NJ r. church choir, ac-N
companied by Miss Edna Tulle.
Father Conway in his discussion or
thes acrament Of penance, or con-
fession, said in part:
1T has frequently been stated In
controversial discussion on the con
fession OF sins, that this practice orig
mated IN the thirteenth century, and
vas unknown in the early days OF
Christianity. IL is my intention TO-
night to call your attention TO a
few testimonies OF the early fathers
on this point, none of which Is older
than the fifth century.
st Leo the Great, famous even IN
secular history because of his Well
known meeting with Attila, the bar
barian. was a great lover of tradition,
and a pope who spoke continually
against the dOctrinal novelties of his
time lie writes. (Epistle 1881
Two Remedies Provided.
will tell you that the ecclesi-
astical law prescribes concerning the
condition OF penitents. God I'm Ills
abundant mercy has provided two
remedies for the sins of men. They
may gain eternal life, not only by the
grace OF baptismSbut also by the rem
edy Of penance. Those who have vio-
lated the vows Of their baptism may
obtain the remission of their sins by
cOndemning themselves; the divine
goodness has so decreed that the par
don of God can only be obtained by
sinners through the prayers of the
priests. Jesus Christ. Himself, the
Mediator between God and man, has
conferred upon the, rulers of the
church the power OF imposing canon
zeal penance upon sinners who confess
their sins. and OF allowing them TO
receive the sacraments OF Christ aft
or they have purified their souls by
"a salutary satisfaction. 1t
is dangerous for a weak and ignorant
man to defer his conversion 10 the
last uncertain hours of his life, when
ne may be unable 10 confess and Oh
tain priestly pardon; he ought, when
ne can. TO merit pardon by n full
satisfaction for his sins.
st Augustine (354-430) in one of
his sermons, CCXSV, declared that in
dependently of the church. no sins
were forgiven. for she has received
from Jesus Christ the power of the
keys To retain or remit sin
AT Milan, St. Ambrose (34O-S9T)
in his treatise on Penance (BOOk Il,
Chap 2. No. -, declares that priests
alone have the right to pardon sins.
and biographer speaks OF the great
care ne always manifested in guard
ing the secret of the confessional like
the clergy Of our own day.
Many out side the Catholic church
who are acquainted with the fact of
our early penitential discipline, main
tain that the pardon granted by the
church was a mere external reconcile
alton Of penitents with the visible
body of the faithful. In no sense they
tell us, did it mean pardon of ones sins
ny Almighty God. This Is simply
not the fact The men who held that
doctrine in the early days Of the early
church we're heretics, known as Nova
tians Like the modern Protestant,
or the old time Pharisee in the time
Of Jesus. they declare that God alone
could pardon sins, and restore again
the divine life to the soul. Listen to
St Pacian (39D who in. answering
this very objection with regard 10 the
Novatians: God alone. you tell me.
can pardon sins. Granted. But His
divine power is exercised by means of
His priests
Quotes Origen
"Origen GS5-254, OF the great
school OF Alexandria. says to the sin
uers OF his day: When you have eat
en- some indigestible food. and your
stomach is filled with an excessive
quantity Of humor. you will suffer
until you have gotten rid of it, So
in like manner sinners. who hide and
retain their sins within their breasts.
become sick therefrom almost 10
death. r. however. they accuse them
selves,~cOnfess their sins and vomit
forth their iniquity they viii utterly