The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-08-05

thAllO AND LIBERAL IlilNk-
ERS INSIST ARE VITAL TO
FREE INSTITUTIONS. TO IN
DlNlDUAL RIGHTS AND TO
SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS.
Papal Assumption VS.. Democracy
We now come face TO face with
Popal assumption and teachings
which are not only boldly in oppo-
sition TO our theory Of democracy
and equal religious liberty. BUT
TO OUR CONSTITUTION IT.
SELF.
Protestant readers Of Leo's En-
cychcals and Of the great mas Of
Jesuitical literature Of recent dec
AIDES are being constantly misled by
the Roman Catholic use of terms,
the meaning Of which is one thing
70 Catholics and entirely another
thing to Protestants. Thus for eX-
ample, whenever a pope Of Rome
speaks Of the church, or Of the uni
versal church, he means the Roman
church and no other. When he
speaks Of Christian society or the
Christian state, he merely means u
society or q state dominated by, or
subservient TO the Roman pontiff.
When he speaks Of the wish Of God, !,
or the will Of God, or a state ruled
without reference to God, he merely
means a state in which the wish Of
the Roman pontif as the represent
atiye of God, is either considered or
ignored as the case may be.
Just here the reader may well
say that these are very important
and serious claims but they call for
substantiation. He is right, and in
proof of the exact truth of these
statements we will let Leo XIII
speak for himself. Here are some
Of the eD-cdthedrd, and therefore. to
every loyal Roman Catholic, infal-
lible and irreformable utterances Of
this pope.
We hold upon this earth, the place
Of God Aimighty.-PBge 3OI.
The supreme teacher in the church is
the Roman pOntiff, union Of minds there
fore, require, together with a perfect
accord in the one faith, complete sub
mission and obedience to the will Of tho
church and 20 the Roman pontif Us TO
GOD HIMSELF, Page 1913.
Here we find exactly what the
pope means when he refers to Gods
will, and since he arrogantly claims
to stand in the place of God Al
mighty on earth aud 10 be "the SUI
preme teacher in the church." who
must be obeyed as God Himself" "
We can well understand his impa-
thence in the presence of popular
sovereignty which caused him to
make the following, to Catholics in
fallible, statement:
The Almighty alone can commit
power 20 a man over his fellow. men,
Page ls5.
And then that there might be no
mistake as TO the right of the pope
TO over lordship in civil govern
ment, we have the following state
ment coming from the one who as
sumes to speak for God Himself.
Over this mighty multitude God has
Himself set rulers with power TO govern !;
and Ne haS ruled thdt one should be the
head Of al aud the chief aud uHerriHg
teacher Of truth 10 WhoW He has gireH
the KEYS Of the kingdom Of heaven
Page lie.
In the light Of the above utter
ance the following words Of this
pope are highly significant.
Now IL is evident that he who clings
20 the doctrines Of the church rs an in
fallible rule. Yields his assent 10 erery-
thing the church teaches. Page 1913.
And again no one can, however,
without risk 20 faith foster any doubt
as TO the church alone having been in
vested with such power of governing
souls as to exclude altogether the civil
authority.-Psge ls6.
The church Of Christ, as will be
noted in the above quotations as in
all papal characterizations Of the
church is the one that recognizes the
pope as the sovereign pontiff. In
the following quotation, with this
fact in mind, the reader will see
whst little room there would be for
any other Christian church or re-