The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-02-12

the state IS morally bound to obey the
law of God.
Is the European war just ware The
church has no answer. The right to
answer belongs to the state. The Justice
of her resort to arms the state herself
must determine. The church will not
be tempted. It was the enemies of .
Christ who asked: 'tShall we paw
tribute to Caesar2'' = tempting Him.
Just so does the enemy question the
church today. And the same answer
is given that her Divine Founder gave
nearly twenty centuries ago. s. Render
to Caesar the things that are Caesar s.
and to God the things that are God s. -
Then, one thing that belongs to Caesar
is obedience to the call of the state, for
loyalty to our own colors is not alone !
civil claim upon us, it is the law of /
the church.
1t is the irony of fate that though
the enemy processes to see in the man
who gives allegiance to the Pope of
Rome a traitor to his country, the Cath
Ollie church teaches the highest possible
order of patriotism. While the self
STYLED guardians of liberty froth at the
mouth when manufacturing facts that
are not so, the real facts tell the tale
that Catholics are to be found amongst
the bravest of the brave in all the
armies OF tnr1SJenGOih
Besides, it is most interesting to note
that those who have cried the loudest
that man cannot be a loyal English
man, Frenchman, German or American
and pay tribute to the Pope, because
Rome interferes with matters of state,
are now insistently asking why the
Pope does not interfere with matters
of state and stop the war. The strict
neutrality of the Holy Father throws
back the insult that the church is q
political machine. And the patriotism
| of Catholics should for all time silence
traducers, for while they are obedient
to the Pope, in matters of faith and
morals, Catholics are LOYALTY and hero
ically giving up their lives at the hest
of the several countries at war. But
to expect the enemy to cease question
ing our patriotism is too much, for so
tlonC as men follow the counsels of ill
r will, so long must Catholics expect TO
} be maligned. In answer to those who
, questioned his patriotism, upon his ele
], walton to the exalted position of a
t prince of the church, our great Cardi-
i nal O'Connell said: - Since when was
man not permitted to love both his
t father and his mother? Since when was
G a man not permitted TO obey his God
| and his country
The Catholic church holds the key to
world peace today Just as she brings
! peace to the soul of the repentant sin
/ ner lust as she reconcileS the differ
4 ences between man and wife, so has she
p settled disputes between king and
: king, nation and nation. 1t was Boni-
/ face VIII who established peace be
S tween France and England. 1t was Al
t exander VI who adjusted the differ
d ences between Spain and Portugal over
Il their new-found western lands. 1t was
) Clement VII who settled the differ
}, ences between Russia and Poland over
a Li+huania. 1t was Gregory XIII who
Y ended the war between Battery of Pc
p land and Ivan the Terrible. 1t was oul
Il own great Leo Mi who adjusted the
" quarrel between Hayti and San Demon
# 90. While as late as 1885, when Bis
IS mark submitted the German controver
sy with Spain over the Caroline Island
lie to the Vatican, an agreement was form
e uIated which established peace and pre-
q vented war. Aye, but yesterday, on
pr Holy Father Pope Benedict XIV was sc
s. lected as arbitrator of the diffieultie
o. existing between Peru and Bolivia.
$ 1t is most significant that thos
N powers who have so long ignored Rom
lie are sending ENJOYS to her court, an
W who shall say that if England, Russia
s: France Turkey, Germany and all tn
lie other nations now engaged in war, hat
r, before the war sent their ENJOYS t
r? the Vatican, that the great Europea
h slaughter now going on might not hav
a been averted? Even though Rome b
ne the rebellion of once loyal nations
ar limited in the exercise or her divin
power. vet she has done more than a
IN the other powers put together to brin
I'd relief to those thousands of wounde
10 soldiers Of all creeds and no creed, wi
ne were languishing in foreign lands. 1t
IN the good offices of our Holy Fatht
n that are bringing back the wounde
~ soldiers to the fresides in their nati1
W, lands which they love and long 70
ed Let Us hope and pray that the day
re not far distant when Rome shall agai
Sc be recognized as the great papal cou
III of arbitration and so avert in the fl
ca ture the awful slaughter that the worl
ne is witness of today. Aye! it is Ron
ne ~, alone that will ever bring about IL
:, understanding necessary to an enduriI
tn peace of nations. For the brotherhot
- of man divorced from the fathcrhot
~ of God is a mere mock.
-, What a rebuke this war of MAJ
Nv nations is to the pride and conce
he which set up the Hague as the purvey
bo of international peace. 1t is Haml
on with Hamlet left out. There it stand
,as a magnificent building-the peace p;
.be ace ut the Hague-to mock its foun
TO- efS; ne money diu hot CONC ny NJ
ri tiplying the bits donated by the poor,
mn no, the money was rolled up mounta
ms, high by manipulating the tariff sehe
is ules and by grinding the face of t
re- poor The peace palace is now silei
as 1t was so filled with emptiness tn
.sts there was no room for the Vicar
BON Christ. It meditated vain things a
or verify it received its reward It's
die ward was not peace but the plaud
nd of those who deny the authority of
h Pope of Rome, of those who would {
hat throne religion in favor of science
- xTR Rr y @NMTc