The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-03-16

fire relieves it OF none OF us opliSd-
tions. they would remain even IL there
was no insurance. Perhaps the COM
pany declared itself bankrupt. In this
case the law will take care OF It's
creditors as we'll as possible, and then
no individual member OF the corpora
ton can afterward be held responsible
for the debts, unless, OF course, such
a member is culpably guilty of having
brought the insolvency about. Ii this
can he demonstrated the law will duly
nunish him, and he will be bound IN
conscience to repair the damages to
creditors. But if the corporation went
bankrupt through no fault OF its own,
declared its bankruptcy, afterward re-
organized and succeeded in business,
it would not be responsible for the old
debts
How many Bishops are there in the
U. S. A., and how many all over the
world?
In the United States there are four
teen ecclesiastical provinces, ninety
nine dioceses, and two vicars-apostolic
ninety-siX Bishops, making total Of
one hundred and ten. In the entire
world there are over sixty Cardinals,
twelve Patriarchs, 80 ArchbishoDs and
1911 bishops OF the Latin Rite, togeth-
er with % Archbishops and - Bishops
of the Oriental Rites. (These figures
are taken from the Ecclesiastical Re-
view. January, 1913, The Survey Of
the Hierarchy" by Ri. Rev. Chas. w.
Currier).
Why does the priest rc-baptize a
Protestant when he becomes Catho-
lie?
No one is ever re-baptizcd. Baptism
can be received only once. In receiv-
ing a baptized Protestant into the
Church the Sacrament Of Baptism is
administered conditionally with the
form. IF thou art not baptized, | bap.
tie thee in the name Of the Father
and of the Son and CT the Holy Ghost"
This safeguard IS necessary because Of
the lax views and careless practice re
garding baptism that generally prevails
outside the Church.
Is Saint Peters Church in Rome
the Pcpe's Cathedral?
The great Basilica OF Saint Peter
in Rome is not q Cathedral. From
the word itself we designate by q
Cathedral q church where a Bishop
has his oficiA throne The Lateran
Basilica in Rome, which is dedicated
TO Christ the Saviour and to Saint
John the Baptist as a secondary pa
iron, is the Cathedral CT the Pope 1t
is for this reason that Saint John
Lateran is called the Mother and
Mistress OF all the churches" Before
the occupation of Rome the Popes
were crowded in the Lateran Basihca
and it is in this church that the Car
dinal Vicar Of Rene holds solemn or
dinatiOns. 1t is a common error on
the part of many writer's to call Saint
Peters the Cathedral CT Christendom.
There is no historical or liturgical
reason for thus designating Saint
Peters Church.
why nave we EuI seven
ments, and not mere or less?
Because Christ instituted but sew
en- Sacramento, neither more or less.
The Church has no power to change
the number of Sacram neither to
add nor to subtract. Christ might
have given us other Sacramento; He
might have instituted fewer Sacra,
ments; bat He did not choose to do
so, and so we accept His teaching, au,
thoritatively promulgated by the
Church, that the Sacraments are
seven in number.
Are there any sins that the Church
cannot forgive?
There are 40 sins that the Church
cannot forgive provided the sinner
places no obstacles in the way of thei1
forgiveness. The power of forgivina
sins, granted by Christ to His Church
is not restricted to some particular
sorts of sins nor to some peculiar
class of sinners. There is no sin, nc
matter how heinous, that may not be
forgiven, and no sinner, however de
PRAYED, who may not be absolved pro
vided he repent of his sins. The only
unfOrgivable sin is that which the
sinner himself will not allow to be for
given, but prevents it's forgiveness by
his lack of faith or hope or charity
The words of our Lord are most uni
versal: Whatsoever thou shalt bind
etc. whatsoever thou shalt loose, ETC.; ?
Whose sins you shall forgive, whose
sins you shall retain" God will for
give every person every sin provided
the sinner is sorry and is willing tc
make the proper amends; the priest
in confession is bound to grant abso
luton to everybody who manifests
these proper dispositions
Is it true that ST. Augustine did no,
believe in purgatory?
On the contrary it is true that St
Augustine and other early writer's oil
the Church have left us the most con
vincing proof that the belief in pur
gatory was general among Christians
in their day. In Matt xii, XII 80 We
are told: HE that shall speak agains
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven
him in this world nor in tho Unrlf