The Catholic bulletin., 1918-05-18

dents for the ministry whose parents
are not able to meet the education
bills. The genius of the Catholic
Church makes the Bishop the treasur-
er and director of larger charities.
The support of the diocesan orphan
ages. diocesan seminary and the dio-
cesan home missions, the financing of
such Catholic enterprises as the In
dian and Negro missions, and the con-
tributing to the worthy keep of the
Holy Father-the badge Of true Cath
.Olicity-these works or charities are
handled by the Ordinary through the
generous cooperation of the people of
the diocese. In this diocese there are
two other Catholic works that make
a particular appeal-the Particular
Council of the st. Vincent de Paul
Society, and the Propagation of the
Faith Society, whose diocesan direc-
tor is the Rev. James A. Byrnes, st.
Paul Seminary.
Why are relatives forbidden to
marry?
I OF lNO DIluClJuI ibdSOIlS. OIIC 10
baSed on the natural law; nature alb
h0rs such marriages, and this dislike
is manifested by the physical effect
upon the children, who are often
wanting in mental and bodily devel-
,Opment The other reason may be
styled a spiritual one: the filial re-
spect between near relatives, as mem
bers of the same family, is quite a
different thing from the love between
husband and wife. In several of the
states the civil law takes cognizance
of these considerations and near rela-
tives are forbidden to marry.
Can we subscribe to the saying,
that all men are equal before Goo?
The dictum, 'All men are equal be-
fore Cod" is one of those numerous
generalities that are both true and
false, according, to the angle from
which you view it, Before God, all
men are equal; they have the same
human nature; they are creatures of
God they all have the sape Heaven
same end, are all under the same COM
mandments; all have the same obli-
cations to obey the laws of nature
and God, to live in a manner consO-
nant with the dignity of human be-
ings; all have the right to be treated
in a way becoming rational beings
In these respects-and the enumera
tion could be prolonged-all men are
equal. But there are as many other
respects, although not so important
ones, in which men are not equal, and
to contend that they are equal is tC
close ones eyes to palpable facts
Men are divided in race and color and
social position; some are healthy, 9th
ers sickly; one is rich, another is
poor; some are learned, many are ig
nOrant some are temperate and saw
ing, others are drunkards and spend
thrifts. And the lists of differences
could be almost indefinitely prolonged
The great truth in the saying, "Al
men are equal before God," consists in
this: God does not judge a man &C
cording to his standing in society
his wealth or health, the accident oil
his birth or his fortune; God judges
each man according to his deeds. Vir
tue in the poor and ignorant is just
as precious in His sight as virtue in
the rich and gifted; sin is just as hid
eOus in the great ones of the earth
as in the lowIy ones. Indeed the
advantage is with the lowly because
it is easier to serve God among the
poor and the humble than among the
rich and the talented
am not Catholic; but wouIc
be glad to know what proof you have
that ST. Peter was ever in Rome?
l am glad that you are not the au
thor of the assertion of your query
because, today, no educated man, nc
student of history doubts that st. Pc
ter visited Rome or that he died there
Some Protestant historians. claim thai
st. Peter did not establish the Church
at Rome (and in a certain sense this
is true) and that he never exercised
any authority in Rome; but no reli
able historian asserts that st. Peter
did not live in Rome for a certain
period of his life. Reliable Protestant
historians mention the once-disputeG
point only to apologize for their col
leagues who had ever called the mat
ter into question. The very fact that
for the first thirteen centuries no one
ever doubted st. Peters Roman life
shows how puerile it is to call it into
question. This is an historical ques
ton, and we must follow those rules
that hold in any matter of history
Now it is impossible to read the his
tory of the city of Rome without be
ing convinced of the fact that st
Peter lived there and died there anC
was buried there. The history of thu
city for the last nineteen hundred
years is undecipherable without st
Peter. The very earliest Christian
writer's speak of ST. Peters sojourn il
Rome. Clement of Rome, before thC
close of the first century, refers tC
the presence and martyrdom of SIS
Peter and Paul at Rome; St Ignatius
on his way to Rome to be martyreC
ah ~