The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-02-22

What is the view CT the Church
with regard to savonarola, and what
books pertaining 10 him would you
recommend?
Jerome Sav0narola was famous
Dominican OF the fifteenth century.
He was born at FeTrara, Italy, 1892,
and was hanged and his body burned
in Florence in l49S. Savonarola was
n most remarkable man in many ways.
He was consumed with zeal for the
glory OF God and the publication OF
the Church In 1880 he began his
great sermons in Florence. speaking
from the pulpit CT the Dominican
Church Of San Marco He was made
Prior Of this convent, and continued
his harangues against the evils of the
day. His piety, learning and zeal
drew large numbers 10 the Order, the
number Of religious in San Marco
alone quickly rising from fifty mem
bers to nearly two hundred and fifty.
His fiery eloQuence and burning love
of God drew all classes 70 him. He
attacked numerically the vices and
evils of the day, and made the Medici
family the target of his invectiVe.
Finally Savonarola became enbroiled
with Rome. After several exchanges
OF letters between himself and Pope
Alexander vi the Dominican preacher
was accommodated III 1497. From
that day forward his decline was
rapid. In May, 1893, a riot broke out
in Florence, Sayonarola was arrested
and. basing their sentence on
trumped-up charges, the authorities
condemned the great Dominican to
death.
The Church has not officially pro
nounccd anything with regard tc Sa-
yonarola except what is found in the
various letters of Pope Alexander VI.
The fact is that Savonarola was con-
demned apparently for disobedience
TO the Holy See. Modern critics.
however. have come to his rescue and
have sought to prove that the charges
AGAINST SavOnarOla were false and
that Rome was misinformed as to the
true conditions At the present day
writer's either uphold Sayonarola as q
great light. or they condemn him most
bitterly. Both his friends and enc
mics seem to be extremists. What is
true is that the reputation and the
character Of this great Dominican
have been basely assailed and unjuS-
tifably bIackened by ill-informed writ.
ers Whatever may be said to the
contrary, Sayonarola stood forth as a
great living protest against the fear
full vices Of his age.
The best book on the life and work
of Savonarola, possibly, is that by Vii
lari 1t is entitled, The History OF
Savonarola.'
Why is it predicted in the Bible
that the end CT the world is certain
and tFs23 the world will be destroyed
by fire and at the same time we say
world without cnd?"
There does not exist the contra
dichon that you seem to suspect
Your query indicates that the dim
Guilty is found in the ending CT the
NIOIIG. L IICIt 10 1lSi Il uC' ia
hymn ends with the words Fol
Thou only art holy; Thou only art
the Lord; Thou only, O, Jesus Christ
with the Holy Ghost, art most high
in the glory Of Cod the Father
Amen" You may have meant tbs
Credo, but it concludes And I lool
for the resurrection Of the dead an(
the life Of the world to come" How
ever, many prayers are brought TO 6
close with the words, world without
end. Amen" These words refer tx
eternity, the world to come and no
the existence Of this world or life
The words are q translation from ths
Latin and the Greek, Throughout al
ages" or the eternal ages" The
days OF this world are numbered anc
this world shall pass away. There i:
another world and another existenc,
and it shall never end. 1t is to. tha
eternal life that the words 'worlt
without end refer.
Do the dead see and know what w;
do and think; and are they near US
The latter part Of your query is an
swered in the first part, for if thu
dead are near us it is in the sense
that they know what we do and think
There is no question of physica
nearnesg. This query has been an
swered several times through thi:
column There are some things We
know about the existence beyond thu
grave and there are many NOR,
things concerning which we are LEI
in ignorance. There are still othe'
things about which we may conjec
ture and your query comes under thi
third category. 1t is piously believed
that God will enlighten the blessed il
Heaven concerning those thing
which greatly affected them while o.
earth. Thus we may believe that
pope would know about the progress
of the church on earth; a king woul,
know about the fate of his country
This same principle may be piousl
applied to other classes Of souls, liy
ing and dead
is man obliged to give up wor
that prevents him from going t
Mass?
Considered IS matter of real obi
cation, it is scarcely necessary tina
you would be Obliged to give up you
position. In deciding these matters