The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-12-11
POPULAR APOL0GETvCs
Adapted from the German Of Rev. Pc.
ter Mikes, S. j., by Rev. James.
Watcher. ~,
80. The Syllabus.

Objection: The Syllabus, which de-
MES the State, education and culture,
curses just about everything which is
dear to civilized man.
Answer: According to this we
would have a norm by which to Judge
what is dear to our civilized man. OF
what is the Syllabus composed? In
ten chapters-without cursing-it
gives summary Of eighty errors,
namely:
1. Pantheism Everything is Cod :,
Naturalism (the selfsufficiency of
man without Cod, absolute Rational.
ism denies the possibility of revela-
tion) 40;
2. Moderate Rationalism (which
claims that we can understand with
our mere reason the truths of relig-
ion, even the mysteries) (S-14);
3. Indifferentism and false toler-
ance in religious matters (15-1S);
4. Socialism, Communism. secret
societies, Bible societies; errors re.
garding the Church and its rights Q9-
$50;
5. Errors on the State and its re-
lation to the Church (39-55);
6. Errors on natural and Christian
ethics (56-64; rf
Z. Errors on Christian marriage
(65-74;
s. Errors on the temporal power of
the Pope (75-7G);
8. Errors in connection with mod.
ern Liberalism (77-S0).
But few who criticize it have ever
read it, The errors it contains are
hardly the things most dear to civil
ICED man.
1t is true, it contains many errors
which the modern enemies want, for
example, national churches independ-
ent of Rome (3O, and national coun-
Gil (for Germany (36); total depend
ence of the Church on the State Q9,
2O); direction of theological teaching
by the State (33); limitations of the
Church's jurisdiction (31), and the
power of furnishing ga, e. g. the pow
er to suspend the dependence of bish-
ops on the State in the publication OF
papal DEGREES (2S); all that the
Church teaches outside her dogmas
shall not count (22); she shall not
even teach that she is the only true
Church CID. .
2. AS to the binding force of the
Syllabus for Catholics Professor Ehr.
hard says: "These sentences are to
be considered as errors, but in the
sense in which they are issued by the
Pope" U.iberaler Katholizismus? p.
1922. He agrees with Father Bloet.
ger, s. J., that every Catholic is for
hidden to hold these errors and that
the doctrine in contradiction to these
errors is not in every case dogma
but still is true and Catholic" a.. C
p. 1851. ......
Heiner is of the same opinion ''that
the Syllabus has strictly binding
force is settled fact for every Catho
lie. But the question whether the
Syllabus is an eX cathedra decision
or only law coming from the high
est authority for the whole world, j:
not definitely decided; on this theo
logians are divided and as long as thu
highest teaching authority does no
speak, every Catholic may hold the ont
or other view. But in every case thu
Syllabus binds all Catholics not onl!
outwardly but also in conscience.
der Syllabus, p. 20). g..
In the year 1907 Pope Plus X is
sued another Syllabus of sixty-fiv'
- IF on,
the so-called Modernism. The error
condemned in this Syllabus are as fol
lows: The doctrine of Modernists Of
ecclesiastical decisions (1-8), and Of
Holy Writ (9-19); the Modernist phi
osophy of religion (20-26); the Moo
ERNST Christology (27-3S); the theor
of the Modernists on the Sacrament
(39-5D; the evolution of the Churcl
in regard to its constitution and doc
trine (52-65).
From this short summary we Sc
that Modernism strikes at the YER
life of the Church: her doctrine:
means of grace, and at the very four
dation of the Church-the Divinity 6
Christ. Pope Plus X calls it IAN all
ance between faith and false philost
ply" and says that it arises fro1
pride, which rouses the spirit of di'
obedience and demands cOmpromis
between authority and liberty" H
says that Modernism leads to the al
Inhalation of all religion and calls
sthe summary of all heresies." Hi
great Encyclical "Pascendf' of Sep
3. 1907, is the authoritative condemn;
ton of Modernism.
(For more information see the art
cles aSyllabus" and modernism"
the Catholic Encyclopedia).