The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-10-30
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or ineonsidsrsts

Church is perversey misunderstood by prideful
people through the centuries We should not be
alarmed by this fact surprised at it. Our Lord
told us to expect it: They have prosecuted Me;
they will persecute you" And the persecution is
mysteriously changed to blessing, for Christ has
said that we are blessed when we suffer persecu-
ton for His sake. Besides the disciple is not above
the master"
There is one unfailing mark about the verbal
persecution to which the Church is constantly sub
jected. That is its unimaginstiveness its deadly
stalenesS. II consists in saying the things
over and over, repeating in dull and almost NOR
onc monotone little list of falsehoods that have
been million times refuted The tune of the libel
in high places and low as dreary as the tune
the old died of; only the tune, despite its
deadly effect of boredom, is one the old Church
steadfastly refuses to die of.
New words are set TO the old tune but the old
tune is never changed. When the pet expression of
a moment is having its faddish run, il is used
against the Church One such expression that used
to be popular is "ensavement of reason" that
phrase has had its day The currently popular word
is "totalitarian;" a runner-up is "undemocratic"
Quite naturally these current and popularly mean
ingless mouthngs are used to abuse the everlasting
Church.
One OF the latest to hit the headlines with a
tresome TRADE of clches against Christ and His
Church is the Most Reverend and Right Honorable
Godfrey Francis Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury
and Primate of All England. Wrapping his title
about him. this august parsonage recently to
give a word of recommendation to dirty little
booklet published by the Anglican Society for Pro
noting Christian knowledge
We need not rehearse the tiresome round of
charges and diatribes offered in the booklet.-au-
thored by Some Priests of the Anglican Commun-
ON Wp he OI is as
tous but not as melodic Three Blind Mice" The
charges touch upon papal nfallibity fthe doctrine
is really nonsense, indulgences sale of rosary
beads dscipline OF laity by clergy cspiritua bully
ing'1 proselytzing covering factual divorce under
cloak of invalid and annullable marriages.
There is a strong phrase that inevitably comes
TO mind when one glances over the old familiar
list furnished in the old familiar order of old ia
miliar misstatementS misrepresentation half and
quarter-truhs presented full truths, and all with
the snooy Sneer of the halEeducated and upStart
charlaan. The phrase is this strong but scrptural
you will find it in ProUerbs rrUi II: "As dog that
returneh to his yomit is the fool that repeateh
his folly"
Passing many Of the items in this delectable
dish of regurgtated folly we pause moment upon
this IS. il is we'll known that the countries of
Western Europe in which communism is strongest
to-day predOminantiy Roman Catholic
tries This is notable example Of the half-truth
or quarter-truth that the basementbargain in
tellgence of "Some Priests of the Anglican Com
munion' should be able to recognize the shah
best sort of shysersm These countries where Com
munism flourshes Catholic in their background
and tradition and many deyout non-Communstic
Catholics live there to-day but these countries have
been for decades under the control OF antl-clerca
and anti-Catholic governments, and filled with anti
Catholic social and political organizations eager TO do
the work espoused by "Some Priests of the Anglican
Communion" that is to destroy the Catholic Church.
The Communism which takes its rise from anti-Ca-
thocity is now by Sapient Britishers, exhibited as
the natural offspring of Caholicity itself And this
in booklet which Time calls, "a closely reasoned
piece of polemc," All, Time. Time!
But the thing to be noted here is this. clergy
man, or group of clergymen, setting out TO upset a
religious organization may be led to their gentle task
by what they consider abuses or even falsites in
the institution they seek to destroy. But the plain
est and most fundamental intelligence that
their approach to their labor ought not to center
upon what they. by personal infallibity, Judge 10
be faulty false institution but upon the ques-
tion of whether il is, by any chance, divnely
founded institution. Ii what they feel TO be crying
abuses and tremendous wrongs exist in divine in
stituton, they still cannot charge in and try to de-
stroy the institution The Angecans cannot hate
the Church of Christ more than the members of the
old Sanhedrin hated it, they cannot bitterly
charge the Church with abuses irregularities. faSi-
ties, nonsense, than the Jewish Council brought
against it. But Gamalel charged the Council with
words of sanity IF this work be of men, il
will TO nought but if it be of God, you cannot
overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found even TO
fight against God"
II the Priests of the Anglican Communion "
bent upon doing book about the Catholic Church,
had had any sense, they would have begun their
work with little study, and perhaps short prayer,
to make sure that they were not attacking the one
true Church established by Christ Even If they
found abuses in it, they should remember that
the Church is wheatfield oversown with cookie; a
net with all manner of fishes. good and bad That
Judas was traitor no reason for destroying the
College of Apostles II still the College of Apos-
ties But the basic question never occurred to the
Anglican "priests" who hated Something, and
wanted holly to be at the work of chastsing it. And
to work they went but hardly with the jolly Disney
song upon their lips, "Hi-ho hho, now off TO work
we go
II would be very amusing, if it were not tragic
TO find solemn, If somewhat silly, clergymen chant
ing intalihly that nfallibility is nonsense II
would be laughabe, We're it not also occasion
for tears, to discover ehurchmen complaining bit
terly about "proSelytizng." and claiming that ii il