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Show : THE FML 3YLLJP1S : x ' 4 With a Refutation of the Errors Which It Condemns J t Translated from the Italian of L'Falconi. f . THE PAPAL SYLLABUS. With, a Refutation of the Errors Which it Condemns. Twenty-ninth Error. "Favors granted grant-ed by the Roman Pontiffs are to be considered null unless they have been obtained through the mediation ot government." gov-ernment." Refutation. Christ said to Peter: "Whatsoever thou shalt loase upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven" quodcunque solveris super terrum erlt solutum Ct in calis. But modern governments gov-ernments give the lie to Christ, and say: "It shall not be thus, and nothing shall be loosed on earth without our intervention." The faithful may perhaps per-haps desire to be exempted from some rule sanctioned by the church, and accordingly petition the Roman Pontiff for a dispensation; now, unless the government be the medium by which this favor is sought and obtained, it must be declared null and void. But some one will put the question: Why are governments so ready to burthen bur-then themselves with the duty of obtaining ob-taining spiritual favors from the Roman Ro-man Pontiff for their subjects? What has the civil power to do with spiritual favors, more especially in these days of ours, when it strives so strenuously to emancipate itself from the influence of Rome, and inculcates so persistently the necessity of separating the State from the Church, and cries out so loudly loud-ly for a fixe Church in a free State? They who seek the accomplishment of these results mask their real designs under a veil of pretended innocence. They divest the devil of all his traditional tradi-tional characteristics, of every vestige of hoof and horn and tail, in order not to unduly alarm the people whom they are endeavoring to mislead. They adopt a variety of expedients, and proceed pro-ceed with the utmost caution and cir- cumspection, contenting themselves with a slow but apparently sure advance ad-vance toward the destined -goal. They have recourse now to one means, now to another, in the effort to separate the faithful from the Roman Pontiff and the priesthood and render them indifferent in-different to their supreme pastor. Sometimes they exclude the clergy from all control over the public schools, sometimes confiscate charitable endowments en-dowments under the pretence that they are incentives to idleness, and establish a system of "legal charities in their place." The people thus lose confidence in their bishops and in the ecclesiastics deputed to superintend the distribution of the alms and to take charge of charitable char-itable institutions, and the bishops and ecclesiastics lose all influence over the people. Again, in order to make the faithful oblivious of their duty to Rome and to the supreme head of the church, it is sought to prevent all direct communication com-munication between them; and, therefore, there-fore, governments endeavor to constitute consti-tute themselves the sole mediums of pontifical favor, and even arrogate to themselves the right to decide as to the propriety of petitioning for such favors. In this way the people, receiving spiritual spir-itual favors only through the mediation of the civil power, are weakened in the devotion to the Holy See, and cease to cherish any sentiment of gratitude toward to-ward the Roman Pontiff. The Church does not fear the underhand under-hand enemies, who thus seek to stand between her and her children. She know that she will prevail over her secret, as well as her open foes, it being written that the gates of hell shall never prevail against her. Conturben-tur Conturben-tur omnes inimici mei; avertantur retrorsum et erubescant valde veloci-ter. veloci-ter. Thus the Church prays, and her prayer will be granted. (To be Continued.) |