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Show HTfflE FL 3ILLJP13 : t : . With a Refutation of the Errors Which It Condemns : : " - Translated from the Italian of L'Falconl. (Translated from the Italian by L. 1 Falconl.) j Twenty-third Error. "The Roman I Pontiffs and Ecumenical Councils have usurped the rights of princes, exceeded ex-ceeded the limits of their powers, and erred even in defining matters of faith and morals." Refutation. What rights did Roman Pontiffs and Ecumenical Councils usurp? Without an army and with comparatively insignificant resources, how were they able to overcome the mighty ones of the earth and rob them of their rig-hts? "Ah," say our adversaries, adver-saries, "it was by abusing their spiritual spirit-ual authority and imposing upon the Ignorance alike cf peoples and kings." But did the Popes possess a monopoly of knowledge in those dark and ignorant ig-norant ages? Were there not learned apostates from the ranks of the regular regu-lar and secular clergy, who would have been only too glad to enlighten the temporal rulers as to the abuse of the spiritual authority and the pretended usurpations of Rome? That they did not fail to do this the persecutions suffered by some of the Roman Pontiffs Pon-tiffs at the hands of certain monarchs are a sufficient proof. But even in exile and in chains, the Vicar of Christ stiil continued to condemn the tyrannical exercise of the royal prerogative pre-rogative and all injustice of whatever kind; and his voice was eventually heard and obeyed. What does this prove? It proves that he spoke the truth and proclaimed the right; and this truth and this right dispelled the clouds of calumny with which his enemies en-emies sought to envelope him, and by a virtue peculiarly their own, penetrated pene-trated the minds and hearts of men, overtaking the sophisms of ambitious prelates, anti-popes and the schismat-ical schismat-ical participators in the assemblies held at Worms, which launched decrees de-crees of deposition against those great Pontiffs, Alexander I. and George VI. The latter died in exile because, as he himself said, he loved justice and hated iniquity; in other words, iniquity iniqui-ty triumphed for a time over justice which he defended against all the power of Henry II. The Roman Pontiffs invaded no rights, usurped no prerogatives; they merely acted in accordance with their duty as the common fathers of Chris--tendom, and in virtue of the express authority reposed in them by princes thomfelves. In those days monarchs preferred to place themselves under the protection of the Pope, rather than be obliged to involve their subjects in continual warfare. They really became be-came vassals of the church, well knowing know-ing that under the protecting aegis of her authority they would be secure-from secure-from the attacks of ambitious neighbors. neigh-bors. Thus was formed that law of nations which constituted the Pope the supreme arbiter of the disputes which j arose between different states, or be- l tween monarchs and their subjects, j and which, while it guaranteed ampl. protection to rulers in the just exercise exer-cise of their powers, prevented thin from imposing new burdens on their people, and even from increasing the taxes already existing. But the pow- of the Popes has passed away. Ti rulers of the earth have wandered fr.:, their common fathers, and scattered to the winds the rich patrimony wht-'h the church had accumulated for them by the labor of ages. A study of the history of the middle ages will convince all candid and impartial im-partial minds that the Popes, in exert- ; Ing a supervisory jurisdiction over tho ! conduct of sovereigns, opposed a barrier bar-rier to oppression, and that, they -ii- therefore, even from a philanthropic, or humanitarian standpoint deserving ? the? highest credit. If in the dsig::s of Divine Providence th ir auth'-nr -! bad been respected in later times h .-I .-I many foreign wars and interna! iv... j lutions. would have ln.-fti averted? j much misery and bloodshed spared t . ) society? The Popes established a. j brotherhood among nations and thn-t j obviated, in a great measure, the n.- eessity of an appeal to the sword. We l with all our vaunted progress. h:i.- not as yet begun to recognize arbitration arbitra-tion as a principle of international lav. ; j- the cannon is our sol umpire: th" !: M of batttle the only court in shk!i w decide our differences. Let the enemies ene-mies of the Papacy slander the li'iman Pontiffs as they will; the impartial student of history admits that without with-out their intervention civilization itself it-self would have perished from the fa of the earth; that the so-called usurpations usurpa-tions attributed tn thm and to th Ecumenical Councils consisted wholly whol-ly in opposing a barrier to the mad ambition of those rude princes, who had no taste for the arts of peace and were guided solely by the instincts . i war. The assertion that the Roman Pontiffs Pon-tiffs and the Ecumenical Councils have erred in defining matters of faith or morals is a calumny repeated a thousand times and as often refuted. To attempt to fasten an error upon the church is to give the lie to her Divine Founder, who promised that the gates of hell should not prevail against her and that He would send the Paraclete Para-clete to remain with her forever. Truth is the very essence of the church; once she loses it she ceases by that very fact to be the church. Let us, therefore, there-fore, give Penan credit for consistency consisten-cy in denying the Divinity of Christ, because He certainly cannot be God. if He is false to H13 promises or unable un-able to fulfill them. But Kenan is. a. 1 stench in the nostrils of his own j friends. Christ has conquered. Christ j reigns, and the Almighty will make ' I Hi: enemies His footstool. Ponam ini- . t micos tuos se.abellum pedum tuorum. I (To be continued.) j |