Show Ecclesiastical Liberty Father McGLYNNs restoration to the full functions of a priest in the Catholic church is one of the topics of the times When he was suspended and refused togo to-go to Rome in obedience to orders from the Vatican it was expected that he would be unfrocked if not excommunicated But time passed on and the turbulent priest remained insubordinate He intimated in-timated in very significant terms that he knew too much of certain affairs at Rome to fear extreme measures in his case And now he goes back to his ecclesiastical duties in full faith and fellowship There were two things on which Father McGLYNN took direct issue with his superior su-perior officers in the priesthood He proclaimed pro-claimed himself in favor of the education of children in the public schools when they could not obtain it conveniently in the parochial schools And he insisted upon his liberty to engage in political affairs as a citizen according to his own free choice These were different from the views of his Archbishop and led to his rebellious conduct and suspension The result has been his triumph in both cases His position on the educational educa-tional question is not very different from that which is assented now by the Catholic Cath-olic authorities though there is yet some difference of opinion among them on the subject His stand on the political question ques-tion is scarcely assailable unless the Catholic church undertakes to direct and control its members and priesthood in politics If the church does not assume the control con-trol which has been charged to it then all its members must be free from its dictation dic-tation in such affairs absolutely and without cny pretense or double meaning If the church takes the ground that it has the right to direct in politics it should make the declaration fairly and without concealment In publicly proclaiming that it does not interfere it leaves all its members independent and cannot justly bring any one under censure for exercising exercis-ing individual freedom But has a priest consecrated to the service of the church the right to engage in political affairs at all As a priest if we understand the Catholic position correctly he may not do so in the United States where church and state are legally separate He must not use this priestly office to induce in-duce or compel any one to act politically in any special direction But this does I not deprive him of his rights as a citizen If he may not talk politics in a private capacity ca-pacity then he may not vote for the same reason If he may act as a citizen at all in politics it must be as a free citizen citi-zen in every sense of the term Father McGLYNN has taken that position and he seems to have maintained it with success It cannot be denied however that there is danger wheneminent ecclesiasts engage en-gage in party controversies or become active ac-tive in any party cause of the association of the sacerdotal with the political so intimately in-timately that they appear to be united as one And when party zeal animates a man it is difficult to divest him of such authority as his priestly office clothes him with and either to others or to himself to refrain from exercising it in efforts to forward for-ward the cause he advocates For this reason men high in ecclesiastical power I are considered out of their sphere when I engaged in party strife and those who respect them most shrink from the sight vhen they appear in the role of partisan gladiator The church is supposed to occupy oc-cupy a higher plane than the political aerna The American idea is to keep the church and the state as distinct in their several spheres as is possible with due regard to j the liberties of all But though the American Am-erican sentiment will not tolerate the strong grasp with which the church in centuries past pas held and controlled political affairs and will resent any ap > t r > > f 1 < pearauce of a return to that condition it does not deny to any ecclesiastical official or dignitary however exalted in his church the right to the full liberties of anAmerican citizen While he does not restrain the freedom of others he must not be deprived of any political privilege himself The liberty of the church must not be infringed in claiming liberty from the church |