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Show WHY CATHOLICS SHOULD CONTRIBUTE CON-TRIBUTE TO PETER'S PENCE. Few Catholic laymen pay more than a passing thought to the subject of "Peter's Pence," and fewer still have ever taken the trouble to figure out for themselves the reaSons why the faithful all over the world should contribute con-tribute generously to this fund according accord-ing to their means. The church, as a valiant bishop, long gone to his re-warl, re-warl, said, is the world's great spiritual organization; and while it i. militant in its earthly career it must submit to the conditions and exigencies of its mundane mun-dane state. When triumphant in heaven it will be freed from all earthly earth-ly necessities. The spirit of poverty the Savior commended to His apostles is manifested in the church when her ministers use the wealth which Catholic charity places at their self-aggrandizement, but in "furthering the work of the kngdom of God. The over the whole Christian world, and to sovereign pontiff, whose ' charge is whom is also entrusted the apostleship apostle-ship of the nations that the yet in the darkness of infidelity, must send the message of salvation far and near, and bear the many burdens which the solicitude of all the churches imposes on him. He must treat with Catholic nations, and watch over their ppiritual interests by his legates and his nuncios. He must in part maintain in the great senate of his cardinals arid the numerous numer-ous body of officials- who. in-their different dif-ferent departments, expedite the business busi-ness of the universal church. The duty of watching over the doctrine, the laws, i the discipline, the government, the rites and ceremonies of the church, the duty of appointing bishops throughout through-out the world, of answering consultations, consulta-tions, of solving doubts, of hearing appeals, ap-peals, of judging ecclesiastical causes both criminal and civil, of correcting, instruct inc. warning, advising all this necessitates a numerous staff of men learned in the sacred sciences and fit fo be, the consulting theologians of the Vicar of Christ. Under the guidance of the holy spirit, they preserve intact that deposit of sound doctrine which the Catholic church holds in trust for mankind. For the mere maintenance of the pope himself little more would be needed than for any other bishop of the church. It is very probable that, apart from a certain state which he must observe, in deference to his position posi-tion and to establish usage, his own personal expenditure might be a pattern pat-tern of apostolic poverty for us all. If the holy father requires a large income it is not for himself: it is for the spir-itual spir-itual service of mankind that he needs it. 'Pittsburg Observer. |
