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Show burcb and tbe Papacy Catholic England Before the Reformation Pope's Supremacy Su-premacy and Spiritual Authority Acknowledged. (Written for Intermountain Catholic.) The quarrels between the Church and state in England from the advent of the Norman rulers to the reign of King John, clearly show that the English En-glish people were loyal Catholics, also that hostility to the Papacy at no time meant opposition to any Catholic teaching concerning faith and morals. But the faith then was the same as it has been since, the same creed, sacraments sacra-ments and moral teaching. Nor did the quarrels mean a denial of the supremacy su-premacy of the Supreme Pontiff, but simply a curtailing of the exercise and extent of his jurisdiction. Both these facts have been demonstrated in the historical- narrative of the different contests. To show that misunderstanding and hostility began after the Conquest, a brief review of the early English church, and the loyalty of its rulers to Rome, will dispel the idea of a distinct dis-tinct or separate church from that of the Catholic. Wales, as a separate and independent province, was thoroughly Catholic and sent its ruler, "Howel the Good," to Rome to solicit the Pontiff's benediction on laws enacted, both civil and ecclesiastical. From the other side of the channel the Dukes of Brittany left a pledge of their faith and loyalty to the Holy See. Their declaration, as found in the records, is: "Our forefathers fore-fathers from the hour they became Christians were never guilty of apostasy; apos-tasy; they lived up to Rome's laws; and to the commands of the Roman See they never offered opposition." During the Saxon heptarchy its kings were loyal subjects of the Roman Pontiff. "I, Wiltred," wrote one ruler, "an earthly king, . . . forbid to all kings our successors, and to ealdor-men ealdor-men and all laymen, any lordship whatever over the churches." Mercia, an ancient Anglian kingdom in the interior of England under reign of King Alfwold, according to the Anglo-Saxon Anglo-Saxon "chronicle," sent to Rome in 7S0 for a pall and invested Eanbald as archbishop. There is a record of ten Saxon kings going to Rome to make their obeisance to the Holy Father. Beginning with Coeadwalla, who journeyed there for baptism, we have in order Ine. Offa, Coenred, Offa, Siric,' P.Urhed, Eardulf, Ethelwulf, and lastly, Canute the Dane, crossing the Alps and paying their tributes of respect to the Holy Father. One of the aforenamed. Ethelwulf, according ac-cording to the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, "sent his son, Alfred, in S53, to Rome and Pope Leo consecrated him king and took him for his son at confirmation." confirma-tion." King Eardwulf of Northum-bria, Northum-bria, being deposed, went to Rome in 808 to plead his own case with Leo III. He was restored to his kingdom, and returned .with the Pope's legate, who made the announcement to his subjects. sub-jects. The last of the Saxon kings, St. Edward, unable to visit Rome, asked the Pope to commute his vow. His request was granted, and in lieu of the king's pilgrimage we have the historic abbey of Westminster, founded by Edward Ed-ward the Confessor in the eleventh century. cen-tury. As we dig down into early English history, brush aside its discoloring? and exaggerations and deal with naked facts, we learn that all pretensions of a national church, or one distinct and separate from Rome, is a myth. The Faxon kings proclaimed their allegiance, allegi-ance, whilst the last of that race was canonized in 1161 by Pope Nicholas II. The Venerable Bede, an authorative ecclesiastical writer born at Wear-mouth, Wear-mouth, in Northumberland, in, 673. tells "that the Roman pilgrimaged a pious practice of early times, though accompanied accom-panied by feurml hardships and riskj was accomplished by crowds, noble and ignoble, und always, too, with th commendation of the king." The "chronicles'' relate that in baj no pilgrimage pil-grimage was made "except that Kirn; Alfred sent two couriers with letters. ' From the time of England's conversion to Christianity down to the Conquest there is no vestige of an Anglican church, the "spiritual" and "the temporal" tem-poral" moved harmoniously on, each In us own sphere. There may huve been irritations caused by diplomacy, but the unity of fuith was preserved and the spiritual authority of the Father of Christendom was never denied. No more loyal or faithful Catholics than those of old England could b found. Not only did the kings, burons and common people of England submit to the Pope's spiritual authority during dur-ing the Middle -Ages, but to show their loyalty and love they were the first to establish Peter's Patrimony or Peter's Pence. Bede mentions the fact that "Kings Kenulf and Oswy sent presents to the Apostolic Pope, and many presents pres-ents of gold and silver." Kenulf. king of Mercia, sent annually to Rome 3u5 mancuses, an old English coin valued at Z) pence. This sum of forty-live pounds sterling was sent "to support the poor and to supply oil for the numerous nu-merous lamps in St. Peter's." Nor were these isolated cases. The king of Wessex, Ethelwulf, sent rich and costly gifts to Pope Benedict III. To show that these gifts were voluntary volun-tary and not a matter of diplomacy, it is only necessary to remark that Ethelwulf Ethel-wulf in his last will ordered a continuance continu-ance of his gifts, "in honor of St. P'eter, specially to buy oil for the lights of the church." William of Malmesbury. an English historian born at the close of the eleventh century, wrote that King Ethelwulf "went to Rome and there offered to St. Peter that tribute which England pays to this day." King Canute, the Dane, enacted a law that all his subjects should pay "the Peter's Pence according to the ancient law." What are the conclusions from thesu array of facts? (1) If an Anglican or national church existed prior to the Reformation, there is no mention made of it. (2) Pontifical jurisdiction was acknowledged and exercised. (3) Catholic Cath-olic cathedrals, monasteries and various vari-ous other Catholic institutions were built all over England by loyal and faithful English Catholics prior to the Reformation. (4) English kings, barons bar-ons and common people acknowledged the supremacy of the Pope by their pilgrimages to Rome and their generous gener-ous offerings. (5) In all quarrels the unity of faith was not. broken: all believed be-lieved in the same sacraments, the same holy sacrifice of the Mass, as was taught and believed from the beginning. begin-ning. (6) Wil'.iiim the Conqueror did not interfere with the liturgy or doctrine doc-trine of the Church, nor did he or his two sons dispute the supremacy of the rope. Collier, an Anglican historian, says that "though he took care to make the most of his crown, and, it may be. strained his prerogative too far upon j the Church in. some cases, yet he never j carried the point so far as to depose j any bishop." Up to the cpen revolt of Henry VIII. whether we view the j Church and state working harmonious- j ly together, or assuming hostile atti- j tudes because of the "new customs." f therp H no question of any church ex- j cept that of the Roman Catholic to I which the English people, as a body, I were loyal, and for which many, after the Reformation, laid down their lives. (To Be Continued.) j |