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Show LEO Xin REPEATS HIS WARN- ! ING TO CATHOLICS TO STRENGTHEN STRENG-THEN THEIR CHURCH. The Pope has written a letter to Cardinal Car-dinal Respighi, Vicar of Rome, about iue yroheiyiism carried on in certain Protestant sects (American Methodists and Baptists) ( and the Waldensian body. The letter opens thus: "From the very onset of our Pontificate we have had occasion to point out as one of the most deplorable evils brought by the new order of things to this capital of the Christian world the active proselyt-I proselyt-I Ism displayed on the part of heresy and the peril to which the faith of our people was in consequence exposed. And addressing our Cardinal Vicar on this subject (an allusion to the pontifical ponti-fical letters of June 26, 1878, and March 25, 1879) we repeatedly imparted to, the faithful exhortations, counsels and warnings, putting them on their guard against the many efforts which sects of all kinds, introduced from abroad, were here making, -under the shelter of the public law, in order to spread in the minds of believers the poison of denial and error. "It is now clear to every one from the evidence of facts that the design harbored by these heretical sects, ti-v, ; ,. i, , - , . , ""- aie a. manuoia emanation of Protestantism, is to fix the standard of 'religious discord and rebellion in the Peninsula, and chiefly in this Alma Urbs. in which God Himself, by an admirable ad-mirable disposing of events, placed the center of that faithful and sublime unity which was the object of the prayer addressed by our Divine Savior to His Heavenly Father (John xvli., 11-31), and which the Popes jealosly guarded even at the cost of their lives, and despite the opposition of men and ine vicissitudes of time. The sects "not being able to rely upon the strength of the truth, avail themselves them-selves for the extinguishing or weakening weak-ening of the Catholic faith, of the unprotected un-protected tenderness of years, of in-, sufficient education, of the privations of indigence and of the simplicity of many who are exposed to flattery, attractions at-tractions and seduction. "in the face of the facts we feel, first pf all, the need of publicly declaring, de-claring, as we have done on other occasions, oc-casions, how painful is the condition of the head of the. Catholic Church (who is) constrained to behold the free and progressive advance of heresy j in this Holy City, whence should be spread throughout the whole world the light of truth and of example, and which should be the honored seat of the Vicar or Jesus Christ. As though the torrent of unwholesome teaching and depravity, which daily and with impunity comes from books, professors' chairs, theatres and journals, were not enough, to all these causes of perversion per-version there has been added the in sidious activity of heretical men, who in conflict among themselves find accord ac-cord only in traducing the supreme Pontifical authority, the Catholic Clergy, and the dogmas of our holy religion, the meaning of which, and still more the agust beauty, they are unable to understand. "On this account the faithful, who from all parts, even the most remote, come on pilgrimage to Rome in order to find hsre comfort for their piety and their faith, are deeply affected at see ing this soil, which has been bathed with the blood of the martyrs, invaded by sects of every kind, intent only upon rooting up from the soul of the people that religion which, none the less, has been declared the religion of the state, and which forms the principal princi-pal object of their love and veneration. "You will easily understand, my Lord Cardinal, how painful this state of things is to our heart, and how lively Is our desire to see appropriate remedies applied, and such as may be able, if not to altogether remove the evil, to at least lessen its gravity and bitterness. And it is for this reason that we received great consolation from an excellent work, to which we ourselves our-selves gave the inspiration and impulse, im-pulse, which is called that of the Preservation Pres-ervation of the Faith, and still more from the good results, which it has begun be-gun to give, owing to the untiring care of those who direct it or who belong to It." "Let all endeavor' to strengthen the character of the Catholic people by in spiring noble and holy resolutions, and at" the same time by warning the incautious in-cautious that under the harmless guise of colleges for youths, seminaries semi-naries for, girls, schools of, foreign languages, a higher education, assistance assist-ance to needy families, there is hidden the wicked design of insinuating in minds and hearts condemned heretical principles. Let the faithful be convinced con-vinced of the truth, that nothing can be greater or more precious than the treasure of that faith for which their fathers, fearlessly faced not only want and misery, but frequently violent persecution and death itself. "And this feeling -of strength cannot but be. natural and deep-rooted in the souls of this our population, which knows well that the Catholic Church not only possesses divine characteristics, characteris-tics, which distinguish it as the only true one and the only one which has received the nrnmisw of immnriai nfo but that it has also at all times conferred con-ferred inestimable benefits upon Rome, Italy and the world, overcoming barbarism bar-barism by the justice and the civilza-tion civilza-tion of its manners, spreading, as St. Leo the Great well says (Serm. I. in Natale SS. Petri et Pauli), the sway of Christian peace far beyond the limits exploded by the Roman eagles; saving letters, libraries, culture and monuments; monu-ments; inspiring every order of science and art; giving help to the weak, the poor, and the downtrodden, by generous affection and the magnanimity magnan-imity of sacrifice and heroism." |