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Show Papacy in the Light of History. "Historian" Would Like to Know "Who Gave Gregory Jurisdiction Juris-diction Over Britain?,,---Henry VIII Cited Against Martin Luther. Editor Intermountain Catholic: It is not fact that the assumed power of the Bishop of Rome was, in every age, opposed by both' the civil and ecclesiastical ec-clesiastical authorities? The jurisdiction jurisdic-tion which he assumed to exercise in newly converted lands was. as a matter mat-ter of fact, strenuously opposed from the beginning. It was so in England. He may have claimed. It. but a simple claim Is not a right. This is especially j true in England, where the British repelled re-pelled all attempts of the Saxons to I force upon them the rule of Rome, or be subjected to its juri-sdiction. Who gave Gregory jurisdiction over Rrit-ain'.' Rrit-ain'.' The resistance offered shows that the jurisdiction which he claimed was usurped. Against such usurpation., usurpa-tion., sale of indulgences, gross Immoralities Im-moralities and superstitions, Martin Luther protested. England, yearning for liberty and spiritual emancipation, joined the ranks of the German reformer. re-former. Are these facts not historically historical-ly true? HISTORIAN. Salt Lake. Feb. 23. 190$2. Authority is the legal power to command com-mand or govern. Both civil and ecclesiastical ec-clesiastical authority are limited lim-ited by jurisdiction, which is the moral power of ruling those who are subject to authority. In civil matters, the ruler of a nation has no lawful authority au-thority outside of the country which he governs. President Roosevelt's authority, which is legitimate in the United States, could not be exercised in Canada Cana-da or Mexico, any more than a judge could pass sentence outside of the district dis-trict to which his jurisdiction is limited. lim-ited. College graduates must receive their diplomawetore they can pract'ee their profession. Military and naval commanders can not go beyond the bounds of territory to which their commission com-mission limits their jurisdiction. Jurisdiction, so necessary in civil matters, is equally applicable to religious relig-ious matters. The source of all authority au-thority is God. "There is no power unless un-less from God." The exercise of that power and authority is jurisdiction and subject to a higher and more competent authority. Where do we find such authority? au-thority? T ask the soldier serving his country, and he immediately names the commander-in-chief of the army. I ask the Christian soldier, and the answers received are vague, indefinite, even contradictory. Has God left the soul, in a matter of such vital importance, in doubt and in uncertainty? Sepera-tion Sepera-tion from legitimate authority means schism, and God. desiring the salvation salva-tion of all, must, in religious as well as civil matters, be represented by a visible authority, on whom he conferred con-ferred jurisdiction. When He said to Peter: "Feed my sheep," the power V) make laws and enforce same, also the power to pass sentence on all who came within his spiritual jurisdiction, was divinely constituted. To thes words the Catholic church traces the divine origin of the jurisdiction which is conferred on the successors of St. Peter as soon as they are elected. Being Be-ing exclusively confined to jurisdiction, it is entirely distinct from the episcopal epis-copal order. A-s expressed by Suarez: "Acts of pontifical jurisdiction, as such, are not acts of order of consecration, nor flow from it; so neither are acts of episcopal jurisdiction." St. Ambrose Am-brose briefly expresses the fountain and continuance of spiritual jurisdiction in the words: "Where Peter is. there is the Church." In Catholic taching, this principle of jurisdiction has been considered con-sidered essential to and inseparable from the true Christian faith. Now comes the answer to our correspondent. corre-spondent. He virtually admits that Pope Gregory the Great claimed and exercised jurisdiction over all England. Even if opposed "by civil and ecclesiastical eccles-iastical authorities." what follows? Christianity and its divine founder were opposed by the civil and religious authorities at the very beginning. be-ginning. Were they then wrong? What proves too much proves nothing, is a principle of logic. The minority in congress oppose the Republican Re-publican majority in the Filipino question. ques-tion. That opposition does not mlrl-tate mlrl-tate against the United States sovereignty sover-eignty and jurisdiction over the islands. isl-ands. In. a former, communication. "Historian" "His-torian" referred to Gregory the Great's ! opposition to the title, ecumenical I bishop, styling thope who would claim I such title as Antichrist, yet he asks, "Who gave him jurisdiction over Brit- ! ain?" The fact that he sent mission- I aries shows the he knew he had the ! right to exercise jurisdiction, just aa the United States, by sending soldiers to the Orient, knows it has the right to exercise its authority and jurisdiction jurisdic-tion over these distant inlands. All nations na-tions concede our right, so did all Christian nations acqueisoe in Gre-g- ory's spiritual jurisdiction in England. The refusal of the British to accept any dictation from the Saxons was because be-cause of the hostile feelings which existed ex-isted between the two races. How this 1 ; emnity could be construed into an argument ar-gument against papal supremacy acknowledged ac-knowledged by all Christian people, surpasses all comprehension. As well urge the political emnity between th Democrats and Republicans to the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the United States over the Philippine isl- ! ands. i But we are told that "the resistance . ; offered shows that Gregory not only I ! exceeded his authority, but that the jurisdiction which he claimed was usurped." The answer, "What proves 1 too much proves nothing," would again apply to this process of reasoning. Re- 1 sistance to Christ and Christianity came from the Roman empire, also from the synagogue. Therefore, Christianity Chris-tianity was an usurpation. "The resistance offered shows that Gregory exceeded his authority." Noth- ing of the kind. On the contrary, if his claiVn was not just, then the whole of Christendom was in error, and that, I too, from the very dawn of the Chris- tian era. Such assumption of author-, ity and the universal recognition of the pope's supremacy and spiritual jurisdiction ju-risdiction by all Christendom, from the beginning. Is more 'difficult'1 to explain . m the supposition of usurpation than any other theory that could be alleged. al-leged. "Historian" makes a final appeal to Martin Luther, who protested against. such usurpation, sale of indulgences, gross immoralities and superstitions." Luther's protest counts for nothing more than that of an anarchist, communist, com-munist, or nihilist against a constitu- ; 1 tlonal government. Pitted against Luther is another great reformer as " f well. If not better, versed in theological lore. Henry VIII, defending the seven . sacraments, wrote: "When Luther so : f Impudently asserts, and this against i j his former declaration, that the pope ' ' I has no kind of power over the Catholic f church, no, not so much as human. but that he has by sheer force usurped the sovereignty, I greatly wonder how ' f he should expect his readers to be - I either so credulous or dull as either to ! ? believe that a priest without any ' weapon or company to defend him, a.! doubtless he was before he became pos- sessed of that which Luther says he ' J has usurped, could ever have hoped to j gain, without any right or title. ?uch ' empire over so many bishops, his I equals, in so many different and dis- tant nations; or that all people should believe that all cities, kingdoms, provinces, prov-inces, had been so reckless of their : own affairs, rights and liberties as to give to a strange priest an amount of power over them such as he could have : hardly dared to hope for." j Henry's refutation of Luther's charge of usurpation is as cogent and un- answerable now as it was in the six- ! teenth century, and doubtless Henry I had in mind Pope Gregory's letter to St. Augustine, in which the pope de- fined the latter's jurisdiction. St. f Gregory, in his letter of instruction to j St. Augustine, wrote: "Your brother- i hood will, moreover, have subject to you not only the bishops whom you , or the bishop of York may ordain, but all the bishops of Britain, by authority author-ity of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. Over the bishops of Gaul ws give you no authority hut with respect to the bishops of Britain, . we commit them all to your brotherhood." brother-hood." We pass over the charges of sale of indulgences, gross immoralities, etc.. 1 ' which affect the human side of the church, and have no more bearing on the supremacy and spiritual jurisdiction jurisdic-tion of the DODe than has the criminal ; record of our courts on the authority - ' 3 t and jurisdiction of the president of the 5 United States. What England's atti- -i tude was we will explain in our next j communication. (To be Continued.) |