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Show ! The Pope and I The Philippines 5 The Roman Pontiffs, with Co-operation of the Kings of ! Spain, "Destroyed Slavery, Promoted Arts and Letters Thus Elevating the Condition of the People. ' (Trarislatod for Freeman's Journal.) 4 F"f future memory of this matter: J The islar 1s. which !ie scattered far : and vide "v,Jr ,ne Indian and Pacific weans, and which have derived their ranif, "The Philippines," from Philip of Spain, were no sooner discovered " at the beginning of the sixteenth cen- 1 tury by Hernandez di Magellan than! ivith the tdgn of the most holy cross, ; j;ey were consecrated to God and, in : 8 manner, devoted to the Catholic religion. re-ligion. From that time the Roman pontiffs, I ff-ronded by the remarkable zeal for the I propagation of the faith of Charles V j and his s'n Philip, studiously endeav-j endeav-j red to win the islanders from their j jdo'atrous worship to the faith of I Christ. By the ;race of God and the I valorous work of the members of dlf-I dlf-I ff-rent religious orders Christianity so '" prospered that in a short time Gregory i XIII, desiring to perfect the youthful 1 church by the presence of a bishop, j fnured the see of Manila. The se-quel se-quel fully corresponded to this aus-: aus-: pirious beginning. Our predecessors, with the co-opera- II tion of the kings of Spain, destroyed I la very, promoted the study of art and letters among the natives, provided for the erection of sumptuous temples, and I Increased the number of dioceses to I fuch extent that the church and peo-I peo-I r'e of the, Philippines became justly cmir.guished for the splendor of their civilization and for the dignity and a nf their religious spirit. Thus was ; atholieism rightly and regularly administered ad-ministered under the tutelage of the kings of Spain through the right of patronage accorded them by the Ro- Iir.an pontiffs. Rut the fortune of war, which changed the civil government of the rountry. lias involved changes in the fi'iritua! government also. For, with the cassation of Spanish rule the ! right of patronage of the Spanish kings has also ceased, and the church has feme into greater liberty with the just partition nf its rights from those of the civil government. I This new condition of things demanded de-manded instant and sedulous attention provide for the modus agendi and the amended regulations required to prevent the vigor of eccelsiastical administration ad-ministration from being impaired. To thip end we sent our venerable brother Man, Louis ('hapelle, archbishop of N'-w .Orleans, to the Philippine islands I our delegate extraordinary to report "n the conditions and to make such provisions as would not brook delay. He carried out the mission entrusted t" hini in a manner corresoonding to ur confid-nce in him. and has thereby I t"'n found worthy to receive well-de- Ted praise from us. Subsequently, Is ty our satisfaction, the government of 'he rni!--,i States of America under-'""k under-'""k to send a special legation to con-fl-r with the holy see for the solution "f some .jU'stions touching Catholicity-ir Catholicity-ir the Philippine islands. We gladly f't'oiKie,! iu. enterprise, and. thanks to sk ;; and moderation of the nego-,la nego-,la easy way was opened for a F"t,l-ni' which is now to be carried out 'mi the spot. Having now ascer-'"r' ascer-'"r' th- "pinions of cardinals belong-!'K belong-!'K to the sacred congregation for ex-x'.huHry ex-x'.huHry affairs, and having given Ra,1-V ,!"oicht to the matter, we do 1 .v This present apostolic consti-ion consti-ion m;ike ;in,j publish the following I -visions whj, h sf.Pm to us to be 0f , u'm"st importance for the church vV'1" ri,:iir,l'ines, with the hope that thi,''--. W' "r,J''in by our supreme au-j jj!.'--' y " ':' thanks to the equity and "'( ,,- ,,. government, be studious-J studious-J and sac-, ,ily 0Dserved- "!) il;;nj3. ,he boun(jaries Gf the I ''' W e 'r, I v,.;.' 's- 'Ur first thought and I t '!"'n :s f t the increase of the sa- i'"!;i:' :,y. After the erection by I t!,,"'' Xl11 "f lhe diocese of Manila I til!- 'n111'.''" '' "f the fa'thful both among I r,j "V''s xvh" rpeived Catholicity '' arrivals from Europe so in-,,, in-,,, h .!. 11 'ment VIII determined tuie ' ls' i!k' "umber of bishops to Mani'-'Wr ' He therefore raised fl'nV ',' dignit' of an archbish-(iio. archbish-(iio. eJn ' !" av'd hree new suffragan fitid ,jisnoi's of Cebu, Caceres In ti-' "s"c V!a- To these was added j tiip' d;ir ' ,he see of Jara. But that the " " S- S f 8UCh greSLt extent fSl f fc b!s!'rs can only by the great- tan.4 "e'J" lraverse the Immense dis-th.,,l0r dis-th.,,l0r 11 ,las become necessary, ent n"u' that an opportunity pre-0' pre-0' "n' t0 reduce the limits of the VVi-ef! an1 t0 rreate other sees. ' a ii' the archdiocese Ma-fer(s Ma-fer(s nJ U the dioceses of Cebu. Ca-lnR.it" Ca-lnR.it" e"s"P,-,via and Jara we add and i Vue-! the new diceses of Lipa 1 6lleroa. Capizana and Zamboan-I Zamboan-I Which are t0 be lik the other I I'iia j!ns of the metropolitan of Ma- ere. reovt'r. in the Marian islands, I a prefecture apostolic which. ' is to be directly dependent upon us and. upon our successors. II CONCERNING THE METROPOL-i METROPOL-i I TAN AND THE SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS. The Archbishop of Manila is to be I the only Metropolitan in the Philippine Philip-pine islands; the other bishops, both of the old dioceses and of those newly created, are to be subject to him as suffragans. The rights and functions of the Metropolitan are to be those prescribed by the ecclesiastical laws now in force. But, while we wish that these laws be preserved inviolate, we wish also that the bonds of friendship friend-ship and Christian charity between the Metropolitan and the suffragans be maintained always intact and further strengthened and dawn closer by mutual mu-tual kind offices, counsels and especially especi-ally by the holding of meetings among the bishops as often as the distances to be traversed will permit, for concord con-cord is the parent and guardian of the greatest utilities. III CONCERNING THE METERO-POLITAN METERO-POLITAN AND SUFFRAGAN CHAPTERS. The dignity and decorum of the Metropolitan Met-ropolitan church require that it should be adorned with a body of canons. It will be for the Apostolic Delegate to examine and make suggestions with regard to the means to he devised for the payment of those honorariums of canons which Were in past times paid by the Spanish government. If the lack of means prevents the full number num-ber of canons to be maintained they may be reduced not, however, below the number of ten. ; The Archbishop will confer said dignities and canonries in his cathedral church, freely and independently, with the exception of those which are either reserved by common law to the Holy See or some privilege of patronage and those which have been adjudged by competitive examination. ex-amination. We earnestly desire that canonical chapters be also instituted in the other dioceses. Where this is not possible the bishops are to choose from both branches of the clergy a number of men distinguished for piety and learning for the exercise of the most important offices. They are to have consulters as in the other dioceses I which are destitute of canons, and j these consulters will assist the Bishop in the cathedral functions, so that due dignity may attach to these. And if these consulters be prevented by any cause from thus acting the Bishop is to supply their places by the more worthy among the members of the secular sec-ular and regular clergy. IV CONCERNING VACANCIES IN THE SUFFRAGAN SEES. When a suffragan see, destitute of a chapter of -canons, becomes deprived of its bishop it is to be administered by the Metropolitan. If there be no Metropolitan Met-ropolitan the charge is to be asumed by the nearest Bishop, but with this proviso, ' that, a Vicar be elected as, soon as possible, and in the interim the diocese is to be governed by the Vicar General of the deceased Bishop. V CONCERNING THE SECULAR CLERGY. Experience has amply proved that a native clergy is everywhere of the greatese utility, and bishops will therefore use every care to increase the number of native priests in their dioceses, taking at the same time the greatest pains to assure themselves that those to whom ecclesiastical offices of-fices are Intrusted to known to them and fit for those offices and previously formed to piety and discipline. Those whom practice and experience have shown to be superior men are to be gradually promoted to the more important im-portant offices. The clergy are to be strongly urged never to allow themselves them-selves to be separated from study. For although the common law provides that those who are enlisted in the host of God shall not give themselves up to secular cares, we are anxious that this be specially avoided by the clergy in the Philippine islands today. More over, as union o heart is of the utmost ut-most importance for the attainment of all great and useful enterprises, the clergy of both the secular and regular regu-lar branches will sedulously endeavor to cultivate this spirit among themselves. them-selves. For it is certainly becoming that those who form the one body of Christ, the one head, should not be animated by feelings of envy, but should be of one mind and love each other in fraternal chatrity. The bishops are urged to bear in mind that to promote pro-mote charity and insure the observance observ-ance of discipline it will be very advisable ad-visable for them to convoke synods as often as the circumstances of time and place will permit. This will insure in-sure community of feeling and action among all. The practice of the spir-iutal spir-iutal exercises, too, is of the utmost help in keeping alive a sprit of fervor among the clergy and maintaining and increasing the virtues of the priesthood. priest-hood. Let the bishops therefore see to it that all who have taken the Lord as their portion retire at least every three years to some suitable place to meditate on the affairs of eternity and thus be purified from the soils they may have picked up in the world and be renewed in the ecclesiastical spirit. Care must also be taken for the pro-tion pro-tion of sacred studies among the clergy by frequent exercise, for the lips of the priest will keep knowledge in order that he may be able to instruct the faithful who seek the law from his mouth. The best way to Insure this will be to hold frequent conferences on moral and liturgical ques-tions. Whenever When-ever the difficulties of travel, the lim ited number of priests or any obstacle of the kind prevents such meetings it will be an excellent plan to have written writ-ten questions proposed for solution by those priests who cannot come and afterward duly submitted to the bishops. bish-ops. (To Be Continued Next Week.) |