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About The banner of the South. (Augusta, Ga.) 1868-1870 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1869)
For tii« BaJJEer of tie 80-rfix. the inquisition. . jt.-.j fr OXL the French, bv Rev. David Mote*. number two. The Inquisition is. as every one knows, an ecclesiastical tribunal, erected by the B<.verei*n Pontiffs for the extirpation of heresy. . That the Church has the right to establish such a tribunal is a point which rro ved from the nature of her mission. The Popes, and as also Bishops, subject t j their jurisdiction, have been constituted J.v Jesus Christ as judges of the faith and t 4 guardians of the souls committed to their care. The first duty of the shep herd is to watch over the safety of his fl (} T ANARUS( go that none may wander from the fnld, and perish for the want of care. So : t i* with the Church. Those who have the charge of souls, and are answerable f or the same to Cod, are obliged to com bat heresy wherever it is found, and in terdict the propagation of any opinion contrary to the faith; to warn those who have been deceived, and to censure those who resist their spiritual mandates, in order to prevent them from seducing others, and gravely compromising the in terests of that Society which the Son of Cod has founded. The Sovereign Pon tiffs have been faithful to this obligation, and have founded, from the beginning, tribunals, the object of which was to judge of things pertaining to the faith. In those primitive times, however, the pun ishments inflicted for heresy were purely spiritual, and did not lead to any intefer ence on the part of the civil power. The penalty incurred was generally excommu nication, by virtue of which the obstinate heretic was expelled from Christian society and deprived of all the spiritual advantages to which all true believers were entitled. It was different, however, when the Em peror Constantine came to reconcile the State with tire Church, and establish in civil society institutions which were Chris tian in their scope and conformation. The Emperor, from this moment, became the protector of the Church; or, to use the language of the time, became her “outside bishop, and it was in this crqiacity that he claimed to himself the right of issuing •diets against heretics, and of visiting them wit), the penalties of imprisonment, exile, or death. lain new state of things was really ac cepted throughout Europe, both by" the people and by the Church. That part of Europe which was Christian universally admitted the maxim that Nations had the right of placing religion, as being the highest blessing for a State, under the same protection as the property and lives of itizeiw. Nor was it until more modern times that this maxim came to be contest ed. It exists, even in these days, though somewhat weakened in its application, and, wdth the exception of Belgium and the (Tiited States, where religious liberty in *‘p ibed in the laws has passed into society, there is no Government that does not claim to itself the right of forbidding ex ternal religious acts contrary to the inter ests of the State. Ihe Church, on its side, willingly ac cepted this new system which Constantine hsd suggested and carried into etfect; for, •he thought, with truth, that the action of the two ’powers, in distinct connection and m harmonious accord, could not hut serve in a material manner the interests of both society and religion. Accordingly, she accepted the aid offered her by the secular arm. The result of all this was another consequence annexed to the penalty of he) #sy. I* anew doctrine arose, the Church examined it, and ii it found it contrary to the Divine teaching, she visited it with her anathema. If those who supported tins strange doctrine submitted to her de cision*, there was no further course pur sued, no penalty incurred. But if they persisted in their error, then the State iri- • ‘•Tiered, i hose who obstinately propagat ,;u heresy in public or secret assemblies, - siting or by public speaking, were re garded as disturbers of the peace, and on ! n,a ? roun( l were punished with more or severity, according a* the law pre scribed. ihe action of the Church was. therefore, indirect; the corporeal punish inent did not emanate from her, but from :,e 7 !V1: power which carried it into exe lt,‘on * spiritual power did not de- [ uaau h> \ herself the application, but she hesitated not to accept it. S. Thomas - 'd J |h<as toe greatest theologian of the i r m ; a PP° rt! * this course adopted . •£ Lliun h, and sustains his argument Xf™ 01 * '; ravvn fr om reason and from the highest authority. , fl :tVt ter epo< % found itself as ‘ \ ‘ b - v p’ccts ot a dangerous character— ■ h the Cathares, the Patharins, Albi -f th*’ ? '! n ? —and the action ‘'or**.,•„ ef< authority became, in ilc fir f n • ’ mw® stringent and energetic. -uidH eign 1 ° ntl?fs or ganized the In ■X^ l T * ne , w Noting, and no longer nup tod tnemselves with merely con -< 'iming erroneous doctrines, bu* cent veciai ], gai , to the infected pans tr ; purpose of finding out these heretics ;; and f3eno ?ncmg them to the civil authori j'rr h.ing the Pontificate of Innocent Jht was chiefly the Monks of Citeaux ■ were charged wit h this mission. Thev ■ ?e m ark able for their zeal and the .; ',7; ° ! ’ bei . r hves was beyond reproach, ' r ’’V iS TANARUS; which doubtless determined From the time of Gregory IX, the Dominicans succeeded to tlfeir'inission. as their order had been specially created ’for the conversion of those who Lad departed trorn the faith. 7 hese temporary missions gave rise to permanent commissions or tri bunals of heresy, which were properly called tribunals oj the Inquisition. In certain countries—and, notably in Spain—the principle came to be ab»sed. The Princes saw the results which were obtained by these tribunals, and the pow erf'd influence which they exercised upon Christian population*, and were not slow to make the institutions serve their own peculiar ends. They turned it. from the object for which it had been established, changed the spirit which marked its ope rations, and made it an instrument for the exclusive purposes of the State. The Sovereign Pontiffs protested against this manifest encroachment which tended to counterfeit the action of the spiritual au thority and compromise it before the world; but trheir remonstrances were in vain. They pretended not to hear them, and if, in certain cases, little deference was shown to the Head of the Church, it was merely to go through an empty formality, but with no intentions to obey. 'The Church thus found itself forced to take most active measures for the sup pression of this evil. The first appearance of the Reformation supplied it with a favorable opportunity. The danger was now more imminent and pressing, and it became necessary to organize its plans of resistance upon a larger scale, and in some measure to centralize its efforts. Pope Paul 111 was equal to the task. He sup pressed all the tribunals of the Inquisition which had already been established in dif ferent parts of Europe, and instituted in their stead a Congregation of six Cardinals, vested with inquisitorial jurisdiction over the whole Catholic world. Pius V carried this number to eight, and likewise extend ed the limits of their power. Finally, Sextus V organized anew the Roman Curial, and increased the number to fifteen, to whom he confided all the various de partments of the ecclesiastical regime. r fhe institution now assumed the name of the lltly Offire, or the Universal Congregation of the Inquisition. This supreme tribunal takes cognizance of cases of manifest heresy, of schism, of apostacy, of magic, of the abuse of the Sacraments, and of other crimes which bear the character of presumptive heresy. It is not the place here to enter into detail, and describe minutely its peculiar organization, or its mode of procednie. Suffice it to say that, from the beginning, no effort lias been spared to enlighten the conscience of the Judge, and protect the interests of the ac cused. Thus the counsellors, whose duty it is to examine cases within the compe tency of this tribunal, are nominated by the Pope himself, and chosen from amongst the learned theologians of the Catholic world. These counsellors have not a de liberative voice ; they are restricted to the simple office of exposing facts und pro posing the sentence. Debates on different grounds, both for and against, are carried on, and it is only after mature investiga tion, that this sentence is pronounced. The accused is left every means of self defence, and this he can conduct himself or through the medium of his advocate. The Cardinals, who form part of the Holy Office, are alone called upon to decide; the Pope is usually with them to preside, and if he is absent for any special reason, the verdict must be submitted to him in writing for his supreme approval. An organiza tion of this kind is the best guarantee for the maintenance of justice as well as for the interests of humanity. The age in which the tribunal of the Inquisition was founded, was that in which Spain and Portugal had recourse to the auto-da-fe , and in which France erected her chambres ardentes against the progress of heresy. It was ini this age, likewise, that Henry VIII tor tured, or put to death, seventy thousand of of his subjects, whose only crime was that of holding opinions different from his own, and that Queen Elizabeth practiced the most refined cruelties upon all those who subscribed to the Catholic Faith. But. during this epoch, when deeds of blood were so rife on every side, it cannot be said that any were put to death by the action of the Roman Inquisition. This spirit of mildness which characterized its com mencement has never departed from it, and it will be difficult to adduce one solitary example of a capital sentence emanating from its tribunal. Thus, when we come to examine things impartially, we find that the Inquisition which the enemies of the Church have held up to the execration of mankind as practicing the most unheard of cruelties, has. on the contrary, been one of the mildest of institutions in its spirit and operation. But what proves more clearly than any thing the truth of what we allege, is the fact that, during the whole period of the eighteenth century, an age so remarkable for its skill in sophistry, and in the art of lying, only one reproach for severity was brought against the Inquisition. This was the famous case of Galileo; who, it was pretended suffered persecution on account of his astronomical discoveries. But. if we leave aside for a moment our preconceived ideas on the point, and endeavor to exam ine with an unbiassed mind the nature of the ease, we shall see that Galileo was not persecuted as an astronomer, but as a perverter of the principles of theology; that he was not condemned because he maintained that the earth moved round the sun—a principle which Copernicus had openly taught b#for# him with impunity— but Decause he sought to adduce the sacred Scriptures in support of his novel bmlib system, and to elevate his astronomical principle to the dignity oi a dogma of faith. And, with regard to the alleged cruelty with which he was treated by the Inquisi tion, it will be seen by a letter which he wrote himself to Father Reeeneri, his dis ciple, that the reproach has no foundation. “The Pope,” he wrote, “thought me worthy of his esteem. I was located in the beau tiful palace of Trinita da Monta. * * * When I arrived at the Holy Office, I was invited to make my apology. I was obliged to retract my opinion as a good Catholic. To punish me, I was forbidden to write any more dialogues, and, afterfive months’ sojourn in Rome, they gave me leave to depart. I enjoyed there so great tranquility of mind, that I betook myself to my usual studies and succeeded in proving a great part of my mechanical propositions upon the resistance of fluids. As the plague had ceased in Florence, I was permitted to go to the coun try. I then went to my house in Belve dere, and from thence to iny other house at Arcestri, where I am at present, enjoy ing the pure air near tojmy native spot.”* I his letter ought to be known to every one, for it has been published more than twenty times-as also the letters ofGuich ardini, and of Marquis Nicolini, tlie Ambas sador of Florence, accredited to the Court of Rome. Everything attests that Galileo was treated by the Holy Office with every mark of attention and delicacy. The his tory of his persecution has not the faintest semblance of truth. Those good people who feel the tears arise at the remembrance of his pretended martyrdom would do well to examine these well authenticated documents that bear upon the point, and then they would see that their opinions were based upon a fiction, and that the mournful images pic tured to their minds from a perusal of those falsified accounts, were nothing more in substance than the airy phantoms which, as books tell us, dance their myth dances upon the surface of haunted lakes. Catholic guttflligewe. God Save Ireland. High upon the gallows-tree, Swung the noble-hearted three, By flie vengeful tyrant—-stricken in tlieir bloom: But they met him face to face, With the courage of their race. And they went with souls undaunted to tlieir doom. 3 “God save Ireland!” said the heroes, “God save Ireland!” said they all; “Whether on the scaffold high, Or the battle-field we die. Oh! what matter, when for Erin dear we fall!” Girt around with cruel loes, Still their spirit proudly rose, For they thought of friends that loved them far and near; Os the millions true and brave O'er the oeflftu's swelling wave, And the frieuds in holy Ireland ever dear. “God save Ireland \” said they proudly, “God save Ireland !” said they all; ‘‘Whether on the scaffold high", Or the battle-field we die, Gh ! what matter, when for Erin dear we fall!” Climbed they up the rugged stair, Rung their voires out in prayer, Then with England’s fatal cord around them cast, Close beneat h the gallows-tree, Kissed like brothers, lovingly, True to Home, and Faith, and Freedom to the last. “God save Ireland !” prayed they loudly, “God save Ireland!” said they all! “Whether on the gallows high, Or the battle-field we die, Oh! what matter, when for Erin dear we tall!” Never till the latest day Shall the memory pass away Os the gallant lives thus given for our land; But on the cause must go, Amidst joy, or weal, or woe, Till we make our Isle a nation free and grand. “God save Ireland! ” say we proudly, “God save Ireland!” say we all: ‘Avhether on the scaffold high, Or the battle-field we die, Oh! what matter, when for Erin dear we fall!” Jiequiescat in I'avP! Amen. [Loudon Universal Xetvs. [From the Freeman's Journal.] Death of Rev. Francis J. Peeters.— We regret very much to hoar of tiie death, by small-pox, of this estimable gentleman, at the close of last week. Father Peeters was Pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, in Detroit ; and was a native of Belgium. Req. in pars. Ordination of Priests in Texas.— From the Brownsville, Texas, Sentinel , we learn that two Priests were ordained in the Catholic Church in Brownsville, on the 17th of January. Their names were Thomas Lozano, and Santiago Silva. The consecrator is reported as Bishop Martinez—a Mexican Bishop, we suppose, officiating across the Rio Grande at the invitation of the Ordinary of the Diocese of Galveston, Bishop Dubuis. Consecration of the Bight Rev. I SNATH'S Mrak.— This Prelate, appoint ed to succeed the late apostolic Bishop Baraga, as Bishop of Marquette, in Up per Michigan, was consecrated in the Cathedral of Cincinnati, on Sunday last, February 7th. Archbishop Purcell was the Consecrator, assisted by Bishop Lefevre of Detroit, and Luers of Fort Wayne. The Bev. Dr. Weninger, S. J., preached the sermon. The Catholic Telegraph says that Bishop Mrak, like his predecessor, is a native of Austria, for very many years a Missionary among the Indians of that region, and acquaint ed with several of their details. Poor Suffering Ireland. —The well known Protestant writer upon the Irish Church question, Dr. Maziere Brady, has published the names of 199 Irish parishes in which there is not a single member of the Established Church. The Doctor thus summarises the extent and popula- i ( Hon of these districts, and the London Jxpgister remarks in doing- so, that “ht recals to memory the words of Macaulay, that the world never yet saw, in any age or in any country, so great an iniquity and insult, to a people of another faith, as the ‘Garrison Church,’ of the sister isle.” ‘ The total Roman Catholic population of these 199 parishes is 28,229. Their area extends over more than 557,000 acres. Their ecclesiastical revenues ex ceed £lo,ooo per annum. About eigh teen of them being impropriate, appear to possess no Church revenue. The smallest of these parishes in area is Killarney in Ossory, a rectory appro priate to the economy fund of St. (Janice Cathedra], and covering 155 acres. This small parish does not appear in Knox’s Index, but is mentioned in the recent Church Commission Report. The largest of these parishes in Aghamore, in Timm, which extends over 12,510 acres. The average Roman Catholic population of these 192 parishes is 493 and the aver age area in acres is 2,799.” The Pope Pit’ Him Out —The follow ing is too good to be lost. Father Hecker, the indefatigable Lecturer in behalf ot the faith, was lecturing in De troit, quite recently, on “Luther and the Reformation.” The arguments of the Rev. Father grated rather harshly on the ears of a certain Rev. Mr. M’Grath, who felt himself called upon to reply. The affair is thus described by the Missis sippi correspondent of the Pittsburgh Catholic : “A Rev. Mr. M’Grath under took to reply to the same lecture in the town of Jackson, in this State, and made a “point” which deserves to be placed on record. Pev. Father Hecker shows that Luther ceased to he able to reform the Church the moment that he left it, since the reformation of a thing must take place within it. The Rev. Mr. M’Grath “overturns” this, by declaring (as reported in the Jackson Citizen, a paper which is edited by an apostate Catholic Irishman,) that Luther “ didn't leave the Church The Pope put him outr Dr. Rogers’ Lecture.— Our readers know that this eminent gentleman was a prominent minister in the Episcopal Church, but by the working of Divine Grace he has been led into the One Fold of the One Shepherd. In taking this step, he himself says: “After mature de liberation, I have ascended the cross,” etc How this is, can only be appreci ated by those who have taken a similar step. Nothing is more necessary than to state that he is the father of a large family of children depending upon him, and that lie has given up, or as he again says, “sundered dear ties of friendship and affection, and left my family without the pecuniary resources of a profession which would always have furnished them with bread and raiment.” We trust, and indeed know, that nothing more is necessary to be said by us on this sub ject to induce our readers to attend on Monday night. But independent of these considerations, we assure our readers that from information we have received, they will enjoy a rich treat in listening to the exposition of Dr. Rogers on the question that now divides the Episcopal Church in Great Britain and America, and threatens its entire disruption, At the time Dr. Rogers was received into the Catholic Church in St. Louis, Providence directed the mind and heart of the partner of his cares and joys, the mother of his children, to take the same step, in England, and now he has the happiness, in his wordly estrangement, of knowing that his whole family belongs to the Church of Christ. We remember of one providential in stance of this kind occurring before. Our late esteemed fellow-citizen, J. II; Caldwell, professed himself a Catholic in New Orleans, and his son had done the same, the same day, in Rome, without previous concert. They were to meet a short time after in New York Each dreaded the reproaches of the other on meeting ; but what was their mutual joy on ascertaining the actual state of things, we leave to our readers to imagine. j xY. O. Morning Star. Diocese of. Little Rock.— The Sa crament of Confirmation was administer ed in the Cathedral on Sunday last to sixty-two persons, of whom ten were con verts to the Chueli. The Cathedral has been renovated, and is now quite a neat and attractive little church. You will be glad to hear that all our schools are liourishing. and that we are compelled to enlarge them in order to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. In spite of wars and rumors of wars, Arkansas is growing fast and real estate of every kind advancing in value. One other such year as last, and our people would be rich--As it is, they are now in far better condition than anv time since the commencement of the war. 4foMott gtoirs. IRLAND. „ j* understood that J. F. Maguire, will visit Newtownlimivady, - agheiafelt, and other towns in the county Derry next week, with the object () n cenmg statistics from the tenantry ot the London Companies, for use in the ouse of omrnons, when he brings on ns motion. We have beard it is in con templation to entertain Mr. Maguire at a public dinner at JNewtonlimivady or perhaps m the city of Derry.—ik )T)/ Journal, Jonuarg 18. ‘ ' ■! monthly fair ot Camloustb, county of Armagh, was held on January 18. The weather was very unpropitious, and the show of cattle was consequently very small. Anything in the shape of beef was in good demand, and the animals were eagerly bought up by local fleshers at the rate of (id. to 7d. per lb., sinking tlie offal, Store cattle were in moderate request, and'priees were in tiie ascend ant. Two year old heifers and bullocks ranged from £5 to £lO each, and year lings from £o to £4. Milch cows wore scarce, and the few disposed of brought from £lO to £l2 each. The January fair of Dundalk was held on January 20, and was numerously attended. The supply of fat cattle was unusually largoe Some of the beast* were in line condition, and the demand was brisk, and prices high. Prime beef may be quoted at from Gss to 75s Gd, and second class from 56s to GOs. The supply of sheep was not equal to the demand, and good mutton rated at 5Vd to per lb. A meeting of the electors of Drogheda has been held, and has adopted resolu tions disapproving oi the decision of Judge Keogh in the petition against Mr. \\ hitworth. As one of the effects of that decision disqualifies Mr.|Whitworth from offering himself again for the seat, or holding any office or dignity for seven years, it has been decided to bring for ward his son at the next flection. On January sth, the solemn and inposing ceremonies of Profession and Reception took place in the ebapd of the Convent of Mercy, Ballinrobe. county of Mayo. The officiating clergyman was the Rev, Thomas Bardiman, P. P„ assis ted by the Rev. M. Brennan, C. C. The young lady professed was Miss Delia King, daughter of Peter King, Esq., of Leenane; also, on the same dav, Miss Yorke, daughterof Austin Yorke, Esq., Galway—in religion Sister Mary Made line—was received into the holy Sisterhood. Wc- are happy to be able to record a steady decrease in the criminal statistics of county At the Quarter Sessions for this division of Fermanagh, held last week, there were only two cases for trial, and one trial only took place; while at Newtownbutler, a few days previous the agreeable duty of presenting the Barrister with a pair of white glows (not the first time he had to perform it) devolved on the sub-sheriff, M. iI. Mor phy, Esq.— Mail, January 21. The members of the North Kerry Teachers’ Association held their monthly meeting in Listowel on January l(h Mr. M. Cussen, secretary. A resolution was proposed and unanimously agreed to re-electing the chairman and secretary for the year 1869. A Mutual Improve ment Society was then proposed and agreed to. Other matters having been discussed, the meeting adjourned. 0 Information wanted of Cornelius M’Dowell, of Belfast; when last heard of (three or four years since) had sailed from Jamaica for New Orleans. Any in formation concerning him will he -ratc fnlly received by his affiieted father? Mr. John M’Dowell, 13 Union-place, Beifast. * or by T. 11., AstonVquay. Dublin. the Irish bishops have been holding a meeting at Dublin, to condder what ought to be their course with reference to rl.e proposed disestablishment of the Irish Church. M e regret to state, says the Irish Times , that on inquiry, on January Istb # at th« residence of Mr. Carleton, we were in formed that his condition had become much worse, and little hopes were enter tained of Lis recovery. With deep regret we announce the death of Mr. Michael Cleary, which took place on January 22, at his residence 140 Great Britain street. Mr. Cleary was one of the most independent members of the Nation alist party In Dublin. His purse was always open whenever his creed or his country required his assistance.— Dublin, Nation. According to the returns, obtained by the enumerators, the number of emigrants who left the ports of Ireland during the quarter ending 30th September last, amounted to 14,259—7,044 males and 0,515 females—being 4.216 less than the number who emigrated during the corres ponding quarter of 1807. 3
