An explanation of the Baltimore catechism of Christian doctrine : $b for the use of Sunday-school teachers and advanced classesDe Concilio, J. (Januarius)
Religion
An explanation of the Baltimore catechism of Christian doctrine : $b for the use of Sunday-school teachers and advanced classes
De Concilio, J. (Januarius)
Baltimore catechism; Catholic Church -- Catechisms -- English
But has the Holy Father need of his temporal power? Yes, the Holy Father
has need of some temporal power. He must be free and independent in
governing the Church. He must be free to say what he wishes to all
Catholics throughout the world, and free to hear whatever they have to
say to him. But if the Pope is under another ruler he cannot be free.
That ruler may cast him into prison, and not allow him to communicate
with the bishops of the world. At least, he can say nothing about the
injustice of the ruler who is over him. Therefore the Pope must have
some possessions of his own, that he may not be afraid of the injustice
of any ruler, and may speak out the truth boldly to the whole world,
denouncing bad rulers and praising good ones as they deserve.
Mind, I do not say what possessions the Holy Father should have but
simply that he should have some, in which he would be altogether
independent. In justice he should have all that was taken from him. We
have a good example here in the United States to illustrate the need of
the independence of the Pope. You know every State in the United States
is a little government in itself, with its own governor, legislature,
laws, etc. Now over all these little governments or States we have the
government of the United States, with the President at its head. In the
beginning the members of the United States Government assembled to
transact the business of the nation sometimes in one State and sometimes
in another--sometimes in New York and sometimes in Pennsylvania, etc.
But they soon found that in order to be independent of every State and
just to all, they must have some territory or possessions of their own
not under the power of any State. So some of the States granted them
Washington and the country about it for ten miles square--now called the
District of Columbia--which the United States government could freely
perform its duties. In a similar manner the Holy Father is over all the
governments of the world in matters of religion--in matters of justice
and right; and just as the United States government has to decide
between the rights of one State and the rights of another, so the Holy
Father has sometimes to decide between the rights of one government and
the rights of another, and must, in order to be just with all, be free
and independent of all.
Again, the temporal power of the Pope is very useful to the Church; for
with the money and goods received from his possessions the Holy Father
can educate priests and teachers, print books, etc., for the foreign
missions. He can also support churches, school, and institutions in poor
countries, and especially where the missionaries are laboring for the
conversion of the native heathens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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