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CATHOLIC BELIEF

Excerpts from the Pastoral Letter of

Bishop Keiley

Published by

SJIjp (Eatljoltr Hagmru’a Aasuriattott

of (Sror$ia

Grogan & O’Dowd Building

Augusta, Ga.





CATHOLIC BELIEF.

The following paragraphs are taken from

the Pastoral letter of Rt. Rev. Benj. J. Keiley,

Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Savannah, which was read in all the Catholic

Churches of Georgia at the beginning of the

Lenten season

:

“It is well known to all that at present in

this State there is a manifestation of very

bitter dislike for the Catholic Church. This is

shown in the papers, discussions and politics

of the State.”

“During the sixteen years that I have been

Bishop of this Diocese, I do not recall as bit-

ter attacks on the Catholic Church as have
taken place recently.”

“We who know the sublime beauty and
divine character of the teaching and work of
the Catholic Church, cannot understand the

motives that prompt the false accusations

that are made.”

“I believe it would clear the situation if

the people of Georgia are told how utterly
false these charges are and how we suffer
from the mistaken views of 'those who do
not see.”

“I am persuaded there are many in Geor-
gia who have never heard the truth about
the Catholic Church and her teaching and

they dislike her simply because they do not

know her.”

“Our laws require that whoever charges

another with a crime shall support the charge

with evidence. Hence, in our courts, the

accused must furnish competent witnesses
to prove the truth of his charge and the
accused has the right to establish his inno-



cence, by the examination of the witnesses

against him, by showing their unreliability

or by a denial established by his own wit-
nesses.”

“Now, all of these essential provisions are

completely ignored when the Catholic Church
is accused. The most monstrous charges are

made against her teaching and practice on
the unsupported utterance of the accuser and

when we deny the truth of the charges and
appeal to the court of public opinion and

prove by our plea and by numberless wit-

nesses, that we do not hold or teach the
things alleged, no witnesses are brought by

our adversaries to substantiate the charges.

All they do is to say: “O! of course you

deny it.”

“They accuse us of the worship of idols

and of believing and teaching that no Pro-

testant can be saved. We deny both of these
false statements. They have been again and

again denied, only -to be again and again re-

iterated, and it certainly seems strange that

for the most part men will listea and believe
the charge and pay no attention to the de-

nial.”

“If the Catholic Church concealed her teach-

ing and would not allow her children to tell

the “Faith that was in them”, there might be

some excuse; but a penny will buy a cate-

chism that contains all the doctrine of the

Church, iand any Catholic will gladly tell what

the Church teaches. It seems to be recog-

nized that ignorance of her teaching and her

practice is a chief qualification for discus-

sing them.”

“The following seem to be the charges most

frequently brought against us

:

1. “It is said that we Catholics cannot be

loval citizens of this Republic, because we

pay allegiance to a ‘foreign power/ the Pope.

[2 ]



“It would be just as sensible, and equally
as true, to say that the obedience that a child
pays to his father and mother interferes
with, or is an obstacle to, the obedience due
the State.”

“The Catholic Church tells us that we owe
allegiance, obedience, service and loyalty to
the State. The laws of God require us to
give these tributes to the State, and its laws
and institutions. The allegiance we pay to
the Pope has nothing to do with the service
we are bound to render to the State. The
allegiance we pay to the Pope regards only
our religious duties to God.”

Loyalty with us has the sanction and ap-
proval, and is a precept of our religion. As
a matter of fact, did the Pope interfere in
matters of a political nature, Catholics would
not be bound to obey him.”

war between the States there were
30 Federal Generals who were members of
the Catholic Church. In our Southern army
there were 15 who were Catholics. There
has never been a time in the History of this
country from the war of Independence to the
present that Catholics did not respond to the
call of their country.

2. Catholics are accused of forming a
Catholic political party in the United States.

“Now if this were true the result would be
that in those states where Catholics pre-
domniate, they would hold the offices. Now,
Catholics exceed 'all other denominations
combined in Arkansas, Connecticut, Colora-
do; are equal to all others combined in Illi-
nois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jer-
sey, Nevada, Michigan, Wyoming; have an
overwhelming majority in Massachusetts,
Maine, Louisiana, New Mexico, Montana,
Rhode Island, Vermont; yet only one of these
states has a Catholic Governor.

^Catholics exceed those of any other de-
nomination in 30 states, is second in 6 states,

[3 ]



third in 7 states and fourth in 12 states. Some
of 'these states are always in the Democratic
column, some always in the Republican
column, some shift from one to the other. All
of which goes to show that Catholics vote
like other people and do not get together,
even when one of

.

their own runs for of-
fice.”

3. “It is charged that the Bishops of the

Church are interfering with political affairs.

This is not true, of course. They are citi-

zens and have the right the same as others to

vote and express their views; but to say that

they use their position to further political

ends or aims is false.

“Our Bishops may be Republicans or Demo-
crats, and many of them, I know, have well
defined politic preference regarding the poli-

cies of our Government; but it is certainly

not true that they are seeking to influence

politics by interfering in public affairs as

Bishops of the Church.”

4. “The attitude of Catholics towards Pub-

lic Schools is a subject of misapprehension.

“We regard moral training as indispensible
in the training of our children. It is not gen-

erally practical or fair to impart moral train-

ing in the public schools; hence we establish

schools of our own where our children are
taught the faith of their fathers. The public

schools can teach their pupils everything of

Washington or Lee, of Davis and Stephens;

but nothing of Christ. Whoever is satisfied

with the public schools, well and good; but

we wish our children to know of God, of
Christ and of salvation.”

5. “It is said that Catholics worship the

Virgin and the Saints.

“That we honor them is true. Thait we
pay supreme honor or adoration to other than

God is not true. We ask the Virgin Mother
and Saints to pray for us. Our separated

[4 ]



friends likewise at least ask the prayers of

fellow beings on earth. The Son of the Virgin

Mother is the Savior: my L rd and my
God and Perfect Man. He knew and ob-
served the commandment, “Honor thy Father

and Mother,” and I am not ashamed to honor
one whom Jesus honored. We honor highly
Mary the creature; we adore only God, the
creator.”

6. “It is said that Catholics pay priests to

forgive their sins.

“This is not true. That Chrisit gave power

to his apostles to forgive sins is known to all;
that this power was for the benefit of all men
and for all times is evident; that it passed

to the successors of the apostles is a neces-

sity: Hence, we say in the Apostles Creed,
M
I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” But

it is false to say we pay for the forgiveness
of sins.”

7. “It is said we grant indulgences to com-
mit sin.

“This is not true. Indulgences have nothing

whatever to do with sin; either with forgive-

ness or pardon of sin, or with permission to

commit sin. An indulgence can be gained
only after the sin has been remitted and the

guilt has been removed. An Indulgence is
nothing else than the remission of punish-

ment due after sin has been forgiven. The gov-

ernor of a state grants an indulgence when he

pardons a criminal. He remits the punishment
due for the offense done.”

8. “It is said that Catholics are forbidden

to read the Bible.

“I have only to say that if they know how
to read and have the small price of a Bible,

or can borrow one, they may read it day and
night. The only precaution prescribed by
the Church is that the Bible, the whole Bible,

and noit a mutilated or incorrect version be

used.”

[5 ]



9. “It is said that women are kept in con-

vents against their will.

“This is not true. No woman is retained
in any convent against her will. On enter-
ing a convent, she is not allowed to make a

vow to remain before at least six years have
passed, and during those years she is at per-

fect liberty to leave when she pleases without
being so much as told that she is dqing wrong.

And afterwards, after her final vow, she has
only to say that she WILL leave and, while
she will be told that it is wrong to break her

vows, the doors are open and she can walk

OUt
.”

10. “It is said that Catholics are taught

to believe that protestant marriage are in-

valid, because not contracted before a priest,

and that their children are illegitimate.

This is not true. The truth is that the

Church holds such marriages valid and bind-

ing until death. The decree Ne Temere, re-
quiring Catholics contracting marriage, to

go before a priest, expressly and in terms,

exempts Protestants from its operation, and

it is false to say that Protestant marriages

are declared invalid by the Church, or that

the children of such marriages, are regarded

as illegitimate.

“As an evidence of the fact that Catholics

do not believe that the marriages of Protest-

ants are void, it may be well to state that
when protestants are received into the Church,
the Church never thinks of requiring them

to go through another ceremony of marriage
which she would be obliged to do if she be-

lieved they were not lawfully married.”

“There is hardly any excuse for such a

wrong belief because the marriage law of

the Church is centuries old and is readily

accessible, in the Latin or authorized trans-

lations. Moreover, it has been in force in

large portions of the country since the Coun-

ted



cil of Trent and the object of the Ne Temere
was only to make its observance uniform.
The idea that Catholics are taught to believe
that the marriages of Protestants are in-

valid and their children illegitimate is a
hate breeding idea, and it is a social crime to
circulate such a false and malicious belief.”

“I know nothing which more clearly es-
tablishes the false character of these attacks
on Catholics than the publication of an al-
leged oath said to be taken by the 4th de-
gree members of the Knights of Columbus.
It has been shown again and again that this
so called oath is a forgery and a lie, but again
and again has the charge been reiterated and
I have, no doubt, it is believed by many
in the State today.”

‘'Catholics are not asking any privilege in
this State, or in the United States. We do
not, and never will oppose anybody on ac-
count of their religious belief. We helped
to make the country what it is, a land of
freedom, where no religious tests shall be
exacted or applied, and we propose to do
everything in our power to keep it so

”

“We want no union of State and Church.
Protestant England and Protestant Germany
have such a union, and we have no desire
to follow their example. We only ask to be
left in peace while we obey the laws. Equal
freedom with others; equal rights. Nothing
more; nothing less.”

RIDGELY-WING-TIDWELL COMPANY, AUGUSTA, GA

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