ROME.

Bruce Herald, Volume II, Issue 51, 30 March 1865, Page 7

ROME.

The Pope's Encyclical Letter. — The issue of this doc ..ment has been already announced. The numerous propositions which it contains embrace a wide held, and relate "o almost every form, of progress lin thought or policy. Rationalism is I strongly condemued. Civil and religious I liberty, and a free press, are declared not [to be necessary for the well-being: of a

State, and the ecclesiastical power is ?atee_ to be by Divine right distinct and independent of the civil power. The whole purport of the letter is to show the necessity fbr the authority of the Jatholic Church in order to the happiness of the world. Subjoined is a brief digest ot this remarkable document: — His holiness reminds the prelates that his predecessors have never failed to stateand condemn the errors against the fundamental princibles of religion spread throughout society, and in particular against the Roman" Catholic Church. He adds that from tbe commencement of his nontificate he has invariably rebuked these errors in his allocutions delivered at the consistories, and in his frequent encyclical, fetters to the bishops. Seeing, therefore,, that errors and false opinions are constantly upon the increase in religions and lay society, the Pope declares that he addresses himself to the bishops on this occasionto excite their zeal to confute error, and to arrest the evil which false ideas of religion, philosophy, and politics inflict upon themodern; world. The encyclical letter then proceeels to enunciate the gravest errors which must first be confuted. These are stated as tbe opinions of those who say that civil progress requires society to be governed without reference to religion,, or without any difference being made between true faith and heresy ;■ that liberty of conscience and public worship are-esen— tial in a well-organised government ;: that the will of the' people, a«- displayed by public opinion or by other means, constitutes a supreme law and a true right, and. that accomplished facts in political affairs are to be regarded as rightfully in force ; that religious orders are not entitled to exist,and ought/-oiisequently, to be suppressed ; that family society is dependent solely upon civil law, so that the government has the exclusive right of regulating the relations between parents and children, ami of directing instruction and educactition ; that the clergy should not be permitted to take part in public instruction,, because they are opposed to progress. ThePope further condemns the opinions of those who hold that the laws of theChurch cannot have binding force unlessthey are promulgated by the civil authority;' that excommunications pronouncedagainst the rights aud property of the--1 Church are an abuse; that the Church has not the right of punishing those wh? violare her laws ; that the ecclesiastical power is not by Divine right distinct from, and independent of the civil power ; that obedience may be conscientiously refused; to tho^e decisions and decrees of the Holy See which do. not affect points of faith. All these opinions and several others, arerebuked, proscribed, • and condemned in the encyclical letter, and the Pope prohibits their being in future entertained bytrue believers." The letter is accompanied, by an appendix of 80 propositions, containing tiie principal modern errors inveighed against by the Pope. Seven referto " pantheism, naturalism, antl absolute rationalism ;. seven to moderate rationalism; four to religious indifference ; twenty to errors against the Church and her rights; seventeen to errors current in civil societyarid their relations to- the Church; nine to errors of philosophy ; ten to errors connected with Christian marriage ; and sis to modern liberty and temporal sovereignty of the Pope. Among the class are the lollowing: — ■ The Pope can and ought to be reconciled to progress, liberalism, and modern civilisation. It is not fitting that, in the present day, the Catholic religion should be the exclusive religion of the State. It is untrue that civil liberty of worship and. freedom of the press conduce to the corruption of morals and to profligate indifference. Among the political and philosophical errors, the Pope condemns these :—- --' Authority is nothing more than theunion o!: material force and of numbers.' ''A happy injustice of* facts inflicts no injury upon the sanctity of right.' •' It is allowable to oppose and revolt against legitimate princes.' 'Violations of oathsaud every act contrary to the eternal lawsare permissible in the cause ot patriotism/' The Pope further condemns biblical societies, and all persons who hold thatthere is hope of eternal salvation of those who. do not belong to the true Church,, iind is careful to point out that whoever imagines a Protestant stands the faintest chance of being saved is most seriously wrong..