CORRESPONDENCE. THE PAPAL ENCYCLICAL. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 150, 21 December 1907, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE. THE PAPAL ENCYCLICAL. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — Having read your leading article on "The Papal Encyclical" in this evening's Post, I should liko to join issue with' you on th'rco points: — Your interpretation of last Saturday's Borlin cablo ro the resolution passed at the recent conference of German bishops; your definition of Modernism; and the Wurtomburg letter of protest to tho Pope. "What tho resolution passed at Cologne moans must afc this distance and with such meagro information be purely a matter for conjecture. /Wo have first to know what the resolution really was. Catholics have long sinco despaired of getting anything accurate by tho cable. The mail is slow, but is reliable. The message reads : "The Vatican musfc be given to understand that it; must first tako soundings in Germany before issuing an Enoyclical affecting Germany." You tako this to mean that the German Catholics arc resenting Papal interforonco in tho questions affected by the Encyclical, and that, while rhis still holds io its allegiance to an infallible teaching, it says 'hands oft" to tho Vatican. My humblo opinion is that this interpretation, as well as any other put forward at present at all categorically, is- premature I confess Ido not know what it means, yet' I make bold to say, it does not bear your interpretation. Nofe, that the message does not say "should have" but "mu&t tako soundings." Therefore this does not affect their acceptance of the rocGiit Encyclical. The Pope has actually issued an Encyclical affecting Germany with no less binding force in Borlin than it has in Roino or Paris. What, then, is tho significance of this warning? Ifc deals with what is to come, not with accompTTbhed facts. If the message is intended to mean that tho bishops have rejected the Encyclical, it is co clumsily worded that intelligent men will withhold their judgment until the cable agent will have learnt to make a direct statement to that effect. The German Catholic press has, of late, been dissatisfied with certain methods of procedure on the part of the Vatican authorities. France and Spain are, it is alleged, pampered and petted to tho qxclusion of Germany. But this is a minor point which possibly wa& mooted at tho Bishops' conference. For instance, _ tho Kolniche-Volks-Zcitung, with a thrico-daily issue and a circulation o£ 600,000, receives no authentic translation of Papal decreps, which compliment is paid to L'Univers, with its paltry 12,000 readers. In my conjecture (for such I must admit it is, although it has something definite to support, it) tho bishops are simply asking that tho feelings of German Catholics bo respected a little more than previously—at loast that their, loyalty bo not subjected to a slight, trivial though it be, which is not imposed on the more unruly children of the Papacy under tha Republic. "Sufferance is the badge of all our tribe," and Catholics havo come to realise that the Press Agency is too busy hunting up the sordid details of every European scandal to study ihe _ finer points of difficult matters of religious moment. A few months ago an International Eucharistic Congress brought 40,000 men' together at Metz. The cable montioned nothing of that: but Princess Louise is traced from_ lover to lover, from hotel to hotel, with wonderful perseverance, so I think we can wait for a fuller cablegram or tho mail. Next, you admit a difficulty as to tho meaning of the indefinite term "Modernism. In the very same sentonco you call it "barbarous. I fancy you have sadly forgotten your logic, since you presume to give your own meaning to a term that has a specialised meaning for those .who uso it. Wo seek the definition of ' a "technical term" not in an out ; of-date dictionary, wo do not guess at it; wo search out tho convention that gives it currency. The moaning of tho term "Modernism" , is explained in tho Encyclical, and you _ are taking an extraordinary liberty," in setting up you? own interpretation,' and then inviting 'ridicule for i(i. Much, the same as this little boys do with bottles that come to hand if there are stones to bo thrown. "Modernism" docs not mean "what is modern." One of tho injunctions in tho Encyclical is that Catholic teachers must keep abreast of all modern advances in positive science. Nor is evolution, as puch, reprobated, bufc it is rejected when it is adduced as a factor influencing our beliefs. No evolution can ch.ingo an historical fact. If Christ was but man, uo "natural selection" can make him, 1900 year? later, into a God, just as an animal takos to itsolf protective shades to adapt itself to its environment. It, is not clear what importance you attach to the Wurtemburg protest from "a number of the Roman Catholic clergy." You forget to state what number. A man once claimed to bo shown over a man-of-war as he was "one of the owners." Perhaps it is but an "insignificant" number. In their letter, tho "number" claim that tho Modernists "aro devoted heart and soul to the Roman Catholic religion." This may be co if we accept their view of Catholicism. Pius is simply saying that ho does not. I should wish to deal further with the Encyclical and_ Modernism, giving details of the opinions which Pius K. condemns a3 errors, and something of tho nature and temper of the condemnation as soon as I am allowed to trespass on your kindness. Trusting you can spare me a little space in your widely-read columns, and thanking you in anticipation.—l am, etc., TT7 „. PATRICIAN. Wellington, 13th December.