PRIESTS ON SERVICE.—CARDINAL BOURNES’S FIGURES.

Evening Star, Issue 16847, 24 September 1918, Page 7

PRIESTS ON SERVICE.—CARDINAL BOURNES’S FIGURES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l am sorry that a man of “T.C.F.’s” intellectual abilities should have so little capacity for argumentative concentration. His last letter consists principally of a long list of purposeless quotations, which are nothing less than an attempt to evade the issue. He quotes passages from 10 different sources where the word “ Catholic ” appears without the prefix “Roman,” with the intention of conveying the impression to your readers that these authorities believed that the prefix “ Roman ” was not part of the Qnurch of Rome’s title, whereas they, in a great many cases, only drop the prefix for convenience sake. “T.C.F.” says he definitely states that the prefix “ Roman ” was first applied by a British subject in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, but I cannot find any such statement in hife letter. I presume it would not bo very creditable to make a statement dealing with the reign of Queen Elizabeth. An assertion Is one thing; a statement is another. I have looked up different authorities dealing with the reign of Queen Elizabeth to find out who the person was who first applied the prefix “ Roman,” but have failed. These authorities use the word " Catholic ” oftener than Ihe full title, because they seem to think it unnecessary. I am not an old man, but I remember the day when the adherents of the Church boasted and gloried in the full title; even to this day wo read in the papers “R.C. preferred.” However, if the Roman Catholic Church prefers to drop the word Roman, I have no objections. As I said before, it shows that she is not above reformation; but I hope she is not under the delusion that the rest of the world is not taking any notice of it.—l am, etc., Consistent Gatuoijc. September sn