THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9478, 24 September 1889, Page 6

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BOYCOTTED.^ INTERVIEW WITH • CARDINAL MORAN. Mb. Wisb's article in tho Centenary Magazine, a brief extract from which was given in OUr cablo news, caused so much sensation in Sydney, that the representative of the Daily Telegraph recently made some inquiries, and finally interviewed Cardinal Moran to ascertain if they were i cor root v

The statements to which particular reference was made were two. First, that under the regulations adopted at the Diocesan Synod, held in the Cathedral in April last, all Catholics joining "tho Oddfellows, Foresters, Druids, Good Templars, Rechabitos, and kindred societies," after that date would be "deprived of the benefit of the presence and services of the priests at their funeralsand, secondly, thab in accordance with the decrees of tho Plenary Council of 1885, No. 173, the City Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Limited, and the Sydney Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Limited, had received "temporary diocesan approval." In regard to tho insurance question, Cardinal Moran said that the recommendation made by the Synod was not intended to provent business being done with other companies, that there was no obligation on any of the clergymen who had already effected satisfactory insurances to withdraw them in favour of the companies named, and in fact no obligation to insure in these two particular companies at all. ■ The action of the Plenary Council and subsequent diocesan Synod having been thus explained so far as the recommendation of the insurance companies was concerned, the next question was as to the extraordinary regulations adopted at) tho diocesan Synod in April auent tho banning of the Oddfellows and all other kindred societies. The Telegraph continues :— " Was such a regulation adopted ?" wo inquired of His Eminence. " Most assuredly it was," replied the Cardinal " The secretary of the Oddfellows —Mr, Collins, I think, was his name—wrote to me some time last year requesting my formal ap proval to the Oddfellows' Society boing ( recognised as a Catholic society, tho samo as the Guild. Inquiries were then instituted about the different societies. It then appeared that they were not merely relief societies, but strictly Wosleyan for the most part, beginning with Wesleyan prayers and using Wesleyan hymns. And furthermore there were difficulties with regard to interment. These societiesl am speaking in particular of tho Oddfellows have their own religious rites, or, at anyrate, what they call religious rites, at interment. Inconvonience was occasionally experienced by Catholics on the societies insisting that these funeral rites should be carried out. To prevent any further inconvenience a regulation was passed, intimating that all Catholics joining after that date should be deprived of the benefit of the presence and servioes of tho priest at their funeral. This would not prevent tho Sacrament being given, but only tho attendance of the priest at tho funeral, and in no coso was it to have a retrospective effect. The Catholic Church is very strict in all matters connected with secret societies, such as Freemasons, Oddfellows, etc. We condemn them all. It any society has a secular or anti-religious rite we could not allow the priest to attend. In the three or four eases where the priest did attendl am referring only to the Oddfellows' Society very serious threats were made at the grave, and wo wore obliged to refuse to proceed with the rite unless they desisted. It is not on account of these societies being benefit societies, although Mr. Wise seems to think so, that wo oppose them, but on account of their being religious societies. We find that if once a man affiliates himself with Protestant societies and begins to practice rites not consistent with his own religion, it leads to the break-up of tho family union, to drunkenness and everything else. We say that if a man is a Roman Catholic let him be a Roman Catholic thoroughly, and not half Catholic and half Protestant." "But," added tho Cardinal, " the Catholic Church doos not ban every society formed for a '.friendly' or ' benefit' purposes except the Hibernian and the guilds. There are a number of private friendly societies other than those List named, not bo large in their field of operations, to be sure, but which Catholics can join if they feel eo disposed. Any frioodly society that does not combine attacks on the Catholic religion with tho practice of a religion opposed to theirs could be joined by a Catholic, But In tho same way as no Protestant would join a distinctly Roman Catholic benefit society, because Catholic prayers would be used, so Catholics should not join a Protestant benefit society for a similar reason. The fact is," observed the Cardinal in conclusion, That the Catholic Church is, and always has been, opposed to secret societies, and our opposition has been justified on the Continent of Europe very recently." "How was that?" we inquired. "On June 10th last," said the Cardinal, " There was a procession in Rome in memory of Bruno, sentenced to death years ago for heresy. In the procession the Freemasons of England and Australia figured conspicuously, and one of the banners was borne by a Society of New Zealand. The Societies commemorated the event as a triumph not only over tho Roman religion, but over all religions. Tho English Freemasons do not claim to be associated with the Continental Freemasons, regarding the latter as aiming at the overthrow both of the altar and the throne, but at the installation of one of the Grand Masters recently in London the Grand Orient Continental Lodge was represented!, and their address was received. These are some of our reasons why we object to Roman Catholics joining secret societies such as those to which I have referred."