GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 39, 28 September 1905, Page 3

GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

THE AUSTRALIAN PLENARY COUNCIL'S PASTORAL LETTtR

The following is the Pastoral Letter of the Archbishops and!' Bishops, of the Australian Commonwealth in Plenary Council assembled to the clergy and laity of their charge :—: — Venerable Brethren of the Clergy, Beloved Brethren of the laity,— Having assembled at the call of the Chief Pastor of the Ohurch to take counsel with one another and with our Reverend Brethren in the Saored Ministry on matters affecting the welfare of the Church in Australia, and having witfti the Divine assistance agreed upon those things which it seemed right to us to ordain, we deem it our duty Hyefore separating to address to you some words of encouragement and exhortation. Growth of the Church in Australasia In the first place, we invite you to unite with us in the Father of Mercies for the favors He has abundantly, showered on Australia, especially during the ten years that have elapsed since the Second Plenary Council was celebrated. The period has been one of quiet growth and consolidation, rather than of that pioneer missionary expansion which was distinctive of earlier periods of our history. Our Catholic population (in Australasia), has grown to something over, a million (1,011,550). The clergy Vnumber over thirteen hundred ; the teaching Brothers over six hundred ; the nuns over five thousand five hundred. We maintain thirty-three colleges for boys and one hundred and sixtyr-nine boarding-schools for girls ; two hundred and fifteen| superior day schools ; ten hundred and eighty-seven primary schools ; nincty-feiur charitable institutions, and the children in Catholic schools number over one hundred and twenty-seven thousand. From these figures it can be seen that, although ours is a land which has developed and grown with the rapidity of adolescence, the Oburc^ has progressed also, even so as to) keep well to the front among the most progressive institutions of the country. Singular Unity of Australian Catholics While we thank G-oti for these results which His Providence has achieved in us, we must thank Him particularly for two blessings which 'have been to our seeming the great means used by the Almighty to promote the Faith of Australia. These two features in our Christianity are the 'singjular unity by which we Bishops are united with one another and with our priests and people and the uncompromising spirit of Faith which has filled and sustained the heart of Catholic Australia in its hard and costly struggle for the religious education of the children. Wo oharactori.se as singiular the unity of Australian Catholicity , and to justify the epithet we would need to be able to claim something more than our share in that Catholic unity of Faith, worship, and obedience which 'has ever been the first and plainest of the marks of the Ohurch founded by Christ on Peter. Of this singular unity which is so salient a trait of 'Australian Cat'holicy, there is evidence in the fact that now, for the first time within a period of twenty years, the Bishops of all this vast Commonwealth have harmoniously deliberated in Plenary Council, and also in the celebration so successfully carried out during the past* five years of no less than two Australasian Catholic Congresses. While we thank God for this blessing of unity>— the mark and the pledge of Hi9\ Divine Protection—we exhort you most earnestly, Reverend Brethren and d-ear children, to cherish the gift most tenderly, and to do your part in praying for and ensuring its continuance. The visible cause of the Church's unity is dependence on the See of Peter'; and we can claim for Australia that, though the farthest from Rome, and one of the latest born of the Church's gre&t family, she 'doea not yield to any in close attachment and love fox ' thSa Chiajir of Peter, the principal »Ohu>rch whence comes religious unity.' (St. Cyprian, Ep. 55.) Zeal for Catholic Education Australian Catholics have, from the beginning, been tru« tci tihe\ instincts of Faith in regard to the eduoation of their children,. They have not been 'beguiled by the soft enticements ol statesmen, nor discouraged by the weakness of "non-Catholic fellow-Christiat s; but faithful to their trust as guardians of their children's faith, they have refused the free gifts of the State, and denied themselves in order to support schools where the religion of their little ones may be preserved and strengthened. By thus actinig they have won the admiration of all who are capable of admiring selt-sacrifice

in a noble cause. And, what is more, they have brought God's blessing on themselves and on all their religious undertakings. Confidence Inspired by the Church's Position When we consider the position of the Catholic Church at the opening of the twentieth century of bor existence, and especially her history during ttie past hundred years, our faith in her is comforted by manifest proofs that the guiding providence of God is ttirectiwg her steps, arid that the promise of her Divine Founder is in course of perfect fulfilment ; ' This gates of hell shaJU not prevail against her.' «<St. Matt., lft18.) II was expected by her enemies that the anarchy of the French Revolution would destroy the Church, aa it did the thrones of Europe ; and when Pius VI. died in exile at Valence,, in 1799, they said the Church was to end with his life. But it was only by re-establishing the Church in France that Napoleon was able to bring back order and civil life to the empire he ruled. When again, blinded by the glare of victory, he became the persecutor of the Church, <amd dragged the Holy Pontiff, Pius VII., from Rome to Ftonrtiaijnfoleau, the overruling (power of God did make the arms drop from the frozen hands of bis soldiers, 'and quickly 'brought thte tyrant himself to sign 'his abdication in the very castle where he had held the Pope a prisoner. The Church survived the Revolution ; but it was destined to find in the succeeding years the number ot its persecutors increased, and the area of persecution widened. The names of these enemies history does not record, and they are legion ; for their names are covered by the darkness of secrecy, anti they are leagued together in their unholy work. Liberalism was Uie name ol which the^ froastefl in the light of day : Freemasonry is the name by which we besit know the chief sect of their banded brotherhood. Opposition to the ChuTCto anld r when they could, open persecution of her, were theii works. Their spirit of opposition permeated all classes. In 1830 it drove the rabble of France to the desecration; of altars and the murder of priests; and in 1870 it inspired the rulers of the nations to permit the spoliation of the Holy See, and the Chancellor of Germany to wage war on the Catholic Church as the enemy 1 of culture. In recent years despite its vaunted love of liberty. one of the great nations of 'the world has allowed itself to be dominated by this anti-Cbristian spirit, so far .as to refuse to its own subjects the liberty to loach children, because they had devoted their lives to teach them Christianity. France, that was so long the. most Catholic of nations, just now stands before the world as the destroyer of religious teachers, and the persecutor of the Church to which she owe, 1 ? most of the glories of her history. And it has been placed beyond all question, that the 'hidden spring and source of such strange action is the violent anfl widespread activity of that society which dreads the light of day, amid seems to reckon not what injury it may cause to the nation, if only it may cripple the 'beneficent action of the Church of God. In spite, howeven, of all the machinainionte of the powerful, notwithstanding Revolution and Freemasonry, the Church not. only exists, but she is every day growing- ny the active zeal of her own faithful children, and in the respect of all honest men outside her fold. Relations of the Church and State in Australia In our own land the Church enjoys a liberty which she fully aDpreciates. She can, in the memory of those now living, go back to her early days, ere yet the sun of liberty had risen on the Catholics of the British Empire, and recall cruel attempts to transplant in these sunny climes the thraldom of religious ascendency, which had, ' in dark and evil days,' cast its blighting shadow over the life of a brave and generous people. But memory also recalls the failure •that attended the attempt. Australia may rightly claim that she is a land of liberty, awd Australian Catholics, who are so largely den scendants of the martyr-nation of liberty, are not likely to prize their freedom lightly., nor to be backward, should the need arise, in defending- it. The Ohnirch in our Australian Commonwealth is free from any direct civil disability ; and towards the throne of his Imperial Majesty, and the persons of the Governors, who represent him, is loyally affected in every dutilul manner. We share, nome the lass, the pain that all his Maies-tv's Catholic subjects feel, when they reflect Mat the Empire's law still reqtuires their Sovereign to insult thedr religion when coming to his throne ; and we 'now express our united hope that the blot of thp anti-Catholic declaration in the Coronation Oath may soon bo removed from 1 the Statute Book of England.

The present age has witnessed a remarkable development in all the civilised nations of the Principles of Democracy. It is everywhere passing into a recognised rule, that the power which God has given to men for order and management of human society has its secondary and human source in the will of the people. This great change in the views of men was not effected without violence and bloodshed in some places ; but it is now the possession of many peopfles, who have not been called on to shed their b/lood far it. Australia, the youngest of the nations, has grown into nationhood with and thiough the growth of the democratic principle ; and hence her sons know full well how to value constitutional and personal liberty ; and they highly prize the equality which just laws of their own making ensure to them. ■We are <a)ble to thank God, that hitherto our land has been preserved from war— that greatest of scourges,,, unhappily \w»i unknown in the madem world, but known to us only from afar. We have also been singularly exempt from those social plagtules, of which in other lands we learn the ravages and the dire results. Anarchy has found no home among-st us ; nor do we fear that its insane ravings will ever be acceptable to citizens so practically reasonable as are Australians 1 . As Catholics, we know that the Church is still, as she ever has been, the most efficient guardian of order where it exists, and restorer of it when it has been subverted ; 'but we have every reason to 'hope thait the day is far distant when she will be called upon to exert her strength In this free land against such enemies of human weJfare as anarchy and its vile offshoots. The Catholic Church and Socialism The name ' Socialism ' has of late been in frequent use in Australia, especially on political platforms where, according to the purposes of fthe different parties, St has been made to mean things very widely apart. Ttoms some by Socialism understand the doctrines and systems of those would-be reformers of social evils, who pretend to believe that the existing, ,&tlate of 'human society was founded in injustice, and that the lapse of time has only aggravated and accentuated the wrongs which must ever flow from it. In accordance with this doctrine, their programme of action is the simple one of overturning the present order of society. Their object in doing so, would be to arrange what they would consider a more equitaible distribution of worldly possessions. As to how this is to be dome, they are not agreed ; nor has any one of their leaders yet worked out a plan which recommends itself as practicable to men of sound judgment. The means adopted by those Socialists for the overthrow of the present social order is an active propagandism by speaking -and writing of their principles and purposes, -and an unceasing effort to undermine the belief of the people in those truths on which our social fabric is based. Thus, with the view of concentrating 1 men's aims and their earthly welfare alone, they bid them, to use the irreverent words of a leading Socialist, leave ' Heaven to the angels and sparrows 1 '; and, recognising in religion the mainstay of society, they strive to arou»e their followers to the attainment of an imaginary happiness by denouncing what they call ' the two curses of our time— the curses' of Capitalism and Christianity.' On the other hand, there are many ' amongst us who regard Socialism as the name of The Economic Principles by which those are influenced and guided who seek to redress the wrongs and to alleviate the miseries of tho laboring poor. It is beyond question that the large majority of the very poor are heavily pressed by misery and wretchedness which render their lot intolerable ; and this deplorable tevil is most acute in those countries where the causes producing it are most active. To remedy this evil, which has over pressed itself on the 1 attention of philosoiphers from the days of Plato to our own, many and various schemes have been proposed, most of which have boon branded by the common iiwl lament of men as Utopian. It is also the verdict of the civilised world that more has been done for the earthly welfare of human society by the principles of Our Blessed Saviour Jesus Chuist, taught us in His Gospel, than toy any ''human schemes whatever. Jt was by Christianity that slavery was abolished, and woman raised from the degraded state to which pao-ankm had dragged her down Catholics further believe that the only hope o! remedying the social ills of the present day is in the Catholic Church. As our late glorious Pontiff, Leo XIII.

said in his immortal Encyclical on the Condition of Labor : 'If society is to be cured now, in no other way can it be cured but by a return to the Christian life and Christian institutions.' Ofi Socialism taken in this sense.it is well known that the Papal Encyclical just cited is the most luminous anid author-j^ itative exposition in existence. As the late Cardinal Manning wrote : ' Since Christ, said in the wilderness of the hungry thousands about Mm,. " I have compassion on the multitude," no voice has been' heard throughout the, wot Id pleatcftnig^ for tJhe people with such profound and loving sympathy for those that toil and suffer as the voice of Leo X 111..' Making this distinction of the different kinds of Socialism, it need not be stated which of them will be (promoted by the Catholic Church in Australia. The passing prominence given to the subject has come about, not by reason of the (activity amongst us of Socialists, strictly so called, who aim <at the destruction of society, but for other reasons. It will not, however, be out of place for you, dearly beloved brethren, to keep 'before you the'principles 1 by which you may Discern Right from Wrong in thisi important matter. Your close union with your priests amid piastors will be the best protection against the danger of adhering to any false or dangerous principles of Socialism. Your oonfldence in the Church as the Divinely appointed guardian of the rights of men, social' and individual, will make you suspicious of any statements or actions that ignore or despise her authority. In this connection! iHoly Church can use the words of Our Lord Himself : ' He that is not with Me is against Me.' Another protecting influence is your zeal for Catholic education. One of the favorite and most mischievous measures for propagating Socialism, falsely so-called, is non-Christian education ; while, on the other hand, nothing is more necessary to make a people thoroughly Christian than the education of the young, conducted under the direction of the Church. In order that you may be. able to judge whether the principles of any programme of sociaj action are Socialistic in the bad sense of that word or not, we deem it our duty to remiw'd you, dearly beloved brethren, of a few points which bear on this matter. The Decalogue 'declares the Creator's >will, not only as to tne duties of man, but also as to his rights. Every man. has a right to four things — to his life, to his family, to his goods, and to his character. The right to life is declared and protected by the Commandment, ' Thou shalt not kill ' ; the right to his family by the Commandment, ' Thou shalt not commit adultery ' ; the right to his goods by the Commandment, "Thou shalt not Steal ' ; and the right to his ..character by the Commandment, ' Thou shall not ,bear false witness against thy neighbor.' It is a deplorable fact that many who now pose before the world as the teachers of the highest human culture and the guides of men to social welfare, are as regardless of man's right to life, in certain frequient-occurrinig circumstances, as the lowest savage the world has* known. The Creator says, ' Thiou shalt not kill.' They say the happinessi of men and the welfiare of society sometimes retjfuire mian'si interference with the laws of lifie, card, therefore, he may in these cases disregard the Fifth Commandment. In this delicate matter, dearly beloved brethren, we may remind you that the criminal practices to which we refer are sometimes ad's ocatod through the prevalent instinct of selfish pleas-ure-seeking by persons who profess to believe in God and to fear the consequences of breaking His Commandments. (To be continued next week.)