Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7, 18 February 1909, Page 249

Current Topics

The* Penguin* It is difficult to peruse with dry eyes the heart-riving narrative of the wreck of the Penguin, the worst shipping.disaster that has occurred in- New Zealand waters since, the Wairarapa smashed on the rocks in 1894. The patience, * the heroism, the mutual helpfulness displayed in the long agony of the unequal fight for life against the stormy waters— all this reaches the highest traditions of those that go down to the sea in ships, and makes one thankful for the good that is in human nature in the hour of its bit- - terest trial. Peace to the souls of the dead, and may Christ the Consoler wipe away the tears of those that moura i dear ones who passed out in this great disaster! Catholics and Prison Statistics We direct the attention of our readers to the remarkable and informative article that appears elsewhere under this heading from the pen of the Rev. C. J. Yenning, . S.M. The time is now opportune for thoroughly investigating, throughout New Zealand, the extent of the prevalent habit of a section of prisoners in our gaols falsely entering themselves as ' Roman Catholics ' and contributing, in this way, to the misleading denominational comparisons that appear in the Official Year 8001-. The Catholic chaplains of our various prisons would do an excellent work, and make all the co-religionists their debtors, by a searching investigation, name by name, of the 'Roman Catholicism ' of the prisoners under thoir spiritual caro. We throw ourselves upon thoir kindness and good-will. Materials sent to us, in any shape, in this connection will be greatly welcomed, and will be duly utilised by us. ♦ Authoritative * Catholic Books It was, we think, Cardinal Manning who remarked that few men can resist the temptation of saying, behind a mask, what they would not say with open face. This appears to be well illustrated by a writer who, in the Otago Daily Times, has been dragging in much virulent bitterness in the course .of contributions to the discussion on the educational question — of which a further instalment appears in this issue. These bitter irrelevancies will be dealt with in due course. In the meantime we wish to correct an impression left by him that all Catholic books which have the episcopal imprimatur or episcopal ' approbation ' are, thereby, through and through ' authoritative ' statements of Catholic doctrines and principles. This is, among Protestant controversialists, a very common error, and it is made to do exaggerated duty in connection with more or less bitter quotations (real or bogus) from the writings of sundry Catholic authors. The following are the facts of the matter: (1) The Latin word imprimatur means, literally, ' let it be printed.' The bishop's impririiatur is merely a license to publish Avorks that require such license — namely, books dealing with Scripture, theology, ecclesiastical history, canon law, natural theology, ethics, and, generally, all writings treating of religious or moral subjects. The imprimatur is also an intimation that the requirements of ecclesiastical law have been complied with. One of these requirements is, that the book should be examined by a duly appointed censor, and that it be certified not to teach anything that clashes with faifch and morals. In these circumstances the bishop gives the permission for publication, without which the issue of the classes of books referred to above would be a violation of ecclesiastical law.

In The Law of the Church (1906, p. 143) Father Taunton points out what is, for Catholic ecclesiastics at least, the well-known principle that ' tlie censor has nothing whatever to do with the style or tlie views expressed in the book, or the conclusions arrived at,' except in so far as they may antagonise faith and morals. ' Hence,' adds he, ' the censor is obliged to interpret his functions strictly, and he has no right to refuse his approbation unless there be clear evidence that the book contains certain propositions against faith or morals. The question of opportuneness is not within his province.' In his Constitution, Sollicita ac provida, Pope Benedict XIV. (1740-1758) provides for such publication and ventilation of opinions ' which may be attackod and rejected by other Catholics who defend tli.3 contrary, with the knowledge and permission of the Holy See, which leaves every opinion of this kind to its own degree of probability.' Tho censor is not free to withhold his non obstut within the limits mentioned above, even though he may differ profoundly from many opinions expressed by the author. And the bishop's imprimatur carries with it no sort of approval or recommondation of the work. On the contrary, he may disapprovo of the views

But LopJ? • ?F d r6gret the . P ubli ™tion of the wort. ■But, except in the cases mentioned, this does not justify bS^V' l^ l^ *S P ermi^ion for publication. The bishop has not the wide and irresponsible powers, in this formerly granted to the Anglican archbishops of oSK? * n °/- tO the L present censor of P^ys in England. Our bishops, a,c* upon the counsel of St. Paul, and bea? with -the .unwise, mas well as out of print. And their im~ ES"f' c -cans approval* of the contents o f^ daihr ™* n th ? % ™v™™>*w of the editor of one of our e™J F™ 1111 11 " pl i es W eement - with the clashing views expiessed in Ins free 7 discussion columns. In^ regard to TMs ii a s P ?T batl ° n> ° f i a b0 °- k givenb y P °P es or Sopsf SSv aS? a i g T ral a PP roval ; does not by any means 2k a A Ppro ™J, of evei T Paragraph or proposition in the of tL P ?• ° aSe , 1U . point is furni^ed hy a decree it* P Con e re P* lon of Rites, passed in 1803, confirmed by the Pope, and declaring that the -works of St. Alphonsus Liguorx contained 'nothing deserving of censure.' Heillg one of St. Alphonsus' spiritual children, explains tb.at.tbS opinion^rSl^ l -? 8 -^^ 6a6h " eparate s^tement and • Sdo fh - *£\V 8 *? Ue; liay ' more > that {t do ™ not exclude the possibility of some or other of his opinions benig condemned; but that it means just thif and nothing more-that his works'are free from any * error sS mSe ?i a V UCh b3 ; thG CllUrcll -' AU this is ™* uXr- £? % the +I Ro " an °™a and fo y Catholic theologians. In fact when the Sacred Penitentiary, in 1831, declared that a confessor might with a safe conscience follow all -St! Alplionsus' opinions, it did not by any means declare them on all points the best possible and only safe opinions. On the contrary, it stated that confessors were free to follow WaT/r b £ ° ther a PP^ved authors,, e,ven where they differed from those of the sainted founder - of . the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Nay, more? Ihe bishop sunpnmatw and < approbation ■'" may be, and ofton are, attached to books that contain bitter attacks upon tlie Catholic faith or upon revealed religion. Take, for instance, the numerous apologetic works in which specific false theories are stated, sometimes at great length and in close detail, with a view to their refutation Among these are works by Catholic authors of such note as Newman an d hundreds of others whose names will readily occur to tlie mmd of the reader.

3. The Church is not a society of the perfect, but of the imperfect whom she tries to lead to perfection. And the imperfect are naturally represented in due force among the makers of books, religious as well as secular. Among suck writers there will be some who are inexpert in some ot the matters on which they write, some" given to exaggeration or unwise generalisation, some of untrained mind, of ill-balanced judgment, and of" the false "fervor that works into fanaticism. Some of these classes of authors indulge m declamation and vituperation, lack the gravity and seremty of truth, exalt opinions (especially their own opinions) into dogmas, push principles (as Devas remarks) to tlie snapping point, and exaggerate decisions beyond the range of due mercy to the weak. Catholics as well as nonUathohcs have their offenders in these matters, but nothing lite to the same extent. And this we will say: We will allow harsh critics of Catholic writers, in this connection, the whole range of our controversial literature to select from; but we will defy them to show therein anything that— tor sheer and almost incredible coarseness, bitterness, and all •unchanty— can for a moment compare with largo classes of No-Popery 'religious' and politico-religious literature that is and has long been circulated among men, women, and children throughout Australia and New Zealand and in every part of the English-speaking world.lt pours out from presses in London, New York, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne— there are even driblets -in Dunedin: Wellington, Auckland, and elsewhere— and it includes books, pamphlets (of the Kcnsit order, and. worse), and newspapers of a- kind which puts jthe lay gutter-press to shame. - Tho present writer has found it his. nauseous duty to wade through many hundreds-weight of that coarse, violent, and ofton foetid stuff, and he knows, whereof he speaks. In this connection we may state' that at the present time, or quite lately, there- was in use in a State High School in tlie South Island an alleged history which, for the fatuity of its legends and its envenomed bitterness towards Catholics is pretty well fit for a place among the pile of printed stuff described above. The book was read in that school deopito the protests of Catholic parents and the local clergy— protests which we have seen." We have, too, read the book in question, and are "prepared to justify our remarlcs in regard to it. But wo draw no wide conclusions from all this, for wo know that, such * literature ' is fac from being acceptable to decent and respectable Protestants of every social grade. We mention these things to "emphasise the old ' wisdom ' which puts a discount upon the throwing of stones by persons who live under glass roofs.