EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 8 December 1910, Page 2005

EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH

ADDRESS BY CARDINAL MORAN His Eminence Cardinal Moran, in the course of an address at St. Patrick’s Church Sydney, on Sunday, November 20, replying to an assertion of the Sydney Morning Herald that the condemnation of Modernism by the Holy Father had for its object the imposition of the fetters of ignorance on the clergy and laity, with the result that the Church is decaying on every side, said: Let us take one fact. You remember how the Holy Father threw open to the literary world all the treasures of the Vatican Library. It was the greatest event that had taken place in connection with literature during the century just closed, and was hailed with joy and delight by literary Europe. One of its results was that institutes for the advancement of learning, history, and science, representative of every country in Europe, were established in Rome, and they are there to-day. The present Holy Father has also instituted in Rome what is known as the Academy of Eastern Languages, and has invited to and centred in the Eternal City all those who are versed in those tongues, most distinguished in the pursuit of their literature, and especially in Eastern research. It is the one unique academy in Europe in which is concentrated all the vast learning regarding the East, and particularly the study of Sacred Scripture, and the facts connected with Our Saviour’s life. Colleges have also been founded in Jerusalem and in other parts of the East for the purpose of facilitating these studies. Compare the energy of the Holy See in promoting these studies with our higher studies in Australia. I . have often lamented that in all our universities there is not a single chair for Oriental languages, and if anyone wishes to attain the higher studies in Hebrew there is not a centre to which he can apply. The only chair for Eastern languages, and especially Hebrew, that I know of is that at our own Ecclesiastical College of St. Patrick, Manly. War Against the Church. What shall I say of the alleged decay of the Church in modern times? The Governments of France, Portugal, and Spain have seized the property of the Church, and declared open war against her teachings in every shape and form, and done everything in their power to destroy her. Despite all this, I venture to say that there never has been a time during the past 400 years in which the Church has been quickened with such vitality as at the present day, and never at any time in those 400 years has there been such grand vigor and earnestness in upholding the teachings of divine wisdom, nor greater truthfulness in the direction of virtue and faith.

For more than three centuries one of the greatest powers of this world ground the Irish Catholics to the dust in order to exterminate the Church from Erin’s hills and vales, but fruitlessly. To-day religion flourishes triumphantly in Ireland, and the British Government has found it necessary to change its attitude in dealing with the Catholic Church.

France has for centimes been a grand Catholic country. What do we see to-day throughout France? We see the Bishops never so united with the Holy See as in this period of terrible trial; we see the clergy quickened with fervor, zeal, and self-sacrifice unsurpassed in the history of the Church; we see the faithful devoted more than ever to the Church.

For more than a hundred years Russia has dragooned the Catholics, banished them to the Volga and Siberia, and done everything possible to destroy the Faith. To-day, .after peace has been restored, we see 15,000,000 Catholics gathered around the banner of Holy Church. Switzerland tor long has been a great Protestant country, and has been most vigorous in its efforts to exterminate every trace of 'Catholicity. When the famous war of 1850 was waged against the Church, it would seem as if she was suppressed for ever. Later still, every effort was made to force the Catholics into the hands of the Old Catholics. But to-day, out of 3,000,000 inhabitants, 1,200,000 are Catholics. As to the German Empire. The Iron Chancellor marshalled all the strength of the Empire which had vanquished. Europe on the battlefields to vanquish the Church. Truth triumphed, and Bismarck had to admit that to restore peace to the Empire peace had to be restored to the Catholic Church. To-day in Germany there are 22,000,000 ■of devoted Catholics, who hold the balance of power in the Parliaments of the country. Let us look at

Our Own British Empire. Some fifty years ago a storm arose that seemed to banish ireligion from the coasts of England, and the Catholic Hierarchy was disestablished by the Premier of the day, and almost every manifestation of Catholic faith and discipline was declared null and void. Only two years ago however, a grand Eucharistic procession took place in Londonit was a demonstration unparalleled during the past centuries in the British Empireand the day after Parliament abolished the offensive words which in the Royal Declaration offered insult to' the Catholic Church In this there is no sign of decay. Only 100 years ago in Scotland there was scarcely a Catholic church to be found, and it ■was considered a wonderful thing that there were 30 000

Catholics in Glasgow in 1840. At present there are over 400,000 Catholics in Glasgow, and . schools, churches, and institutions of religion and charity, have sheen multiplied. Has Ireland been dwindling in the faith? The assertion of their rights by the Irish Catholics won- Emancipation, not only for Ireland, but for the whole Empire. From the day the Bill passed to the present there has been a magnificent series of religious triumphs. Of the other parts of the -Empire the same story has to be told. In a report on-the missions in India issued a few months ago, it was stated that at the present time the native converts to the Catholic Church in ' India and Ceylon numbered twice as many as all the Protestant sects, whether from America or England. In Montreal, Canada, was recently held* the International Eucharistic Congress, which was unique in the history of the New World, and unsurpassed by any religious celebration in the Old World. A century ago Montreal ~was a little village, and in the whole territory there was only one Catholic Bishop, whom the Government refused to recognise, allowing him no other title than that of 1 Roman Catholic Superintendent of Canada.’ As in Australia, the Government declared itself resolved that, as Canada had been Catholic under the French dominion, it would be Protestant under the English dominion. The Catholic churches were seized and handed over to the Anglican communion, and no. help was given to the Catholic Church. To-day, after a century, not only is the Church recognised, but we found the highest representatives of the Government and the Administration associated in the Eucharistic procession. Montreal,. the village of a hundred years ago, has now over 400,000'Catholic inhabitants; there are 80,000 children in the Catholic schools; and there is an array of institutions of religion, charity, and education unparalleled in any centre of the New World.

Very few words are needed to describe Catholic progress in the United States, as you are all familiar with the development of the Church in that mighty Republic. As a rule, we are left in great ignorance of South America by the correspondents. A quarter of a century ago these republics appeared to be in a state of decadence; they were fighting about boundaries; there was internecine dissension, and rival leaders brought ruin on their respective States. Nowadays things are different. The war against the Church has ceased, and she is recognised. Recently a celebration wp held at Buenos Aires to commemorate the triumph of. the Spanish-American Republics, and the nineteen of them were represented, and resolutions were passed to promote their interests. The proceedings were brought to a close by the laying of the foundationstone of a new Catholic university in the capital of Argentma. Preparatory to this celebration the Bishops of these republics, representing 90 dioceses, gathered together their respective standards, and proceeded to Rome to have those 90 banners blessed by the Holy Father, afterwards depositing them on the shrine of our Lady of Saragossa. These banners represented 70,000,000 devoted Catholics. This progress is wonderful, considering the confusion that prevailed in those countries as late as 25 years back. These republics do not embrace Brazil, which is a Portuguese colony. It, too, has restored peace to the Church, and to-day the Catholics number 14,000,000. On every side, therefore, we see the grand and glorious progress of Holy Church. Whilst the Holy Father, as leader of the army of God, condemns the enemies of truth, whilst he is unceasingly and ever strenuously championing the cause of divine truth, we see the Bishops and the clergy everywhere united with the Holy See, and the faithful throughout the world never more ardent nor enthusiastic in the same cause as they are at this moment.