Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The American. (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1893)
TIT Imm wJh& S.sVS. . AMERICAN f"t't Kit it N I'M HX vuhk in. tM.MA, NI'HUASKA, I UU'AY, MAY IM;1. A FEW HOLY POPES. !. rir DoCUrk.D D , fontrib. uui ft rw rgi pf Hu.r)', A Womin Pops and Oath of Blood Aro Two Ihios. Romsnists find It Hsrd to Oft Away From, In tho closing part of tin latest authentic creed of the Itiminn Catholic church are these words: "t acknowledge tin holy Cathollo Apostolic, Roman church for the mother and mistress if all churches, ami 1 promise truo ols'dletieo to the bishop of Homo, successor of Sl" I'cter, prince of tho aiMistlos, and vicar of Joaua Christ. 1 do Hi thin present frwly profess and sincerely hold thin truo Cathollo faith. " Tho doctrine of pontlflclnl infallibility Is added as a part of tho creed; to which evory Cathollo mihaorlhoa or i makes acknowledgment. "According to some Uotnan Cuthollo authorities tho presontpopo, Jo XIII., ia tho 204th "who havo ant on the chair of rotor." According to othor alitor ltlos ho in tho 201st Incumbent, regu lurly recognized by thorn. Thus, Dlahop Gibbons now cardinal says: "Soventy-nlno out of tho 2,51) that Mat on tho chair of St. Peter aro invokod upon our altars us saints eminent for holiness." Thotr In fallibility is championed by him. Liit ua look at a few of thcao popes Bald to bo lnfulliblo in faith and moral, to whom Cath olics promiHo "truo obodlonoo," Bomo of 1 horn aro Invokod on Catholic altars "as saints, emi nent for hoi Inoss." A. D. 400, whon tho title "Catholic" wh.h fully Bottled upon tho church of Itomo by tho bloody wars of ThoodoclotiH, Aniistnslus waB Its blHhop. Ho was succeeded by his won, Innocent I., in tho year 4(11 or 402. Innoconl de manded' that all questions of faith and morals should be sub mitted to him for settlement; yet ho permitted a notable case of pologamy and incest to go unro bilked, and Issued an edict, dur ing 4ho Gothlo tcigi of Ilomo in 408, restoring the worship of tho old Roman gods. This samo In nocent I. is worsh lpud as a saint! ZosltnuM, bis siiocessor, whllo popo, was tho leader of tho Pel agian heresy. Ho, too, is culled "a saint." Celestlno I., another saint, pope from 42.') to 4.')2, was a violent opposer and persecutor of tho Pelagians. I'opo Mureclllnus T., another saint, who (11 led tho chair from Juno HO, 2WI for eight years, is ald by Powell, on the uuthorlty of Howard, a Cathollo writer, to havo "sacrllloed to dovlls," of which fact ho was accused so nays "tradition," tho great Cath ollo authorityby three priests and two deacons, before a council of!KK) bishops, in tho year 1)0!!. Having confessed tho same, ho was allowed to condemn himself! Which thing, of course, ho never did. Damascus I. waded through tho bloiffl of Ins opposeri to tho chair. Yet ho Is a saint! Tho traditions connected with the pontlflolal caroor of Sylvester I. his leprosy and proposed bath of human blood do not placo him in tho most enviable light, Yet theso, probably, arc purely fictitious. I should hesitate to accept those traditions as true, Nevertheless, tho creed roads: "I most steadfastly admit and embrace tho apostolic and ecclesiastical tradi tions." Eugenlus I., (OWi-flMI), is called by Gibbon "a pagan." Tho clergy charged him with rebellion and apoatoey; be cause that "by his permission the altar of Victory was again restored, and that tho Idolatrous symbols of Jupiter and Hercules wero displayed In tho Held, against tho inevitable standard of tho cross." Constantino If,, (707), though called by some an antl-popo, Is In tho regular calender, Ho condemned tho worship of images, and was therefore deposed by a nibble under Stephen IV., who added this indignity, that ho beat hlin and burned him to death in tho church of tho Latoran, After this, I'opo Htephen IV,, annulled, by a council held In the Laterau having previously abrogated all the decrees lssuud by his predecessor, deposed the bishops he had ordained, and annulled all his baptisms and chrisms all tho decrees of tho council of Constantinople, and anathematized all Its members, giving this very curious reason for his course and tho restoration of images, "that If It was lawful for emperors, and those who had deserved well of their country, to havo their images erected, but not lawful to sot up those of God, tho con ditions of tho immortal God would bo worso than that of man." TU I ii- INh Jh, ft- 't i l.i1y Julrn VIII, i'oit A, IV "i.'), hiii'iM'lf4 hr iHn. ul -l.ir lr t or iior. This i"Vm't '( l'Wr") I Id to hnv ,11. d In i-liil.l Mrth hli in a hi.H, .iinm lim, t-tw n lh 'huivh of Ml, iVimitt Hhtl thi Hn-pit'ti tvt whi r? In-r tslui si.nsl h UH as ihn .U' twnth (vntuiy, I will hot vouch for the n.fins.'y if this story, for It Is ft ilUpiitod stlnt among both Cathollo ami I'rotostanl writers of history In this present i'iitui'V whether r m there was such a is, hut I noth ing tmprolnt)h In It, or of which a Cathollo might Ini ashameil, when other mid moiv st'ntnlalous character were admitted as having occupied the Hintll1clal chair; and when it is a uni versally iveognUed fact among the faithful that 1 a priest can change flesh Into IIkIi," and a common wf.r or piece of bivad Into tho very body and bhtod, together with the soul and di vinity of our l.jird Jesus Christ." It prolxibly was a simple miracle wrought by this popo upon his own body, In which the sex was changed from that of a man to that of a woman! Indeed, Dr. Cuuimlng says: "Tho most dis tinguished writers of (Cardinal New man's) church, allowed that such was flie ease," that is, that there was a Pope .loan, "KodolphiiM Flavlaeensis," he alllnns, "a IJenediet'iio monk, A. D. (till), suys that a woman was popo, Marlanus Hootus says sho held tho papal chair two years and live months." Ami ho further adds tho names of Martin, author of FUm 'J'cmporum; Francis Petrarch; Anthony of Florence, and the historian Platlna all members of the iloman church, as confirming tho story not of the miracle, but of there 10 1 ii g such a popo, Stephen VII. (Hl)7-li01), dug up tho remains of a predecessor, Popo For mosus, condemned thorn as tho bone of a heretic, burnt thorn toasho in tho church of the Lateral), and then scat tered them on tho wutors of tho Tiber. Aro we prepared for tho following? ' Kerglus III., OOO-IHO, licenced broth els in Homo, and Introduced tho "pernocrncy," 1. e., tho harlot rolgn! So say books which havo never been put, wo believe, In tho list of the "Kxpurgatorlum." "Tho papacy," snya Professor Villarl In the llrltannlca, Art. Home, "was incredibly lowered. Tho election of the popes had positively fallen Into tho Minds of certain beautiful women, notorious for their evil life and deprav ity. Theodora, known as tho Smatrix, was one of tho women then dominating Homo by force of their charms and licentiousness, She was supposed to bo tho concubine of Popo John X., 0) 1-028, whoso election was due to her Influence. Her daughter, Martwla, was In all ways her worthy rival. Tho popo found himself caught In this woman's tolls, and strug gled to escape, but Marozla, gaining fresh Influence by her marriage with Hugo, margrave of Tuscany, impris oned the pontllT himself in the castlo jYuguiu, r,). i ins fortress was tho property of Marozla and tho basis of her strength. Tho unfortunate John died within Its walls. Halscd to the chair by Theodora, ho was deposed and kl'hnt hi t U.l't r Tlo' ft'itlioi ,l i tftt lU r rellCti. ,1 lt CMiUltKSUl lnt In tH, heh lt ihihm-iIiiI In placing her John M, on the pw! i lhr," Hut le had viv(om!j -IimhhI, in h-r l siton of John X , both Ist VI. Hol Mephett VI 11. ttl the sl chslr John XI. a h ttnpl nonentity, for he hU) held s a pi l-oner by his brother, AHwiic, In the lrfteian. John XII., Itt wa, the son of Alhcrle as hs'tvl at the sv't' "f wn'iilwn to tho jsmtlllcate, lli ss poeswd of supii'ine Igiioraiuv and ungovernable tasslons, whllo his piilms wasthc scene of the most M'andalous IInchcc, and his public acts were thow of H lathy tyrant, "lie conferred a bishopric on a child of ten, ooiisocratiMl a deacon la a stable. Invoked Venus and Jupiter In his games, and drank to the devil's health.'' Iloth ho and llonlface VII., l71U7."., are represented by Sylvester II., who was pojio from (! ! (),'!, as cruel and lustful, and as "monsters of more than human Iniquity." Yet It has Is-en said by this same Sylvester II. that he practiced necromancy, and 'promised both his soul and body to tho devil." John XIII., 1MI5-U72, waded through blood and tho sack of Homo to tho throne. John XV., DMiVimO, was a detested tyrant. " Henedlct IX., 10:13-1045, was made WHICH popo at tho tender ago of twelve. His vices and excesses wore monstrous, and himself had created. Yet ho had corn "tho papacy sank to tho lowest depths ' posed a bull In tho year l.'lOIJ, which ho of corruption," and tho people tried to depose lilra, They elected other popes. No less than three popes struggled for the mastery John, arch-presbyter of Home, Sylvester III., and Henedlct IX.. who still had partisans. "Tho streets and neighborhood swarmed with thieves and assassins; pilgrims wero plundered, citizens trembled for their lives, and a hundred petty barons threatened the rival popes, who were obliged to defend themselves by force." Anarchy reigned supremo! Yet each popo lived in the "holy" city, and each was lnfulliblo! Whistle, ye wild winds! w-h-l-s-t-l-e!! Ono dwelt in the church of St. Peter, another in Santa Maria Major, and another in tho Latoran, in all of which tho several popes pursued tho most prolllguto and scandalous course of living. A simple priest, however, Gratian by name, found tho means to buy oft tho claims of each contestant, and to Ingratiate himself, under tho name of Gregory VI., into tho papal chair; but, under tho charge of simony, he was soon de posed, or forced to resign. Hondlct X., I0.'i8-10;.(), usurped tho chair, for which he is said to havo been mentally incapacitated. Nevertheless, ho was1 Infallible! Adraln IV., tho only Knglishman that ever sat on tho papal throne, sold Ireland into slavery to the Hritlsh crown In tho year ll.Vi; and Henry II. procedded to lfty waste Its Holds, and to bring Its Independent chiefs and peo ple Into English servitude In tho name of tho pope of Home. And by virtue of the poiie's sale of Ireland Into servitude to England, It has been lo! these cen turiesin political chains and financial impoverishment. When Ireland is free from England, and capable of con- iioiiH'k' ttciH. she will hsi( fir 1 '! (( n t ctiSln ol s ( tsvh to Uotii! TU nUftite t 'itn IU,, a Iste s the w ient-, nth fvniui j, l sal.J to li!tvi li cwtlroiiod by momsn whotvuiitd wiiti hint In tin Vatican. Clem, ill V., t leeled July 7, t, b dicnted Di-i itiU r l.'tlh f the sm )-r, "fivm the teliv;nH he itatcJ In ht formal lii'ii um, nt f abdication, "for Imiullity, for a purer life, a stain less coiim I, nee, mid tianiitlity," and then HimI In cave In the mountains. Hut llonlfms VIII., who was ehvteil to succeed liliu, sent and airested him, and then shut hlin up In tho canllc of Cningna, where ho died May, U, l..sl, from the hardshlt of conlinemenl. Yet, though ho lesiilleil against tho corruptness of tho papacy, us nlsivi stated, and was Imprisoned by tho In fallible llniilface VI 1 1., by some unac countable mistake, he has heen enrolled among the saints of the llomau Catho llo church. I low uncomfortable ho must be In such comutny as Halnta In nocent, and Marccllinus, Ixilh of whom, as ivo have seen, worshiped the ancient pagan gods; and with Saint Celestlno, the "persecutor," and many others who graduated from the papal chair! , nonifaee VIII. kept all Europe In a ferment; put, the lowest crown of the tiara on his head; established jubilees; claimed universal sovorlgntv, and died lu a rago at having been mado captive SHALL IT HE i i for a few days through troubles ho intended to deliver on tho day of tho ! nutlvlty of the Virgin, September 8, in which ho affirmed "that, as vicar of Jesus Christ, ho had tho power to govern kings with a rod of iron, and to dash them to pieces like a twitter's vessel." Owing, however, to his arrest on tho 7th of September, ho never was able to deliver either his bull or him self, and ho soon died, with his staff in his hand, frothing at tho mouth. Indeed, his death must havo been sad! "Tho violence of his passion," says tho symputhlc writer, "over powered his reason, and his death im mediately followed. Ho was attended by an ancient servant who exhorted him to conlldo himself In his calamity to tho Consoler of tho nfllictcd. Hut Honifaco mado no reply, His eyes were haggard, his mouth white with foam, and he gnashed his teeth in silence. He passed the day without nourish ment, the night without rcKisc; and when ho found that his strength Is-gan to fall, and that his end was not far dis tant, ho removed all of his attendants, that there might bo no witness to his final feebleness and his parting struggle. After some interval his domestics hurst into the room, and bo held his body stretched on the Is'il, stllT and cold. The stalT which ho carried bore the marks of his teeth, and was covered with foam; his white hs.'ks were stained with blood, and his head was so closely wrapjs-d in tho counterpain that he was believed to have anticipated his Impending death by violence and suflication." Ho could Incite wars, imprison his predecessor, burn heretics with delight, kill and torture others through the inquisition, arrogate to himself the right to break the necks of kings, cloaking himself unJer lh gm of n.- ii- n, lily , Imt (n.uUl brink no lno)t -ipMton, ami noiihl tHi!y ineet tU-mh with a shudder tut lite led lea t Ions ot t,mU . We tloubl Isilh hi piety Hud. lits In fsliihiUty. After the death lf Do lllsiHI VIII. the pssvl refill,. m, i wn remoted from lloiwit to At Ignon, and then, for seventy years, who who was sh Another rharacler, however, prev liiusly mndn his apMaramv mi tho ill position of Uregoi y VI , In the year lolfl, win Insligntcil Hud claluied for the papacy everything which wo havo sih-ii claimed by Honlfacc. Ho did not HpMar (list as sim, though he aflor ward ls'caum poa hut he aps-ared as Satan at tho cllsnv of no lest than nine pivdeci'ssors, whoso sintllicaten ix Wnded thrnugh a perltsl of twenty K'vcn years, before, lie seb.ed for hlin slf the Mnlll)elal crown. It was Ulhlelirand, afterward called Gregory VIII., and whoso nanio has lscn en relied among tho sainls! ,, Clement 1 1. , Damascus II., Ico IX., Victor 11., Stephen XI., Henedlct X,, NMcholas II., Alexander II., and Hon oris II. called In annals "anti-pope," though ho had been regularly eleclod to tho papacy, all had come ami gone by death or deposition. Twcnty-sovou years had passed since the elevation of Clement 1 1, to that of Hlldebrand. hut he had guided nil these popes In their work. Ho, too, had helped to raise them up and to throw them down, whilo ho had steadily guided them in making the net which they wove for tho agrandl.ement of tho papacy and tho belittling of temporal powers. He was a groat weaver, anil ho wove well! and ho could afford to wait more patiently than a spider in tho H.rforrn ance of his task, Ho hod all things right for himself; he saw his oppor tunity and embraced It. Tho smtl(iclal crown was his. Ho was raised to tho chair of Peter In 1073; took tho name of Gregory VII., and swung tho sceptre and tho world for thirteen years! Hut whilo ho agrandied tho papacy he shamed tho monarchs, and loaded Europe with chains; and Homo Itself, at one time; was burned in many places and pillaged for him. All Europe was astonished at his conduct. Tho lamb had become a lion, and had torn tho church from tho affections of tho people. He had turned, In the estimation of all men, from a man into a fiend! Ho had literally played the devil! He was cursed on every side! Why should ho not have been since ho wrecked all men? And the Ger mans, his own countrymen, very ap propriately called him the brand of hill! Such Is tho picture of St. Gregory, Tho history of tho papacy, In its en tiro lino of pontllicial heads, has scarcely a redeeming quality, or a name which, for real manhood, is I... ... 1 1 1 ... .i I . .. .1... . ' w " i""wu y 1110 UI u""' , of tho simplest chrlstiau who walks humbly with his God! Cardinal Newman once said: "The church has never had a holier set of popes than since tho reformation." Yet all the popes who are invoked as saints upon Catholic altars, are, with but one exception, those who wero poiHss before the reformation. What a tell-tale of morals, to make saints out of the unholy lino which proceeded tho reformation '. 1 ! Arms rtr Nmil, Home Week Hgit w hiStlrt t,0 tn hi a weekly r. which repei tlisl lire Hi in w ei Wtttf retH h" ioc-d In Cuihiilln I nt it a lions, in w lib h w a m . ti have tsvn at , burg, Wash. W afterward n.,lre a IctUr 1 the pnlof at r.llee.lwj and Msvlved thn following: "There Is no truth In tho ret Hev, J, I Hesler U Hot ixisluc I Freddy Davis and Tommy IJndw,' myths. The Cathollo church Imminent, ,N, Evans, pntoftg church." A similar denial Is from Peoria, 111. X? We regret tohsvs given pule to anything that could not I fu 'its., stantlated by tho facta. Hut not convinced that this matter ol arms for Catholics Is all a myth. TlioN Is evidence of the contrary. Indeed there Is coneluslvo evidence that tho' I toman priesthood Is anxious that every ahl.' btsHcd Human Cathollo should bear arms or Isi ready to do so. Under the solicitation or command of tho priests, largo numbers of Catholics aro Induced to join the "Ancient Order of Hibernians," and other secret organiaa tlons, which aro under control of tho priests. Those secret on'sntantlons be come to a great extent military organ izations, and sometime they appear upon tho streets of our cities armed to the teeth. On St. Patrick's day a company of Hibernians of the regular army stationed at Fort Omaha indicated their allegiance to Catholicism by marching through this city bonoath the green, carrying repeating rifles. IndeHindent organizations of Hibernians, also armi d with ro-iH-atlng rifles, marched bonoath tho green in othor cities. In Chicago a company of thorn, 500 strong, which had boon kept out of tho Btato militia for many years has recently been admitted , under tho name of the "Hibern ian Itlflos." What nood has Ro manism for these armed legions, of which no Protestant is allowed to become a member? Suppose that tho Method ists or Prcsby torlans should inaugurate secret orders, urge their male ttiombers to join and then driilihom and arm tfietn with; the most do strtittlffl wt .afffrtaivll " them upon the streets! Hut that would not be so dangerous, since their first allegiance would lie to tho United States, whllo tho first alloglunoo of those Catholics is of necessity to a foreign po tentate, tho popo of Home. Their position is Illustrated by a con versation with an official mem ber of ono of our charges in tho North Nebraska conference. This Hro. A.' has been living by tho sldo of a Cathollo for many years and ho said to hlin, "Now, Mr. B,, you and I have lived sldo by sldo for many years and havo always been friendly. In tho event of j Hi J nr. trouble. If you were commanded to destroy my property or m iii 1 self What would you do?" TK Catholic replied, "It would i my duty to obey tho popo," this would bo tho position larire majority of R Catholics throughout tho wholei try. Doubtless there aro would not obey, but what of thej orgnnlzatlonsof "Hibernians lie Knights of Anioricc," orders, which have all along M Ipulated by tho priests, and , many others not belonging i orders, but who follow 'i direction of tho priesth'xxlj are kept In Ignorance of th' by being refused possession i We may not apprehend 1 uprising of tho Roman America, and yet the pur are plain. They prope l the United States. Tin Romanized large m-U land, and hence (ho tho public school j 'Plw.w liotrn liinctlV York City, so. a century It Is era. We inil final conflict yet wo gym pul of Lafayette, . tho people l ever destroyi of tho Romail sentiments oi on different He was awai i Jesuits in i to raise re. General Si timl when priesthood," neve UJIlun have ..ll.w. furthermore 1 u upon mo to Homo in Amei Concerning til ixirta from EUoiJ are at a loss to orlcin. Havo tin Jesuits themselves in theso iiarticulai1 established, publis and the attention of turned from tho real' OmoAa Christian Advocatt